I wasn't sure where to post this question. I'm not diagnosed diabetic, but I do have BG spikes up to 250 with carbs; my fasting numbers are good. I've put myself on a low carb diet. I used to be able to tell when I'm spiking due to thirst. However, I'm finding that is not always the case anyore. Anyway, I use a little sugar with my coffee every morning. I never metered for this because I never felt thirsty. I've been exsperiencing lots muscle fasciculations lately (I have peripheral neuropathy and maybe this is part of that?) and in trying to target what the cause is, I metered after coffee today and discovered a 50 point spike, which isn't a big deal as my BG's come down on their own. My morning coffee is truly the highlight of my day! I've had to cut out so many foods, coffee is one of my only dietary pleasures left so I really don't want to change it. But, if someone knows of an alternative that tastes just like sugar, I would switch. Thanks in advance for any input. As info, I am not Type 1, 1.5 or 2. I am being tested for MODY, but it could be I just have weird carb metabolism.
It's possible that you have impaired glucose tolerance at a level which wouldn't be diagnosed as either diabetes or pre-diabetes. If this spiking is consistent and frequent, I would act as if you are at risk and not put sugar in your coffee. There's no reason to do so. The sweeteners available are varied and you should be able to find one acceptable to you.
I currently use Stevia, because Iget no after taste from it.
Hana
Thanks Hana, my husband tried Stevia and disliked it. I guess I could try one pack of it. I still wish there was something that everyone says is as good tasting as sugar.
The milk I use to use would also spike mine, a lot! I now use cream or unsweetened almond milk. Nustevia is a great product.
Thanks Debra. I use canned milk, which is fat heavy. I'll try the Nustevia. I've heard that some stevia products are better than others.
I've been using Truvia lately and think it tastes pretty good. Wal-Mart has a generic with the same formulation which is cheaper. Some people also have trouble with the coffee itself. Testing with your meter will help you narrow down what is going on and help you move forward.
Taste is a very personal thing.just try a variety of sweeteners and find the one thqat suits ytou best.
A bit of info.
The really artificial ones like Aspartame and Sacharine tend to have a bitter aftertaste. The polyols; Erythritol,sorbitol, Xylitol etc have a *cold* taste and can cause bowel problems. Fructose has possible side effects. Xylitol is toxic to dogs.
Sucralose [Splenda] is a stable molecule. The chloride part of it WON'T come off and poison you[ as several websites suggest].
Which you chose is personal to you. What anyone else says about the taste shouldn't influence you.
A little extra info. Milk is quite high in Lactose, whichcan spike Bg. Skim milk has the lactose concentrated in it by the removal of cream.
Fresh cream is low sugar and tastes nice in coffee, Canned whipped cream contains sugar, unless it's labelled *sugar free*
I use Now's "Better Stevia, Original", a liquid, which I find at my local health food store. For me at least, there is no taste in coffee or tea. Coffee itself raise's my BG temporarily; no way will I give it up!
Caffeine can also cause spikes, not that you want to hear that:) There's a difference that I've noticed among stevia products. Some have a bittter after taste. I like CID Botanicals stevia. Truvia is good also. Check labels because some brands use maltodextrin or dextrose as a bulking agent.
Thanks everyone for the good advice...right now coffee means more to me than just my morning fix....it represents keeping that little tiny pleasure left over from my old normal life when I could eat anything I want, anytime I want, anywhere I want....not whining, just saying it brings me happiness :)
Aspartame (Equal), cyclamates and Splenda taste just fine and just like sugar to me. On the other hand, saccharin and stevia taste terrible, and I'd rather use sugar than resort to those. I won't use the sugar alcohols, because they give me the runs. So you really need to do your own experimenting and see what works for YOU.
And don't believe the hysteria that goes on about artificial sweeteners -- none of it has ever been substantiated by any reliable scientific source, and stevia is no more natural than the others -- by the time you get the granulated form, it's as processed as anything else. It's just up to you to decide what suits you best.
Also, my morning treat is tea, and if I drink it black (or green), it still spikes my BGs, but not as high as you go. When I was experimenting to see if I had an allergy to caffeine, I substituted Pero for coffee, and it was ALMOST as good, but again, each to his own.
I'll weigh in on this one because I drink mucho black coffee. It doesn't affect my BG at all. I never dose for it. Stevia is the sweetener for your coffee because it has no carb, no cal. But open your wallet for the pure Stevia w/o additives. Gotta run and get me a Cuppa Joe!
p.s. like you, it is the highlight of my day and my best fried that isn't a human bean!
I hope it's really the coffee, and not the sugar in it, that has been giving you "pleasure."
According to Dr. B, the only sweetener that doesn't have added fillers with hidden carbs is pure Stevia powder (not any of the commercial granulated brands, which contain sugar alcohols, and have carbs and almost as high glycemic index as sugar). Also check out Dr. Menendez' glycemic index website, as he reviews all the sweeteners, and he is a low-carb diabetic. But there is a newer sweetener made from fruit called Erythritol, which has no carbs and no calories, and tastes really good. It's slightly less sweet than sugar, but looks just like it and you can cook with it just like sugar. I bought some online from Amazon -- it's made by NOW foods, and is a bit expensive, but worth it to me.
Truvia's now made with stevia & erythritol. Erythritol is good combined with stevia or Splenda because it's not very sweet, expensive & has a cooling effect. Liquid Splenda has zero carbs.
Erythritol is made from fermented glucose.
http://store.xylitolusa.com/categories/Erythritol-Sweetener/ has good prices.
Good to know, thanks!