Soda makers

#21

WHOA! I’ve never considered going straight to the 2L like that! Is that a normal off the shelf 2L bottle or something way stronger? Ever have one launch across the room on you? The charge hose a homemade deal?

(Kirk Wolak) #22

I like the way you think… But we were warned about USING while it is sideways or upside down.
It looks like you might be charging the top one up… NICE Setup!

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #23

@lfod14 Yep, off the shelf run-of-the-mill PET bottles mostly, although this particular bottle originated as a Big And Easy Bottle Brew bottle, vintage early 00s. I use a max of 36psi and PET bottles can handle much higher pressure safely. No, I’ve never had a bottle blow across the room, although I’ve had them leak during filling due to the pressure head not screwed down hard enough on the bottle. Interestingly, the red Carbonator cap in the above photo that attaches directly to the PET bottle does not have an O-ring! It relies on forming a seal with the outer edge of the bottle opening, so that has to be pristine.

…Most two liter bottles begin to fail at pressures around 1,034 kilopascals, or 150 pounds per square inch. The pressure at which the bottle will burst is more than it would normally encounter during packaging or normal use.

Source

I used a standard pressure hose off the tank regulator. I ran that to a threaded tube that attaches to the cartridge threads in a bicycle CO2 tire inflator. I did that so I could control the rate of carbonation with the trigger on the inflator. The tire inflator attaches directly to the Carbonator components. It sounds complicated, but it’s not much.

@CaptainKirk I carbonate the PET bottles in the upside down position so the CO2 bubbles through the liquid. When the pressure reaches 36 psi I stop filling and agitate the bottle until it feels soft, then repeat until the bottle stays firm. Then back to the fridge in prep for the next session.

The ideal situation, of course, would be to have this whole setup in a refridgerator set to 39°F. One could then just leave the line open and let the pressure in the PET bottle equalize to the pressure at the regulator. This is what most home brewers do when they have a keg setup for carbonation. In my case, however, it takes me about 3 days to carbonate a PET bottle to 36psi intermittently adding CO2 as time permits.

(Dee) #24

I have been drinking LeCroix flavored, unsweetened carbonated water. I add stevia for sweetness and it is great!

(Kirk Wolak) #25

Dee,
Just keep an eye on it. I was so metabolically damaged, that ANY sweetness would trigger a drop in glucose (ie, it caused an insulin hit). Then hunger came. Hungry for salty/crunchy or acid…

Every Body is Different.

(Tracy) #26

I hooked my soda stream up to a 5lb Co2 tank. We drink 8 liters of soda water a day. It costs me $10 a month to exchange the tank. My favorite drink is soda water, one pump of SF coconut syrup, topped with un sweetened coconut milk.

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(Tracy) #27

I went to a welding shop and had to buy a 5lb tank for about $70. After that I have been able to exchange it for $10. The hose I bought cost about $50 and it hooks directly from the tank to my soda maker.

(Dee) #28

Thank you! I am doing IF 16:8 and watching my total carb intake… I know it will take time, I will just have to be consistent and patient!

(Kirk Wolak) #29

That’s a great setup.
BE Careful. I have to turn my tank off. It will slow leak and empty much sooner.
So I open it, close it, and use ONLY the CO2 in the line to charge the one bottle.
My first 5lb tank lasted a month, this one is going strong, 1.5 months later! Just FYI…

BTW, I proved it was slow leaking, by opening and closing the tank, waiting over night,
and there was NOTHING when I pressed down on the soda stream in the morning.
Since I do 1-3 bottles/day, and am the only user in the house, it’s easy enough to turn
the handle. If I get 3 times longer out of the CO2, all the better.

Please be careful with “Sweet Drinks”, they can lead you astray. No sugar DOES NOT mean No Effect on Insulin… That’s the big lie! Especially for those of us with deranged metabolisms…

(Kirk Wolak) #30

Dee, I also recommend doing TOTAL carbs.
Net Carbs are VERY much in Vogue… Especially by companies making Fake Foods!
When you start out, I feel going Total Carb limitation, until you master getting into ketosis is the best.

Later you will find which “fake carbs” work for you. I get wild glucose swings from monkfruit, for example. In the beginning (unless I am DEEP in ketosis, even now), sucralose (splenda) would cause a drop in my blood glucose (because it triggered an insulin response).

Good luck!

(Tracy) #31

I asked all kinds of questions when I bought this (probably dumb questions because I was afraid it would spontaneously explode) and they advised me to turn it off when not in use. On my last squirt of Co2, I turn it off and use up what is in the line. I’ve learned lots of lessons about sweeteners. I know Sucralose is frowned upon because it’s not natural, but the way I see it, I rarely use sweeteners, and it gets my water in me. It’s such a tiny amount that it only gives an essence of flavor and the unsweetened coconut milk gives it plenty of flavor. I might look into getting some syrups that are made with erythritol or stevia. I definitely won’t use Maltitol or maltodextrin. I’ve also checked my blood sugar dozens of times after using Sucralose just to make sure and there is zero effect.

(Tracy) #32

I find this interesting. A drop in glucose doesn’t alway mean I’m eating the right thing? I would have suspected that a drop is a good thing. I’ve eaten things then checked my BS and it was lower than before I ate it and I assumed that it was fine to eat. In order for the drop to be detrimental on Keto, would I have needed to have a rise in blood sugar prior to the drop?

#33

Well, I went with the syphon and it works great for my use. I only have one glass a day when it’s hot outside, maybe once in a while two. One syphon full makes at least two tall glasses. If you follow the instructions properly, it is extremely bubbly, almost too bubbly for my taste. I am also one of the people who cannot use sweeteners of any kind, and I don’t miss them at all. I add a squeeze of fresh lemon and usually some electrolyte concentrate, and it picks me right up. I am happy with it.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #34

It depends on why your glucose dropped. If it dropped because you ate very little carbohydrate, that’s one thing. But if it drops because something in your food caused your insulin to spike, that’s not so good. So if you notice that normally on your ketogenic diet your blood glucose rises by X after meals and slowly declines thereafter, but after a meal with a particular substance in it it rises by X as usual but then drops precipitously, then you can probably conclude that the drop was the result of an insulin spike (unfortunately, we cannot measure insulin directly at home, because it requires a radioassay). So the moral of the story is that context is all.

(Kirk Wolak) #35

No, there is NO requirement for a rise. A rise in glucose is bad enough…

But imagine eating something that TRIGGERS Insulin, but does NOT raise Glucose…
What will happen to your Glucose…

It will go down! Because Insulin pushes it into the cells. But worse. It TURNS OFF Ketosis!
That’s why looking for Glucose going down is important…

So, there are SENSORS as we eat things. If it detects things that might increase glucose, it preemptively starts releasing Insulin to balance it out. (This is why Glycemic Index is actually a HORRIBLE marker. ONE reason a substance may not raise your glucose is that your body SHUNTS its effect with more insulin up front. Imagine that!)

In all honesty, we want to know the Insulin impact of a food! For it is insulin we must be careful with.
The glucose follows!

#36

Gawd I love your setup with the DaVinci sirups! Dont they stall you with the artificial sweeteners? If I would drink this, I think I could have a diet coke too. But I cant. Sweet stuff stalls me.

(Tracy) #37

So what you are saying is I could be turning off ketosis and raising insulin without knowing it just by eating something with stevia or erythritol? This whole time I thought that if I eat something and my blood sugar stays down, then it has no negative effect on my Keto diet.

Let’s say that’s true. I would have to weigh the pros and cons of giving up the tiny amount of artificial sweetener I have daily. The pros are I might lose a few more pounds. The cons are I wouldn’t drink much water. I’m afraid I might also try to replace my soda drinking with something else.

Here’s what makes me think what I’m doing is okay - I’ve been the same weight for a year (132). In the beginning I was making a lot of keto desserts. My weight and BS is the same now and I rarely have any artificial sweeteners as it was when I was eating a lot more “keto junk food”. I also just got blood work done today. If the results aren’t as stellar as I expect them, I may review my diet. I appreciate your input and I will take it under advisement. I’m always trying to learn more about Keto and the science behind it and learn ways to improve my habits even if it’s something that I need to eliminate from my diet that I really don’t want to get rid of. Most people don’t want to hear that they can’t eat a bag of sugar-free candy bars even though the label says one carb. I’ve been told to mind my own business when I tell someone Maltitol will kick them out of ketosis. :slight_smile:

(Tracy) #38

I might be learning something new about the SF syrup I use. But as far as I’ve always known it doesn’t stall me or make me gain. However, I use such a tiny amount I’m not sure it could do much harm. I stopped drinking diet soda. I’ve weaned myself off of desserts. I don’t crave them anymore. Something I know that was harming me was the use of almond flour in desserts. Nuts and heavy whipping cream can cause me to stall or gain.

(Kirk Wolak) #39

Sorry, the website crashed last night when I tried to respond.

Anyways, YES, that is EXACTLY what I am saying. See, testing your glucose levels is one side.
testing your KETONE levels is another (see GKI), and finally testing Insulin changes…

Because Every time we eat something, or even taste something sweet. you produce insulin.
In fact, if you are obese, I heard of a study where WATCHING someone else eat your favorite dessert will cause you to produce insulin. And it’s the insulin that turns off the fat burning! Because excess sugar is coming…

Now, it’s effect is different for different people, and at different points in their journey. The REASON you cannot trust someone who TESTS every type of sweetener and it’s effect on Glucose, etc, is that they are not you. Also, if they are Keto Adapted, AND fasting. Their response can be different from the response THEY would have had BEFORE keto!

For example, with me, drinking Coke Zero jacked my glucose. Up a bit, then DOWN… But NOW it does not seem to do that. Especially if fasting, and I have decent ketones… ESPECIALLY if I am moving at all. Simply walking a bit, or working outside in the heat… And that is having ONE. But I know if I have 2-3 (I would NEVER do that, I don’t even want the 1, LOL)… That would change. And pretty soon I would be on the roller coaster and off the wagon…

Almond Flour and Cream are bad for me as well… LOL

Just a heads up. Sipping on something sweet all day… I’ve seen people literally losing muscle mass, yet refusing to acknowledge that it could be part of the problem. If you are LOCKED OUT of ketosis because you are constantly drinking sweet things (and you could be), your body will break down muscle tissue for access to glucose! It makes sense. But again, Every Body is Different!

(Tracy) #40

I’m taking everything you said into serious consideration. It took me one month on Keto to go from 145 to 132 and I’ve been here for a year. I only see 2-3 pounds differences if I eat nuts and heavy cream. I have pretty much given up keto desserts so this shouldn’t be hard for me. I have some flubber on my back that I’d like to get rid of. I want to see what happens if I give up anything that even tastes sweet. If there’s no change whatsoever, I’ll be honest, I will probably go back to my one-pump of SF syrup in my drink. But who knows, maybe I’ll get so used to it I won’t need syrup at all anymore.