Erythritol has carbs!

(Loraine Hansen) #1

Am I the only one who didn’t know that erythritol has 4 grams of carbs / 1 tsp? I’ve been using it, along with liquid Stevia in my BPC, and after 2.5 weeks on LCHF and not seeing much improvement, I looked at the carbs on the package. To my surprise and disappointment, I’ve been taking in WAY more carbs than I thought! ruled.me recommends this combination of artificial sweeteners, and I believe I heard it recommended on the Keto Podcasts, too. It was also recommended to “test” yourself to see what spikes or doesn’t spike your blood sugar. I don’t have any gadgets to test that and don’t really want to purchase anything, so am going by results in how I feel, etc.

Any suggestions, ideas, thoughts on this? I’m pretty annoyed that I’ve been ingesting way more carbs than I thought. And I want to get the word out in case anyone else is in my situation, thinking that the reason for artificial sweeteners is to reduce the calories/carbs, not have the same amount as regular sugar. (It is the same amount as white table sugar, from what I can tell.) It is also derived from corn. Isn’t that a bad thing? I’ve not eaten corn for four years!

(John) #2

It is listed as a carb because it is, but it is a sugar alcohol which means it doesn’t spike your insulin so they are typically not counted.

#3

Don’t panic, they are sugar alcohols which don’t impact the same way as sugar. You basically don’t absorb them so they don’t count. Erythritol seems to be the best tolerated of the sugar alcohols and I use it as Truvia which is combined with Stevia. It is very unlikely to raise your blood sugar and may or may not cause an insulinogenic response in you - most people seem to be OK with it.

It is not the same as table sugar, no.

It is worth testing your reactions to the different sweeteners available and you can do this by feel to a degree. You will likely not be able to tell whether it impacts your blood sugar or insulin though. I am pretty sure, for example, that aspartame and acesulfameK give me headaches and make me feel crappy. These are found in a lot of diet drinks - Coke Zero being my addiction!

#4

I count carbs from all other sugar alcohols, but erythritol is one that I can safely ignore - others may have a different experience.

(Larry Lustig) #5

The carbohydrates in sugar alcohols are metabolized at a different rate. For erythritol it’s about 5%.

(Loraine Hansen) #6

Okay, so I don’t need to return my bag of erythritol? Because it seems to work in cooking, too. I was panicking, so thank you for your quick responses. I use the powdered erythritol with the liquid stevia drops. I am breathing a little better now. But still have a palpating heart rate. I also feel kind of dumb

(jketoscribe) #7

Is your bag pure erythritol? Sometimes maltose is added for texture and that does add real, countable carbs.

(Ashley Haddock) #8

No need to feel dumb. We all have to learn.

(Kathy L) #9

Bill - have you ever tried Bai drinks? I have a few - and my tracking app counts them as 9 carbs - which is way over my budget for a drink. The bottle says: - under CARBS: Total carb 9g, Erythritol - 8g, and sugars - 1g. Do you guys think I should only count it as one g. carbs?

#10

Yes I have tried the Bai drinks and did count them as 1 carb with no negative effects for me personally.

I’ve temporarily stopped buying them because I found that the sweetness itself triggered a desire for more sweet things even though I was still in ketosis.

Too much stevia does the same thing, so I continue to search for a balance that doesn’t trigger my sweet tooth.

(Kathy L) #11

Thanks, Bill - just needed permission.
I am testing ketones daily (sometimes 2x) with the ketonix. I am currently blinking 7 yellow. (don’t know if you are familiar with the ketonix) I had a 3x red the other day and have been LOWER in carbs for 2 days since, but am back into yellow. It’s still good tho. I’ll see if I get kicked out of ketosis. :slight_smile: I love them - something has to take the place of all the sweets I USED to LOVE! :sunny: :heart:

(Definitely *NOT* oleophobic) #12

Unfortunately I’m one of the people that Cannot have it. It creates an insulin response for me. So if you are having issues with it, experiment by not having it and see if it makes a difference.

(Kathy L) #13

I will faithfully check ketone level - thanks for the input!

(Andrew Anderson) #14

Thanks for posting this! I almost bought a bag on Sunday but saw the carbs and ran. I will now fearlessly buy and experiment!:grinning:

(Loraine Hansen) #15

Yes, it’s pure erythritol crystalline powder (non-GMO). Purchased at Good Earth. Good to know.

(Candace) #16

Thanks for posting this! I went and checked all forms of sweeteners I have on hand, most of which have erythritol in them. Happy to say that all of the carbs were erythritol. Now, I’ll be watching to see if my sugars spike when I use it, I’m just starting to play with combinations of sweeteners, I’m very sensitive to the taste - the bitterness is hard, but Maria (from Maria Mind Body Health), once told me that playing with combinations like erythritol and stevia might help take the bitterness away.

Quick question on the sugar spike, I’ve never really monitored this before, even though at one time I was type 2 Diabetic, and I’ve been hitting the ‘pre’ levels again, thus my several months investigation into Keto…when and how often should I check my levels after having something with the sweetener in it? Should I check it before?

(Cathy Schroder) #17

Does anyone know if xylitol works the same way?

(Jennifer Matthews) #18

Where can I purchase liquid stevia? I checked Shoprite (I live in north jersey) & cldnt find it.

#19

Liquid form? I don’t know. I would start with Amazon. That is my usual go to for anything I can’t find in the supermarket.

(Emily Anthony) #20

But the Keto app still counts as 5 net carbs per serving. It doesn’t seem to subtract the sugar alcohols… no?