Super excited!!

[Jojokittie]

So I was doing the grocery shopping today and I always go by the bakery to see if they have anything yummy looking on that (teent tiny) diabetic table. Today they had a chocolate cake that was iced and everything. I thought to myself..."no way.." It just looks TOO good. So I asked the baker if she was POSITIVE that it was 100% sugar free and she said it was. I looked at the ingrediants and it said sugar free and that it had 0grams of sugar. So I got it. LOL. You know how long it's been since I had cake?!?! So after dinner of sausage, and salad I had chocolate cake and sugar free ice cream. I waited 2 hours to take my sugar level and while the meter was counting down I thought for sure it was going to be 300 or above. 125. ONE TWENTY FIVE!! And it was yummy. If any one knows a Publix..run out and get it. :)

[sarahspins]

No "sugar" but how many carbs?

[owlyn]

Jojokittie,

Sorry if the following sounds mean. It is not intended to be so. Think of it as "tough love".

Please calm down. Seriously. What you have posted is nothing to get excited about, and in fact, you could easily be leading other people down a very dangerous path. You have demonstrated that you do not understand carbohydrates at all. Sugar is not the be-all and end-all thing to look at. It is but one of many carbohydrates that need to be considered. I am happy that your BG was not affected 2 hours after eating some of this cake. But-how big a slice was it? How many carbs per slice? How much did the fat in the sausage and ice cream play in SLOWING down the absorption of the carbs in the cake, so that at 3 or 4 hours your BG was over 200? There is so much you don't understand that it is frightening. Sugar free ice cream has as many or more carbs than regular ice cream. In fact, many sugar-free foods are that way. Please learn more before you start getting excited and encouraging other people to follow your bad example. Above all, start reading food labels, and pay special attention to the carb content. Try this: right now-go and look at the carb content on your sugar-free ice cream, and then go look (online maybe) at the carb content of the regular version of the same ice cream. Do some other comparisons. Learn what other terms manufacturers use for sugar. There are zillions of them:

Honey
Cane Juice
Eavporated Cane Juice
Evaporated Grape Juice
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
Corn Syrup
Rice Syrup
Dextrose
Polydextrose
Lactose
anything that ends in "ose"

Then, there are the sugar alcohols, which contain the same amount of carbs as regular sugar, but may or MAY NOT absorb more slowly than regular sugar:

Sorbitol
Mannitol
Xylitol
heck, anything that ends in "ol"

These also may affect your digestive system, causing cramps, gas, etc.

And this has only addressed the form of carbohydrate know as "sugar". All carbs need to be considered. Cake is also high in flour (carbs).

Then there is the glycemic index, which indicates how quickly the carbs are absorbed into your system. Ice Cream has a very low index (probably due to the fat). Carrots have a very high index.

As you can see, it's not simple at all, and there is much to learn.

[DanG]

Sugar free ice cream has as many or more carbs than regular ice cream.

To the original poster, I would also hope that you could add a revised thought pattern into your analysis of your use of "sugar-free" ice cream and cake. "Sugar-free" will never be physically satisfactory. Real food sugars do satisfy the physical drive for sweetness and nourishment. As "sugar-free" is not real food, your body has no way of processing it, and you will never really be satisfied with any amount. In fact, it is the amount of "sugar-free" food that you eat that becomes the real problem - look at the many many "sugar-free" eaters that have off the chart bmi. "Sugar-free" never satisfies the needs of the body, as the needs of the body are for real, biological foods, such as honey and sugar. Eat a small amount of cake, and real ice cream - and be satisfied. Sure, you need to slide up on the amount of insulin you may need to take to cover the real food in real cake and real ice cream - but then you are satisfied, as opposed to the physical crave for sweetness that the "sugar-free" will never satisfy. To me, "sugar-free" is a vile taste, but to some, "sugar-free" is a preferred taste. Besides taste, there is no physical satisfaction for my body crave for sweet, hence I don't do "sugar-free"

[Subby]

Hey, Jojo, good for you! It's always nice finding a good alternative to something you thought was either completely off bounds or just too expensive BG wise.

[zoelula]

Just because we might crave things like sugar and high carb foods, doesn't necessarily justify indulging those cravings. Sugar is not something our bodies need to function. Heroin addicts crave heroin but you wouldn't say, "go for it, your body wants it so it must be good!" Cravings for sugar and carbs are based on similar principals to cravings for heroin or alcohol and if we can get a time without indulging those cravings they will decrease.

I do agree with you about sugar free foods though. When I stopped eating sugar 15 years ago (I have very personal knowledge of sugar addiciton) everyone wanted to offer me the sugar free stuff and it just made me want "the real thing". I'm not big on chemicals.

[Gordonm]

I have found on many of the sugar free items they are worse for my BS tha nthe sugared items. Look at the carb count and the fat content. Many times it is worse to eat the sugar free item than the real thing. The sugar free ice cream is terrible tasting and it is terrible on my BS. I eat the 1/2 fat content stuff with real sugar and I have no problem covering it.

To the origianl poster what was your 4 and 6 hour BS.

[Subby]

The other day I tried baking with almond meal and there was something completely surreal about eating a few little sweetish muffins, and having virtually no impact on my bgs. Just, surreal, and, exciting! I really think the basic excitement at finding a food that doesn't spike as badly as you are used to with those kinds of foods, is a good, encouraging thing, and should be supported. There has tended to be a tone of edginess or skepticism, I admit I don't quite understand here.

[Delphinus]

Just because we might crave things like sugar and high carb foods, doesn't necessarily justify indulging those cravings. Sugar is not something our bodies need to function. Heroin addicts crave heroin but you wouldn't say, "go for it, your body wants it so it must be good!" Cravings for sugar and carbs are based on similar principals to cravings for heroin or alcohol and if we can get a time without indulging those cravings they will decrease.

I do agree with you about sugar free foods though. When I stopped eating sugar 15 years ago (I have very personal knowledge of sugar addiciton) everyone wanted to offer me the sugar free stuff and it just made me want "the real thing". I'm not big on chemicals.

Actually, sugar is extremely important and we do need it, period. Without it, we'd die.

Hence why our body freaks out when we go low, because it's crying for fuel.

Babysitting it's intake is the struggle, not sugar itself.

Most times when we are craving it, it is an actual legit need for it.

[rak1978]

Jojokitty,
I'm glad that you were able to find something that you liked for a special treat that didn't spike your blood sugars too bad! That's hard to do! It's hard to balance pregnancy cravings and/or nausea & aversions and your blood sugars at the same time! Good for you for finding something that works for you!

[Delphinus]

Just because we might crave things like sugar and high carb foods, doesn't necessarily justify indulging those cravings. Sugar is not something our bodies need to function. Heroin addicts crave heroin but you wouldn't say, "go for it, your body wants it so it must be good!" Cravings for sugar and carbs are based on similar principals to cravings for heroin or alcohol and if we can get a time without indulging those cravings they will decrease.

I do agree with you about sugar free foods though. When I stopped eating sugar 15 years ago (I have very personal knowledge of sugar addiciton) everyone wanted to offer me the sugar free stuff and it just made me want "the real thing". I'm not big on chemicals.

And of course, you never stopped eating sugar, nobody could do that.

Remember, potatoes are sugar, rice is, bread is, etc.

It just hasn't been converted yet. :D

Of course we all know that. Duh. :T

Practically everything we eat, is a form of sugar.

[zoelula]

I'm glad you added the second post, Jason, because it clarified what you meant.Yes, I understand that those foods break down into sugars, but the discussion of cravings and "addictions" and the particular post I was responding to was talking about sugar as in "sweets". When people in our culture talk about "craving" sweets and junk food they are talking about an unnatural state of addiction to refined sugar and processed foods.

[Delphinus]

I'm glad you added the second post, Jason, because it clarified what you meant.Yes, I understand that those foods break down into sugars, but the discussion of cravings and "addictions" and the particular post I was responding to was talking about sugar as in "sweets". When people in our culture talk about "craving" sweets and junk food they are talking about an unnatural state of addiction to refined sugar and processed foods.

I hear ya about the addiction aspect.

I have been craving a Boston cream donut all day and am half tempted to walk out to get one. Heh...

Or cheesecake. :D

[foxl]

Jason I made a pretty good cheesecake a few months ago using cottage cheese, eggs, and splenda.

Dunno if you can tolerate any of the artificial sweeteners but cheesecake is one dessert that translates pretty well -- esp. in chocolate!

[zoelula]

Aha! Now your posts make sense! LOL. Now if I can just figure out why your sig line says white flour!...

[zoelula]

Back in my sugar craving days, Linda,that would just not have cut it for me...let's see what Jason thinks!

[foxl]

Not for sugar craving, but for cheesecake craving, it worked dandy!

[sarahspins]

Not for sugar craving, but for cheesecake craving, it worked dandy!

Yes, because they are of course, two TOTALLY different things :D

Now I want cheesecake.. thanks a lot :T