Question about erythritol

(Sommer Strickland) #1

So I found this yummy “keto-friendly” lemon pound cake recipe on pinterest. They used swerve in the recipe and I didn’t have that so I used erythritol, which I have found that finding conversions for this to be difficult (like stevia to swerve). Anyway, I made it and then entered it into my fitness pal and it ended up being like 41 carbs because I used 1 3/4 cups of erythritol. So my question is, someone told me that you are supposed to subtract the sugar alcohol from the carbs. I have never heard this before, is this true??? Also, does anyone have recommendations for what to use for sweetener for baking. I do use stevia a lot, but it tastes funny in baking I think!

(TJ Borden) #2

It varies for everyone. Sugar alcohols generally count as half their carb total. They can affect blood sugar and cause an insulin response.

(Brian) #3

Many are able to ignore the carbs associated with sugar alcohols. If you are sensitive to them, they’ll be a problem for you. If you’re not, you have more freedom to use them as you’d like.

(Sommer Strickland) #4

Well, I did not eat it because of the carb count, but I wanted to. I haven’t had any sugar since I started in February. Just need to know if you actually subtract the sugar alcohol.

#5

I think it is down to individual reactions with sugar alcohols.

I have had some pretty urgent bathroom visits with some of them - maltitol springs to mind!
But with erythritol I am fine. It doesn’t cause any tummy upset, doesn’t impact my blood glucose at all, and I am confident that I can eat it without any negative effects. It doesn’t even trigger a craving for sweet things. So I choose to use it as the least of many evils, while using it sparingly.

Probably the only way for you to know whether it affects you, is to try it and see.

Hope that helps.

#6

I suppose the other thing to bear in mind is the portion size.
I mean, if the cake had 40g carbs in it, how many portions was that, and how many g carbs per portion.

I used to bake LC cakes for Mr B quite often, and I counted them OK if they had 6-8 g carbs a slice. Then I might eat half a slice, and he would eat 1/4 of the cake in one sitting… but it was still a heck of a lot better than a high carb cake, and he would probably have eaten all of one of those, because they are a lot less filling… :rofl:

(Allie) #7

@Brunneria maltitol is even and well known for causing nasty issues, both for digestion and blood sugar.

@sommer_strickland as for deductions the carbs, some say yes, some say deduct half, some say count them all - it really does depend how your body reacts to them. Not something I’ve ever had any problems with, but others aren’t so lucky.

(matt ) #8

Erythritol does not impact my BG so I don’t count the sugar alcohols as carbs.

(Sommer Strickland) #9

well it was 16 portions, but could make it more for sure and it came out to 41 carbs per slice with using erythritol.

(Sommer Strickland) #10

my erythritol says 0 sugars, so how do you know what the sugar alcohol is? I’m confused

#11

Ah, if it was 40g a slice, does that mean it had wheat flour in it?

All the LC cakes I have made have been from sites like these, where the flour is replaced with almond or coconut flour.
https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/?s=cake


Sorry - I just assumed that you were baking with nut flours, which was an assumption I should not have made. Blame it on my gluten-free-tunnel-vision mindset :slight_smile:
I really do recommend checking out those websites. The recipes are fabulous.

(Valerie) #12

Everyone here is right- it depends on your body. Erythritol is no problem for me. No bathroom issues. Doesn’t cause a glucose spike, so it gets a 0 carb count for me. It seems to be that way with most people I have met. Stevia, on the other hand, is hell for me. It still gets a 0 carb count (doesn’t appear to affect my bg) but it makes my intestines roll!

Erythritol is the ONLY sweetener I will now use. The powdered version seems a bit more versatile. I don’t use it that often but if I’m making keto pancakes for the family or something I add it.

(Sommer Strickland) #13

No, I used almond flour, but used 1 3/4 cup erythritol, which is 4g carbs per tsp!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #14

Anything the name of which ends in “-ol” is a kind of alcohol. The ending signals the presence of a hydroxyl group (OH—one Oxygen, one Hydrogen), which is the definition of an alcohol. Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is CH3OH, with the hydroxyl substituting for the fourth carbon of the ethane molecule (CH4). Likewise, erythritol has a hydroxyl group substituting for (probably) a hydrogen in the original molecule, and the same applies to maltitol and maltose. See, I still remember something from organic chemistry all these (cough ahem) years later! :bacon::bacon: