Erythritol is Blowing My Belly to Smithereens

(Tracy) #1

I think I’ve isolated the bloat problem. Along with fiber, I think erythritol is causing it. Has anyone else had this problem with erythritol? What sweetener did you switch to? I’m wondering if the concentrated drops would work well in baked goods.

(Windmill Tilter) #2

It’s very common. I think the GI tract recognizes it for what it is, and behaves accordingly.

(Natasha) #3

Eurgh, yes! Same problem here - even a couple tsp through an entire recipe is a problem! I’m using stevia drops at the moment, mostly because I have them to use up but my long term plan is to reduce all sweeteners - I find as time goes on I need less and less to make recipes palatable anyway, so hopefully will get to a point where things taste good without any!

:dash: :wind_face:

#4

I’ve tried to cut sugar completely. If I must, I use a stevia packet. Since January I’ve made blueberry muffins from scratch 2x and I used Swerve. So I think Swerve is a good substitute for baking and Stevia for drinks.

#5

Some people have issues with it especially in higher amounts, why do you think fiber is doing it? The drops are fine and what I typically use for sweetening drinks but in recipes it really depends on each one. Some of them that say require 1 cup of sugar, needed that as both a dry ingredient and as a bulking agent, so without it you have less physically and possibly too wet of a batter. Gotta take it case by case. I also use allulose and xylitol. I think they’re both much better to take the place of real sugar in baked goods than erythritol and stevia since they both actually taste like real sugar. Allulose is slightly weaker in sweetness and too much xylitol can end with you in the bathroom, everybody is different there.

(Brandy) #6

I use Allulose to the exclusion of everything else. Aside from the fact that it’s only 70% as sweet as sugar and that cook times and temps should be adjusted down slightly, it tastes and behaves similarly to sugar, without any of the blood sugar response or the GI discomfort or aftertaste of other sugar substitutes. Although I hear reports of people finding it in stores now and again, I’ve never seen it on the shelves. I order it from Amazon.

(Gregory - You can teach an old dog new tricks.) #7

Have you tried it in the absence of fiber?
Just curious…

(Diana) #8

Same. I try using stevia primarily. It’s hard as it’s not a 1:1 conversion but I modify recipes slightly and just play with it so I can use stevia. Also I’ve found any of the fibers like in ChocZero or the Jerusalem artichoke fiber will kill my stomach.

(Tracy) #9

Before I went keto I was having issues with bloating, which lead me to a doctor who told me he suggests HFLC to his patients. I had tried low carb in the past but didn’t have much luck sticking to it. I realize now it was because I didn’t know about the glycemic index or using fat as an energy source. The bloating issue pretty much went away except for when I’d eat spinach, psyllium, flax meal, cabbage, nuts etc. I also noticed in the absence of these foods I would bloat when I’d eat treats I made with erythritol. I saw this doctor again 8 months later and told him my bloating issue decreased dramatically after starting Keto and he said it was probably because I’m not consuming as much fiber. It all makes sense. It seems like the older I get the more sensitive my belly gets to certain foods.

(Gregory - You can teach an old dog new tricks.) #10

In the end, gas is a bi-product of what the gut microbes are eating.
I haven’t seen any research on how bacteria view the pseudo sweeteners…

So, I guess it’s a matter of the individual.

#11

Gotcha, I was reading that the other way around. I ignored fiber for a long time because I convinced myself I didn’t need it. I’m doing much better with it in there now.

(Nicola Blair) #12

Erythritol gave me horrible stomach pain and em the runs, tmi maybe. I switched to xylitol and I’m fine. I only really use it for cups of tea or the very occasional pudding. Capitol is toxic to dogs but i have no pets.

(Nicola Blair) #13

That should say xylitol is toxic to dogs. Auto correct.

(Jeff S) #14

Everyone is different but I have found that for me the various fibers commonly found in keto foods cause the most problems with bloating, discomfort and gas. Chicory root especially.

(Joey) #15

Gut bacteria (the good kind) are indeed responding. My (limited) understanding is that fiber provides material for those bacteria to increase their populations at the expense of the less-healthy strains … and the battle generates CO2 - hence the gas.

If you eat limited quantities of offending fiber and fermented veggies at first, and work your way up over time, you’ll encourage a much healthier mix of bacteria and the gas issue will typically pass (no pun) fairly quickly, i.e., days. :dash:

[Dr. Perlmutter (neurologist), among others, has covered this topic in his writings.]

#16

Isn’t swerve Erythritol? Or are there different formulations? I had some bad GI upset today and am wondering if it might have been from Erythritol.