Sweeteners - your experience?

(eat more) #50

LOL

#51

I use it from time-to-time and although it has some sweetness, it is more expensive so I use stevia/erythritol most of the time although I just used it earlier today in a mid-morning coffee with HWC.

This is getting subjective, but it’s almost like a “stealth” sweetness to me where it’s not exactly sweet when I compare it to stevia, but it does satisfy my desire for something sweet at the time and doesn’t seem to trigger a desire for more sweets later.

#52

Can’t do any sweeteners…puts me right back in craving mode. I can have a few raspberries or one square of dark chocolate without getting the urge devour the contents of my husband’s junk food cabinet :stuck_out_tongue:

(Michael Wallace Ellwood) #53

hmm…I have always avoided sweeteners, but was tempted to give xylityol a try for some dessert recipes, for very occasional use. The fact that Steve Phinney seemed to approve of it, and that it is reputed to have positive effects on dental health encouraged me.

I happened to notice it on a shelf in the supermarket today, and went straight to the nutritional information. As someone else says: 100g of carbs per 100g…what?
OK, there is a footnote that say only 50% available, but that’s still 50g of carbs per 100g.

One might almost as well use sugar, but only use half the quantity the recipe calls for. (This is actually what Barry Groves suggested in one of his books, as he said most recipes use too much sugar anyway). But if I was thinking of using sugar, I think I’d actually use honey instead (although it’s a bit difficult to judge the exact quantity to use without trial and error).

OK, so I’m now actually talking about using sugar or honey on a ketogenic forum…
…get thee behind me Satan!

:wink:

(Stickin' with mammoth) #54

Back of the class!

Xylitol doesn’t cause nearly the insulin spike sugar does. If you’re gonna go down Sweet Tooth Road, it’s better to pack a low glycemic sweetener or run the risk of falling off the ketogenic wagon. They’re pricey, sure, but so is diabetes. I rather like the fact that keto-friendly sweeteners are more expensive than shoes. Keeps me honest.

(Cathy Schroder) #55

I was somewhat over enthusiastic when I first tried Xylitol. Ate too much and had rather a violent reaction. Take care of using for the first time.

(Michael Wallace Ellwood) #56

Well, since the mantra of The Dudes is “show me the science”, can you show me the science on that one? (By the way, I was not serious recommending sugar … I was rather un-recommending xylitol (or any sweetener, really). But back to the science, since none of us yet has home insulin monitors, how can you be so sure you don’t get so much of an insulin kick from xylitol compared to sugar?

Your glucose monitor will only tell you glucose and your ketone monitor will only tell you ketones. You may try to infer insulin response from those two, but it won’t be reliable.

I’m really only suggesting that if xylitol seems too good to be true, then that’s probably because it is.

(Clare) #57

I love xylitol and it gives me no issues. However I just had an accidental run in with Maltitol and it’s totally gubbed my ketosis today!. I buy a supermarket brand of sugar free gum in the UK that uses xylitol and I picked up the same stuff in Spain last week. I wasn’t measuring my ketosis last week while on holiday because I didn’t fancy trying to explain what my ketonix was to airport security. But this week I am back home and back on it.

My ketosis was strong yesterday and perfectly fine this morning. I took a couple of pieces of gum without thinking about it. About an hour later I tested with my ketonix again and my ketones had plummeted to an equivalent of about 0.1
I was totally bemused. I ate some macadamias and tested again an hour later and it had risen a little. My lunch was high fat with moderate protein and only courgette and red pepper for carbs. I would expect a rise - but it’s still in the total doldrums. I was mystified - then I thought about the gum. Sure enough the brand I’ve had before was full of maltitol! I’ve never knowingly touched maltitol before but it seems to be the only explanation.
I will never go near it again!
I’ve been on keto for nearly two years, I’m not worried - I’ll get myself back on track but what an extreme reaction to such a small amount of something!
Horrifying.

(Nathanael Schulte) #58

I tried a cookie recipe a couple days ago where I used a Lily’s Milk Chocolate bar sweetened with Stevia and Erythritol for chocolate chunks and felt like crap the next 2 days. In comparison, I’ve made a Keto Gooey Butter Pie with erythritol as the only sweetener a couple times now and I’ve been great, and ketones have been high. I’m starting to think the stevia is an issue for me.

(Crystal ) #59

I used my granulated sugar (sucralose) for everything. My tea, baked goods (for the time of my cycle when I needed something sweet) for a good month. And I slowly noticed I barely budged on the scale that entire time. I read an article on sweeteners from Doc Muscles (Keto Talk) and I started getting suspicious. I stumbled across this glycemic index chart for sweeteners and realized too late my favourite delicious sweetener was actually packed with Maltodextrin. TOP OF THE LIST!
I did some tests with my Breathalyzer and sure enough - right out of ketosis for hours.
I now use erythritol/monk fruit blend in my tea and it does nothing to my insulin!
It’s much more expensive but SO WORTH IT.
HERE is the index I found.
So glad I never stop doing keto-related research and testing myself with foods/drinks.:tada:

(jketoscribe) #60

My sister in law was visiting she tried my erythritol and was not impressed because she “had to use a lot” to get the desired sweetness. I find that interesting because I typically use less than a third of whatever a recipe calls for. I’ve lost my sweet tooth to some degree.

(Clare) #61

That’s definitely true. I make my own chocolate and I use agave to sweeten it. I know it’s a proper sugar but I only eat a small amount each day I can’t find anything else that is liquid and doesn’t have an off taste in the finished chocolate. Xylitol won’t dissolve cleanly and everything else is unpleasant.
Anyhow, what’s been interesting to me is how over time, I’ve wanted less and less of the agave in the mix. I started at 20% (so 80% cocoa) and I’m now down to 7%.

I’ve always loved dark chocolate but lately, I’m enjoying the bitterness much more than I ever used to and find anything more than 10% in the mix to be really sickly.

I’ve also discovered, to my utter thrill, that a light scattering of pink salt on the moulds before I pour the chocolate in, is beyond amazing. But that’s not strictly relevant here.

#62

I’ve had all my ragweed symptoms since I started keto and didn’t put it together with the use of stevia or possibly erythritol. Thought maybe my sickness from February was just lingering. Until today I thought the only thing I have been consuming more than before is fat and the artificial sweeteners, which is why I searched this topic
Starting tomorrow I am gong to stop using the sweeteners and see if there is a difference.

#63

I use pure sucralose powder - not Splenda. Splenda is bulked up to make it easier to use because pure sucralose powder is so very concentrated. I get it from amazon, and using it sparingly, a 100 gram package is going to take maybe 4 years to finish. The pure form is definitely economical.

(A Tabitha Ann Swanks) #64

I’m confused
A lot of people say Steva is fine for the keto diet, but maltodexrin is a no no. I just read the back of the Steva bag and ingredients say (maltodexrin and Steva extract). ???

(A Tabitha Ann Swanks) #65

I’m confused
A lot of people say Steva is fine for the keto diet, but maltodexrin is a no no. I just read the back of the Steva bag and ingredients say (maltodexrin and Steva extract). ???

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(Brian) #66

I got a headache the first time I made a cheesecake with Swerve and are like half if it in less than 24 hours. I’ve not overeaten a sweetener like that since and have not had a problem with headaches.

Different people seem to react differently.

To me, Swerve isn’t sweet enough, especially for baking. It’s also not available locally. Pyure is at Wal-Mart and seems to retain it’s sweetness when baking, at least to my taste. It’s a blend if erythritol and stevia.

The only other sweetener I use is SweetLeaf sweet drops, which I use to give a bit of sweet to my coffee.

I do read labels. It’s not uncommon to find nearly identical packaging on very different products. Some might even be blends containing a large percentage of real sugar.

(Pamela Vinton) #67

I have literally spent a small fortune trying them all…and ALL but Splenda give me an instant massive migraine headache within 10 min to an hour that lasts for 24-48 hours. I only use Splenda as an infrequent (read less than once per week) treat. But! The holidays are approaching. Any suggestions out there? I am a baker and have a Cookbook in the works.

(Pamela Vinton) #68

Have you noticed any headaches?

(Joanna Parszyk ) #69

I’m trying to stay away for sweeteners just in case… the less l have them the less l seem sadisfied by simple natural food (meat, eggs, mushrooms and greens).

I tried erythriol and it gave me some stomach issues and l consider it a sign to stay away (at least from a certain dose).

Any experiences with alluloze?