Sugar Alcohols?
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A quick way to tell if something is a sugar alcohol...usually it ends in "itol" though not all words that end in this suffix are sugar alcohols.
Here's a list of some popular sugar alcohols so you can identify them when you look at a nutrition label:
Erythritol.
Maltitol.
Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates.
Isomalt.
Lactitol.
Mannitol.
Sorbitol.
Xylitol.3 -
I don't care for many sweeteners but I dislike Splenda the most. I just think it has a terrible aftertaste. I drink my coffee with cream only...no sweetener at all. Sometimes I use Sweetleaf drops in recipes. I like those fairly well in small amounts. I like the Halo Top ice cream which has erythritol in it. I don't bake much because I can't find a sweetener blend I like.0
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KetoneKaren wrote: »A quick way to tell if something is a sugar alcohol...usually it ends in "itol" though not all words that end in this suffix are sugar alcohols.
Here's a list of some popular sugar alcohols so you can identify them when you look at a nutrition label:
Erythritol.
Maltitol.
Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates.
Isomalt.
Lactitol.
Mannitol.
Sorbitol.
Xylitol.
And if it's any of the last 3, don rubber underwear before consuming!7 -
Sucralose does a number on my fasting blood glucose too if I eat it the day before; the same as other carby foods.
Liquid stevia and xylitol seem to be the sweeteners that don't affect my BG. I use liquid sweeteners as much as possible because it does not have the starchy or sugary filler in it which also affects my BG (I think).
And xylitol does have the , er..., bathroom deterent to eating too much of it.
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Sucralose does a number on my fasting blood glucose too if I eat it the day before; the same as other carby foods.
Liquid stevia and xylitol seem to be the sweeteners that don't affect my BG. I use liquid sweeteners as much as possible because it does not have the starchy or sugary filler in it which also affects my BG (I think).
And xylitol does have the , er..., bathroom deterent to eating too much of it.
Thank you for the sweetener/BG comments, I find that help!
I am finding this topic particularly useful learning which words in the ingredient list actually mean sugar alcohols as well as other posts within this thread.
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Hearts_2015 wrote: »Sucralose does a number on my fasting blood glucose too if I eat it the day before; the same as other carby foods.
Liquid stevia and xylitol seem to be the sweeteners that don't affect my BG. I use liquid sweeteners as much as possible because it does not have the starchy or sugary filler in it which also affects my BG (I think).
And xylitol does have the , er..., bathroom deterent to eating too much of it.
Thank you for the sweetener/BG comments, I find that help!
I am finding this topic particularly useful learning which words in the ingredient list actually mean sugar alcohols as well as other posts within this thread.
I go by endings too. Ingredients with the ending "ose" means sugar, "itol" or "ol" means sugar alcohol, and "extrin" is a sugar like filler.7 -
Sucralose does a number on my fasting blood glucose too if I eat it the day before; the same as other carby foods.
Liquid stevia and xylitol seem to be the sweeteners that don't affect my BG. I use liquid sweeteners as much as possible because it does not have the starchy or sugary filler in it which also affects my BG (I think).
And xylitol does have the , er..., bathroom deterent to eating too much of it.
Strikingly similar to the incendiary effects of that devil's brew you get the night before a colonoscopy.
Does erythritol spike your BG?
I just started tinkering with ground Stevia leaf - so far, so good tastewise, though, unlike Italian governments, it does not seem in a terrible hurry to dissolve.4 -
Friend who grows Stevia makes it into a liquid concentrate, I guess she steeps it or something. Anybody ever do that?0
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I can't use sugar alcohols because I get major GI upset from them. However, I will use a small amount of Aspartame if I want some sweetness. I haven't heard if this is OK.0
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I found an answer to my own question at this website:
http://commonsensehome.com/stevia-grow-your-own-sweetener/
For anyone interested, Stevia is a "natural" sweetener in the glycosides class. It is not artificial and it is not a sugar alcohol.
It is available commercially but is often combined with other stuff. Rebiana is another name for high purity steviol glycosides, and is marketed as Truvia, a powder which also contains erythritol; PureVia, a powder which also contains dextrose and cellulose; and Stevia in the Raw, which also contains either dextrose or maltodextrin. There are other powdered Stevia products but they, of course, all contain stuff that isn't stevia for bulking/nonclumping purposes...and the Truvia has a sugar alcohol in it. I use Truvia. It's OK.
There are also liquid forms of stevia commercially available, like SweetLeaf drops which have water, stevia leaf extract, and "natural flavors", and sometimes vanilla extract. The Stevia is extracted with either water or alcohol. If alcohol is used, it is removed later in the process.
I say natural in quotes because it is quite refined when it hits the shelves.4 -
Remember that lab results on blood glucose impact is just lab averages. Everyone will react differently. If you want to know, you need to use bg testing protocol and test each one individually. If I'd paid attention to lab averages, I'd be totally screwing myself. One the chart says doesn't affect bg, does for me. One they say affects bg highly has zero effect on me. If you want to know, test it.0
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Sucralose does a number on my fasting blood glucose too if I eat it the day before; the same as other carby foods.
Liquid stevia and xylitol seem to be the sweeteners that don't affect my BG. I use liquid sweeteners as much as possible because it does not have the starchy or sugary filler in it which also affects my BG (I think).
And xylitol does have the , er..., bathroom deterent to eating too much of it.
Strikingly similar to the incendiary effects of that devil's brew you get the night before a colonoscopy.
Does erythritol spike your BG?
I just started tinkering with ground Stevia leaf - so far, so good tastewise, though, unlike Italian governments, it does not seem in a terrible hurry to dissolve.
Bwahahaha!
Erythritol seems to bring up my BG somewhat, but I only tested it once. I can't remember what it was in now..... Hmm. Not a ver reliable test. There isn't much I put sweetener into except for coffee or mashed avaocado with cocoa. I always use liquid stevia for that, and not very much or it gets a sort of bitter aftertaste. Less is more with stevia.0 -
Which liquid stevia products do any of you prefer? I am thinking of growing my own stevia, it is supposed to be very easy to do in Virginia where I live. I have a dehydrator - and Vodka - LOL! I could try it dried or extracted.2
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KetoneKaren wrote: »Which liquid stevia products do any of you prefer? I am thinking of growing my own stevia, it is supposed to be very easy to do in Virginia where I live. I have a dehydrator - and Vodka - LOL! I could try it dried or extracted.
I only use the sweet leaf drops. Growing your own sounds neat. Sadly I'm guaranteed death to any plant. lol
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@anglyn1 I used to have a brown thumb until I learned the secret of planting dozens & dozens of plants. Some of them survive despite my withering digit.
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Stevia is easy to grow outdoors in VA, it's practically taking over my mother's herb garden and she only planted 3 little plants a few years ago...for sweetening liquids (like tea) you don't have to do anything but wash it and put it in the hot liquid...makes the best sun tea!!!1
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@tcunbeliever Thank you, thank you! I was told it was easy but it sounds as if it's as easy as putting mint into your iced tea except you put the stevia in the hot liquid, super easy! Yay!
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KetoneKaren wrote: »Which liquid stevia products do any of you prefer? I am thinking of growing my own stevia, it is supposed to be very easy to do in Virginia where I live. I have a dehydrator - and Vodka - LOL! I could try it dried or extracted.
Oh I so want to try that! I love my garden (even though it's lousy this year) and growing something like that would save me a ton of money!2 -
I ususally use Sweet Leaf drops too. I would guess 2 drops is about the same as a small teaspoon of sugar.
I would like to try to grow stevia but it would need to be a house plant up here ( Alberta, Canada). I'm guessing it would be an annual when it is zone 3. LOL1 -
@RowdysLady Where do you live? I know stevia is supposed to grow very well here in Virginia, as verified by @tcunbeliever. I am going to see if they have seeds at Southern States.0
