Hi guys,
Made a few cookies and desserts for Christmas that used Swerve (Erythritol) and noticed I’ve had a dull headache ever since, it intensifies slightly when I drink an Erythritol/Stevia sweetened soft drink also… It’s the only thing I can think of what could be causing the headache…
What experiences have you guys had, other than the obvious BG reactions, to the different types of sweeteners?
I only use steava. I find that th sweet leaf liqued… I have not tried the other ones because of any kinda side effects i may feel or taste
I am going to try and eliminate all artificial sweeteners - see how I go, as my whole body seems to be aching!
I’ve used xylitol without any issues. Wasn’t aT2D but had severe metabolic syndrome. No cravings or other visible side effects.
I’ve had chronic dull headaches for a long time, but I’m beginning to wonder if they’ve gotten worse since adding Swerve (main ingredient is erythritol) to my diet. I also consume a lot of stevia.
I’ve recently learned that Stevia is in the same family as Ragweed which raises the spectre of possibly being allergic to Stevia and the headaches are coming from the congestion created by it.
I’ve been using Splenda (sucralose) in most of my sweetened recipes, except for a few that specifically seen to turn out best with Swerve or Trivia where they are specified. I tried Xylitol but I’ve found I tend to get heartburn after eating it. Splenda has a good taste for me and I haven’t associated any negative symptoms to eating it (although I’ve never tracked blood glucose so I don’t know if it’s having an effect on my blood sugar/insulin levels - I figure if notice it if I suddenly found myself feeling like I was kicked out of ketosis)
If you’re using Splenda powder, it contains maltodextrin, a sugar and has a high glycemic index. Sucralose liquid doesn’t. Those of us with BG issues wouldn’t use Splenda.
The only two I can tolerate are pure erythritol and pure xylitol. I can detect the tiniest bit of stevia and always find it unrelentingly bitter. I use erythritol whenever practical but find it recrystalizes easily so I use xylitol when I don’t want a crunchy texture.
Personally I think we all respond differently to different sweeteners. I think responsibility is researching and testing for yourself. I don’t tend to notice glucose or insulin issues as much to various stuff, but I do tend to need to have a high fat content when using sweeteners or I get a hypoglycemic effect. I am also planning to do a caffeine and sweetener detox (all ya’ll- even stevia) for 21 days in Jan to see if it helps adrenal fatigue. Then slowly reintroduce to test again.
I’ve only used stevia, and no reactions or problems with it. I like the liquid kind.
Erythitol is kind of expensive and I haven’t gotten around to trying it. I’m scared of xylitol since it’s poison to animals.
I did one time buy peanut butter cups for diabetics that contained malitol and Splenda, and my husband and I both noticed it made us crave carbs afterwards so I’m avoiding that in the future.
I like that erythritol and xylitol are expensive because it forces me to use them sparingly. 
Xylitol is poisonous to dogs. We are blessed with a dog who doesn’t sneak food and we try not to give her human food. So I’m ok with using xylitol carefully in the house. We’ve had dogs in the past who liked to help themselves to whatever they could get into, and if that was the case I would not have xylitol in the house. Despite best efforts, when a smart dog is determined they WILL get into things (ask me what happened to 16 boxes of Girl Scout cookies waiting for delivery).
Whether these will have the desired long term health benefits is unknown. Erythritol is an interesting sweetener as, unlike other sugar alcohols, it is readily absorbed and excreted by the kidney without degradation. Consequently Erythritol does not raise postprandial blood glucose or insulin levels.
GLYCEMIC AND INSULENEMIC RESPONSE TO FOUR DIFFERENT …
www.gilabs.com/main/enewsletter/images/FASEB-2013-poster.pdf
Since stevia extract is free from carbohydrates, it does not raise blood sugar levels (or calories, unless fillers are added, like dextrose or maltodextrin). Stevia does, however, raise insulin levels according to some research, which can be both good and bad.Jun 16, 2011
Can Stevia Hurt Insulin Sensitivity and Lead to Weight Gain? - The …
Just googled these for insulin response because I use erythritol because there no evidence of insulin response. But everyone has different tastes etc. I feel personally that I would be better off not using them but I feel I want it for keto coffee and keto fudge.
Let’s do an informal poll. What’s your sweetener of choice?
[poll]Stevia
Erythritol
Stevia/Erythritol blend (Swerve, etc.)
Sucralose/Splenda
Xylitol
Zorbitol
Maltitol
Other
Erythrytol for us every time. Haven’t been able to get on with any of the others.
I think that the sweeteners have stalled my weight loss efforts. I was losing slowly, then it all stopped. When I think back I believe the weight loss stalled when I started eating sweeteners again. I tested xylitol which had a slight increase in Blood Glucose followed by a drop below my starting BG. Stevia(liquid) dropped my BG by 20 points…so total insulin spike. Monkfruit and Sucralose had negligible impact on my BG. So, starting this week, I am backing them back out of my eating to see what happens.
Sucralose, but I’ll also use various combinations of stevia and erythritol. I stick to the ones with solid evidence not to raise insulin.
I have lost most of my sweet tooth but when I need that sugar hit i use Erythritol as I have found it doesn’t send me off on a rollercoaster of cravings like many of the others have in the past.
I ate several keto chocolate peanut butter bars that I made with Swerve yesterday, and I have a super intense headache today. I have chronic migraines, and have to avoid all artificial sweeteners and sugar. I was hoping that I would be able to tolerate erythritol and xylitol because they are supposed to be all natural, but apparently they also cause a reaction. Stevia is the only sweetener I’ve found that doesn’t give me a headache, so far. 