Hi!
I’ve been reading about the different sweeteners available and was wondering if anybody has an opinion on Stevia and Agave nectar. There’s been some bad press regarding sweeteners(with Stevia being banned in the UK) and would like to know if there is a ‘superior’ sweetener for baking and for adding to drinks. Are they safe in larger quantities??
I use Splenda,which is made from sucralose.If I bake I use this.I also sprinkle it on my cereal,as it is unsweetened puffed wheat.I don’t have any problems with it.The only sweetener that causes me problems is Sodium Cyclamates that are added to some sweeteners,like Sugar Twin.
I have been using Stevia and I really like it. I don’t really put sugar on anything except sometimes coffee, sometimes tea and I haven’t really noticed the aftertaste I’ve heard people talking about. It’s about to be the new big sweetener for soft drinks, etc I think. I made some posts about it on my blog if you’re interested.
Peace.
I like Stevia a lot. Why is it banned in the UK? It is a natural plant extract.
Great Topic. I really didn’t care about 2 years ago and then started making energy bars myself. I decided that if I was going to do this I’d research and find the best ones. The upside of my research was that there are great natural sweetners that won’t spike your blood sugar.
In making the bars (Granola Gourmet, now available through TuDiabetes) I tried about 8 or 10 different sweetners. I mention the ones above because I did the most research on them.
Sugar - I stay away from refined sugar whenever possible
Agave - I use Agave as much as possible. It tastes great, is low glycemic, and mixes nicely in drinks and baking. We use this as our primary sweetner in the Granola Gourmet bars. The taste is great and it’s 100% natural It’s low in calories and since I use so little of it I’m not too focused on the few calories and sugars because of the low glycemic nature of it.
Stevia - is either a powder or a liquid. I like the liquid more, but the taste is so sweet it’s almost bitter. It isn’t very good for baking but an option for drinks. It has no calories so that’s a plus.
Brown Rice Syrup - Mostly used in commercial baking applicaitons like energy bars. It’s usually the first or second ingredient. Stay away from this, although it is 100% natural it is HIGH Glycemic.
Tapioca Syrup - Mostly used in commercial baking applications like energy bars. Same as the Brown Rice Syrup…stay away from it.
Sugar Alcohols - I’ve seen mixed reaction to this. I personally have a problem with it. They convert to sugar as quickly as sugar for me but because the FDA says you can subtract them from the carb count a lot of sweets use them today. Test your self every 30 minutes for 2 hours to see the impact on you.
I’m sure there are plenty more to discuss but this is my 411 on the subject of sweetners.
Shameless plug www.granolagourmet.com and http://tudiabetes.com/notes/Discounts#food Check out our bars, they are endorsed by the Director of Diabetes at Cedars Sinai in LA (a type 1 diabetic)
Hi Jason,
It has something to do with regulatory issues I believe. The European Commission considered an application for its use in 1998. The data was considered by the EC Scientific Committee for Food (SCF) who indicated that the extract has the potential to produce adverse effects in the male reproductive system that could affect fertility and that steviol, a metabolite of stevioside produced by human gut microflora, damages DNA. The Committee therefore concluded that stevioside was not acceptable as a sweetener. As stevioside and other Stevia products are not listed as permitted sweeteners in the relevant regulations, it is illegal to sell them as sweeteners in the UK. I think the FDA are looking at banning the herb too although they have approved the use of rebiana(an extract from the stevia plant) in new soft drinks.
I use Xylitol for pretty much everything the only you cant make with it very well is Fudge as it will not caramelize but everything else is great its used 1 for 1 like sugar I use specifically Xylo Sweet its not cheap but what is with regard to health and diabetes is.
Xylitol glycemic index of 7
Yes, this is a shameless plug.
How a “snack” that’s 20-21 carbs & nothing but essentially sugar (as the main ingredients) is anywhere close to healthy for diabetics, is a mystery to me. I make my own, which are far healthier, much lower carb, less expensive & I don’t sell them.
Considering that most endos push the ADA diet, not surprising that the Director of Diabetes at Cedar Sinai endorses a candy bar.
Organic Oats, Semi-Sweet Chocolate (sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin – an emulsifier, vanilla), Raw Organic Blue Agave, Honey, Banana Chips (Banana, Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Natural Flavor), Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Flaxseeds, Almonds, Olive Oil, Organic Cocoa Powder, Coffee, Natural Vanilla Flavoring
You go, girl…so what’s your favorite “goodie” that you make for yourself?
I second almonds very diabetic friendly
I really enjoyed fudge from Pro Bass shop that recently opened in the Calgary area. Probably 1 tablespoon of sugar per table spoon of fudge. But so good and so expensive that you do not need to eat tonnes to enjoy. Really enjoyed the stuffed besties especialy the polar bear.
Hi Gerri,
It’s not uncommon to have people ask about the number of carbs and have questions. The best answer to your comment is that almost all of the ingredients are low or very low on the Glycemic Index. The quantity of sugars in the chocolate chips and dried fruit would certainly have an impact if they were eaten on their own, however the key is that they are used in a small enough quantity to keep from having the impact on blood sugar that a candy bar would have.
It’s actually great that you’d consider this a sweet treat like a candy bar, but you’d have to test it for yourself and see what the actual impact is on your blood sugar. I’d be happy to send you a sample on me if you’d document your numbers for me.
As for selling them, that happend quite unintentionally but turned into a business that is gaining in popularity. Currently we have the product in Whole Foods in Southern CA and have a relationship with the American Diabetes Association as well.
I found a high number of families that included Diabetics that were looking for healthy snacks that they all could enjoy. It’s even possible that you could be pleasantly surprised by the results our product may have for you.
Jeff,
Thanks for the offer of a sample, but I don’t eat oats, sugar, honey, agave, or bananas, even in small amounts. Glycemic Index, well that’s a topic for another conversation:) Lots of misinformation, hype & nonsense about low GI for diabetics. Anything with 20-21 carbs of sugar/grain is not diabetic friendly, though I can see where this would be a great energy bar for non-diabetics.
The ADA also endorses dangerously high carb intake & correspondingly high A1cs as acceptable that lead to complications. Unfortunately, they’re sadly behind the times & are more concerned with their pharm company funding than being any kind of advocate for health.
I was going to try a near 60% carb diet consisting of sauerkraut and oat bran and some meat and some diabetic friendly fat if there is such a thing. canola oil ? lard? grape seed oil? Olive oil does not go well with the taste. This would give us insight into the value of glycemic index.
Why would you want to do a 60% car diet?
Sauerkraut, meat & oat bran–not a balanced diet.
We had a long discussion about how bad canola oil is & good fats, remember? You need a good balance, including lots of Omega 3s.
Erythritol is pretty good. Maltitol can sometimes do a real number on my BS, and has . . . shall we say . . . a certain gastrointestinal effect in large quantities. Truvia is also decent.
The problem is, of course, cost, but considering how my food budget has gone through the roof since diagnosis, what else is new?
Sounds like you’ve done some research on the Glycemic Index too. I’m interested in what you’ve learned. Your comment about 20 carbs of anything seems very restrictive and doesn’t account for foods that convert to sugar quickly or slowly.
I’ve tested a number of foods for me and found that less processed foods often convert to sugar more slowly. An example of this is oatmeal. Once you’ve cooked the oat and softened it up and drawn the starch out it converts to sugar in my blood much quicker than the bars which are made from oats but not boiled simply mixed with the Agave and Honey.
Preliminary testing we’ve done for Granola Gourmet bars with type 1 diabetics has shown a very modest increase in blood sugar over a 2-3 hour period. This is without administering insulin.
I’ve also found that it’s difficult managing portions for many people and that even though a label says 15 carbs per serving people often eat more than one serving at a time. That is why I made bars. It’s much easier to manage the carb intake when you know what 1 serving is.
I am glad to see that you appear to be very controlled about your diet. I have occassionally found people that are, however the experience I’ve seen with many people is that they have difficulty controlling their diet. I would make one request, before you make broad statements about a food product at least be open to testing it. After all how do you know for sure if you don’t test it yourself?
Yes, cooked foods have more carbs than raw.
I’ve researched GI & there’s a lot of conflicting info as to the validity of low GI for diabetics, especially for Type 1s. There’s also research that comes up with varying indices for the same food & shows that carbs are carbs period. Perhaps for Type 2s low GI may be different. For me, low GI doesn’t matter. Whether it hits fast or slow, it hits & has an effect. There’s at least one discussion here on GI, if you’d like to look through it.
Agave syrup had the same effect on my BG as pure sugar or honey. I actually used to it treat lows–that’s how not low GI it is for me.
What’s the modest increase you’ve found in Type 1 testing of your bars? Any results after 3 hours? How preliminary?
Yes, 20 carbs of anything is restrictive–that’s the point:) Restricting carb intake lowers insulin needs, lowers weight & also results in better BG control, better health. I don’t eat 20 carbs at meals.
I’ve noticed here that many people who are opposed to low carb diets are the ones with higher A1cs listed on their home page.
You’re right & I will try your granola bars. Other than oilve oil, what’s the other vegetable oil ingredient?
Yes, many people have difficulty controlling their diet. Eating less carbs gets rid of the carb cravings & portion control is important.
I agree with your comment about reducing carbs and portion size. Couple this with regular excercise and success is around the corner. A good way of losing weight, steadily and slowly, whilst reducing the insulin you need.
Gerri, I’m curious…what exactly do you eat??? I exercise a regularly and find that I need to eat carbs to provide sustained energy. I’m mostly vegetarian. My last A1C was 5.9 so apparently I’m doing something right. On such a restrictive diet, do you feel you have a lack of energy? Could you give an example of your typical breakfast, lunch, dinner?