Get rid of the sweet stuff


(Tim Bourguignon) #1

Has anyone had hunger cravings with stevia?

I’ve been fat adapted since september. In januar I started baking keto cookies and adding other sweet stuff to my diet, like stevia drops in my morning Bulletproof coffee.

Before that, I had no problems fasting for 30+ hours. Since then, although still in ketosis, I‘ve found myself being hungry at lunch time again.

4 days ago, after this post, I decided to remove the sweet drops and I already have the feeling it‘s getting better… it‘s still to early to tell, but could there be something to it? Although stevia has a glycemic index 0, could it be reactivating my sweet tooth and messing up my system?


(Alec) #2

Yup, certainly possible, many have reported issues with stevia. Personally, I go better on erythritol, which I found out after doing some BG experiments.

Go with your gut feel and your personal experience. If you feel stevia is an issue for you, drop it.


(Alec) #3

Tim
See below a link to my BG experiment on a sweetener that was half stevia. My body didn’t like it… produced an insulin response.


#4

There are people who have become somewhat hypoglycemic after drinking or eating something with stevia. Says something about the possible effect on insuline. Not people on keto, though, as far as I know. More likely people who have switched out sugar with stevia. Stevia is known to control sweet cravings, but it might just as well have the opposite effect in someone who doesn’t crave sweets as much.

Erythritol has not been shown to have any effect on insulin or blood glucose. There is also a not enough studied possibility that it’s better for teeth than xylitol. It might be the best sweetener if your stomach will accept it. I can’t have too much, but my daughter doesn’t seem affected at all.


#5

I don’t touch the stuff or anything like it but I have heard from Dr Berry that even the thought of sweetness can trigger an insulin response. Or just having it on your tongue (Not even metabolised). Shouldn’t be too surprised we know this happens with other hormone and human responses in anticipation.


(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #6

I wonder if the pavlovian response to tasting artificial sweeteners goes away after a while. I say this because I’ve been using artificial sweeteners for decades (since trying Atkins in the 90’s, never went back to sugar). I’m not suggesting it doesn’t have an effect on my insulin or blood sugar now but I don’t have a problem with weight loss and I use a fair amount of it in coffee and keto desserts.

Does a body that’s been using it for years handle it differently than a body that is used to managing actual sugar in the coffee or desserts. Like, could my body have gotten the message long ago that it’s not actually effecting blood sugar and so stop throwing insulin at it?

Just wondering out loud.


#7

From what I can tell some people can get away with artificial sweeteners. While others cannot.

I have 90% Lindt dark chocolate, that’s my sweet thing.


(Charlotte) #8

I experimented with different sweeteners and I luckily don’t get any insulin response. I only use a little squirt of liquid stevia in my morning coffee and if I’m so inclined for a treat, I use swerve in my cheesecake bites. Thats about it. I use it pretty sparingly even without a response.


(Carl Keller) #9

Jason Fung says this about artificial sweeteners:

Artificial sweeteners may also cause harm by increasing cravings. The brain may perceive an incomplete sense of reward by sensing sweetness without calories, which may then cause overcompensation and increased appetite and cravings.


#10

A little bit of stevia in cheesecake makes it way more satiating than if using sugar. But that’s possible tiny insulin spike with some protein.


('Jackie P') #11

It makes sense. If you release insulin but have no glucose for it to act on then it might deplete your circulating glucose temporarily. This may make you crave sugar to rectify the situation.


(Tim Bourguignon) #12

Thanks for all your replies. I haven‘t had a drop of stevia for a week and I‘m back to eating a 1000kcal OMAD without breaking a sweat…

I’m ready to draw conclusions in my experiment of 1… I‘m not going back to stevia :grin: