[wordmaven]

Hi, everyone.
I'm wondering what the real story is behind all the artificial sweeteners out there. I drink diet soda and chew sugarless gum, thinking that these items won't affect my blood sugar. But some people I ask say that all that sugar-free candy out there isn't good for us. My nutritionist says she doesn't like me putting all those chemicals into my body, and that eating too much stuff with artificial sweeteners can cause problems with my stomach. I know about this laxative effect, though, and so don't eat that much each day. I know there's something called "sugar alcohols" in each of these artificially-sweetened products but don't know what they are exactly and how many are too much. I'm a person who likes to have something in my mouth to suck on or chew on, and my sugar cravings have been very bad lately. Are certain sweeteners better for us than others; and if so, which ones? I also like to eat Fruities, a Weight Watchers candy, that has no sugar and only 1 carb per candy. Does anyone know about these Fruities?

Thanks for any thoughts any of you may have.

 

[onaughmae]

Hi, everyone.
I'm wondering what the real story is behind all the artificial sweeteners out there. I drink diet soda and chew sugarless gum, thinking that these items won't affect my blood sugar. But some people I ask say that all that sugar-free candy out there isn't good for us. My nutritionist says she doesn't like me putting all those chemicals into my body, and that eating too much stuff with artificial sweeteners can cause problems with my stomach. I know about this laxative effect, though, and so don't eat that much each day. I know there's something called "sugar alcohols" in each of these artificially-sweetened products but don't know what they are exactly and how many are too much. I'm a person who likes to have something in my mouth to suck on or chew on, and my sugar cravings have been very bad lately. Are certain sweeteners better for us than others; and if so, which ones? I also like to eat Fruities, a Weight Watchers candy, that has no sugar and only 1 carb per candy. Does anyone know about these Fruities?

Thanks for any thoughts any of you may have.

I dont know about those candies in particular. I do know that many "sugar-free" candies are loaded with sugar alcohols and other things to make up for the sugar they take out. Supposedly sugar alcohols dont raise your blood sugar...but they do mine. If you compare the number of carbs in these sugar free candies to the "real" candies, they are sometimes almost the same. Personally, I think you are better off just having a small piece of the "real" stuff and just work it into your meal plan. The only one I have found that was really good and didnt mess with my blood sugar are the Werther's sugar free toffees. They are awesome! I keep some in a container on my desk at home and grab one whenever I just want something sweet.

 

[wordmaven]

Pam,
Thanks for the recommendation. I like toffees so will check those out. So it sounds like the most important thing is the number of carbs something has and not so much whether it has sugar or not ??? What would you say is a "reasonable" number of sugar alcohols in a sugar-free item - under 5? 10?
Thanks!

 

[onaughmae]

Pam,
Thanks for the recommendation. I like toffees so will check those out. So it sounds like the most important thing is the number of carbs something has and not so much whether it has sugar or not ??? What would you say is a "reasonable" number of sugar alcohols in a sugar-free item - under 5? 10?
Thanks!

well...lets put it in perspective....for instance...hershey sugar free chocolate candy w/almonds, 1 serving (5 small pieces or 1.4oz) is 23 carbs. One regular hershey bar with almonds is 1.4oz and 21g of carbs. It has regular sugar and no alcohols or other additives. I don't know about you...but I would rather have the regular bar and just work it into my meal plan. Now granted, I cant do that often and it might be a little easier for me since I am an insulin user.

Werther's sugar free toffees are 15g carbs for 5 pieces. I can usually be satisfied with just one or two though and for only 3g carb for each piece its pretty easy to do. They taste exactly like the regular ones.

If I am really having a sweet tooth moment, I will usually opt for sugar free jello (0 carbs in the ready to eat little containers) with a spoonful of cool whip on it. Regular cool whip for a good sized tablespoon is only a couple of carbs at most.

 

[Shanny]

Welcome back, wordmaven! I can't speak for the candy, but s/f jello with whipped cream is a wonderful sweet treat. I do occasionally buy the Atkins Endulge bars, and while they don't spike me too bad, they are pricey and I have a problem eating only one portion . . .

Bring us up to date on your situation . . . I truly hope you've been able to arrest the weight loss and perhaps even put on a pound or two.

 

[wordmaven]

Hi, Shanny.
Very nice that you recall my situation, or even took the time to review my initial messages.

My latest blood test results: fasting was 97, and my a1c was 5.8; so I'm still pre-diabetic, thank GOD!!! My previous a1c was actually 5.6, which blew me away, since I really don't recall having done anything differently with my diet or exercise than I've been doing for a year and a half now. The a1c before that was 5.9, which concerned me. Thankfully, my a1c's only shifting between 5.6 and 5.9 recently, so that's good, though it all seems so random: What concerns me is when I get worse, I won't know what's making it go up or down.

As for my weight, well, I was successful in getting myself up to 84 pounds. Yaaay!!! It took a lot of work on my part, as I made a point of eating every few hours whenever I was home over the summer. All of this eating, though, made me curious as to the effect on my blood sugar; but clearly, I did pretty well in that area. I was told, though, that now my thyroid is a little low, and that I should increase my dose of Synthroid. I don't want to do this right now, though, because I don't want to lose the couple of pounds I just gained! Oh, don't ask; it's just craziness over here with the weight.

Re the sugar-free candy thread, I did want to say that Jelly Belly makes gourmet sugar-free jelly beans and sours that appear to be quite edible by those watching their sugar. One serving is 35 pieces, which to me is a lot! And the carbs are 25, and sugar alcohols 37 - or is it the other way around? In either case, each individual jelly bean is only like one carb or a little more, and the same with the sugar alcohols. I usually only eat 2-4 a day, so I think I'm okay with these.

I also discovered a really neat site designed for blind people that lists package labeling for thousands of products! So now I can easily check the nutrition facts and ingredients in tons of products! The site's at directionsforme.org. Of course, you're able to look at the actual packaging, but anyone can use the site if they want.

Thanks again for welcoming me back and allowing me to go on forever, as I do so easily. Sorry!

 

[Shanny]

I also discovered a really neat site designed for blind people that lists package labeling for thousands of products! So now I can easily check the nutrition facts and ingredients in tons of products! The site's at directionsforme.org. Of course, you're able to look at the actual packaging, but anyone can use the site if they want.

I was thinking just last night about you and reading labels . . . this site is incredible! I'll be using it a lot too - it's a huge database . . . thanks WM! The actual package labels are such small print that most "seeing" people can't read them . . .

Good that you've been able to regain a few pounds - that's 5% of your previous weight - nice going!

It's good to have you back . . .

 

[Shanny]

Ran across more sugar-free hard candy today at the grocery . . . Estee brand - apparently from Estee Lauder. These butterscotch lozenges taste halfway decent, and they're seemingly loaded with soluble fiber.

Ingredients: Polydextrose (Excess consumption may have a laxative effect on sensitive individuals), Salt, Artificial and Natural Flavors, sucralose (Splenda Brand), Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Red 40 and Blue a Colors Added.

But now I need to Google polydextrose, and I'm not expecting to like the answers I get . . .

 

[breezeonby]

Ran across more sugar-free hard candy today at the grocery . . . Estee brand - apparently from Estee Lauder. These butterscotch lozenges taste halfway decent, and they're seemingly loaded with soluble fiber. But now I need to Google polydextrose, and I'm not expecting to like the answers I get . . .

I have heard it all now, Estee Lauder selling candy? The Lauder products are priced through the roof......Shame on them for putting polydextrose in the candies!

 

[Orio]

I have heard it all now, Estee Lauder selling candy? The Lauder products are priced through the roof......Shame on them for putting polydextrose in the candies!

They probably smell really nice though !!