Are sugar alcohols 'countable carbs'?

[NewdestinyX]

Newbie here...

I noticed on many labels of the things I've found that taste good that have 'sugar alcohols' in them.. they show CARBOHYDRATE as the main heading... Then under it and indented is Dietary Fiber 0%, Sugar 0%, Sugar Alcohols 19g. And the total after Carbohydrate says 19g too..

I have read that Sugar alcohols do NOT add to Blood Glucose levels -- but do I still need to count them into my overall CARB count for the day? That seems weird -- because the main thing I'm worried about is lower carbs BECAUSE they turn into sugar in the blood.. Yet 'sugar alcohols' do NOT affect blood glucose.

Thanks in advance for any clarification!

[fgummett]

Sugar alcohol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_alcohol)Sugar alcohols are usually incompletely absorbed into the blood stream from the small intestines which generally results in a smaller change in blood glucose than "regular" sugar (sucrose). This property makes them popular sweeteners among diabetics and people on low-carbohydrate diets. However, like many other incompletely digestible substances, overconsumption of sugar alcohols can lead to bloating, diarrhoea and flatulence because they are not absorbed in the small intestine :eek:

Seriously I am not a great believer in looking for "substitutes"... artificial this or that... Real Whole Food is what we are adapted to eat and do best on :) To my thinking that includes something like a small amount of real Maple Syrup (NOT Corn syrup)... its tastes so good you only need a tiny drizzle of it.

[foxl]

For some people sugar alcohols are the answer to their sweet tooth, for others, not.


I personally have used erythritol without side effects. But, it is absorbed but not metabolized.

Test for yourself, and see?

[Granny Shanny]

Some do and some don't raise BG.

What Are Sugar Alcohols - Blood Sugar and Sugar Alcohols (http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/sugaralcohols.htm)

[NewdestinyX]

Edited this post... AFter reading Granny's article I see how I have to count them now.. Thanks all!!!

[fgummett]

Its like the question about whether to include Fibre in your Carbohydrate count... whatever you decide to do, be consistent and test any new foods to see how they affect you.

The usual suggestion is to test before you eat to establish a baseline and then at 2 hours after eating by which time you hope to be at least heading back to a normal level.

By all means test at 1 hour to see how much of a spike the food caused BUT even that is different in different people and different foods... some have slower digestions -- in fact there is a complication of D called Gastroparesis (http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gastroparesis/)-- and some foods (notably Fats and Proteins) tend to be more slowly digested.

Sorry... this ain't an exact science... that is why the watchword here on DF is YMMV :)

[NewdestinyX]

Its like the question about whether to include Fibre in your Carbohydrate count... whatever you decide to do, be consistent and test any new foods to see how they affect you.

The usual suggestion is to test before you eat to establish a baseline and then at 2 hours after eating by which time you hope to be at least heading back to a normal level.

By all means test at 1 hour to see how much of a spike the food caused BUT even that is different in different people and different foods... some have slower digestions -- in fact there is a complication of D called Gastroparesis (http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gastroparesis/)-- and some foods (notably Fats and Proteins) tend to be more slowly digested.

Sorry... this ain't an exact science... that is why the watchword here on DF is YMMV :)Thanks Frank.. And I'm sorry but I don't know all the jargon yet.. What does 'YMMV' mean?

And remind me again.. Short education..
All foods fit into what categories:
Carbs, Proteins, Fats and ????????

What does lettuce fall into? Beans?

Thanks!

[fgummett]

Thanks Frank.. And I'm sorry but I don't know all the jargon yet.. What does 'YMMV' mean?

And remind me again.. Short education..
All foods fit into what categories:
Carbs, Proteins, Fats and ????????

What does lettuce fall into? Beans?

Thanks!Your Mileage May Vary... AKA "there's nowt as strange as folk"

The 3 [main] Micro-nutrients (the main bulk/volume of what we eat) are Fat, Proteins and Carbohydrates... some sources list Alcohol as well... (just like some insist that "y" is a vowel... which makes "facetiously" a word containing all the vowels in their alphabetical order)

Beyond that are Micro-nutrients of which we only need very tiny/trace amounts: Vitamins, Minerals, Phyto-Chemicals etc...

The truth is that most foods are not just one nutrient... especially Real Whole Foods that were grown or raised... not designed in a laboratory and manufactured in a factory. Look how often nature packages Fat and Protein together... everything from Meat to Nuts... and yet humans in our wisdom think that we should avoid the Fat.

Lettuce and Beans are Real Whole Foods but on a low-carb diet the Beans have more starch (Carbohydrates).

Use a site like NutritionData.com (http://nutritiondata.com) to find out what makes up your food.

The USDA also has a search-able nutritional database (http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/) where you can find out just how much "healthy" fat along with just about every vitamin, mineral etc... there is in a Steak.

[NewdestinyX]

Your Mileage May Vary... AKA "there's nowt as strange as folk"

The 3 [main] Micro-nutrients (the main bulk/volume of what we eat) are Fat, Proteins and Carbohydrates... some sources list Alcohol as well... (just like some insist that "y" is a vowel... which makes "facetiously" a word containing all the vowels in their alphabetical order)

Beyond that are Micro-nutrients of which we only need very tiny/trace amounts: Vitamins, Minerals, Phyto-Chemicals etc...

The truth is that most foods are not just one nutrient... especially Real Whole Foods that were grown or raised... not designed in a laboratory and manufactured in a factory. Look how often nature packages Fat and Protein together... everything from Meat to Nuts... and yet humans in our wisdom think that we should avoid the Fat.

Lettuce and Beans are Real Whole Foods but on a low-carb diet the Beans have more starch (Carbohydrates).

Use a site like NutritionData.com (http://nutritiondata.com) to find out what makes up your food.

The USDA also has a search-able nutritional database (http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/) where you can find out just how much "healthy" fat along with just about every vitamin, mineral etc... there is in a Steak.
Great education.. Thanks!... Can I infer from the food label percentages that a 'normal carb' diet is counted at 250g of carbs per day? And that a lot of us are targetting 50-70g for low carb? I think I can 'bear' 100g as my transition amount. I can't get down to 50-70 yet.. Still love my starches too much.. :)

And yes.. a very good nutritionist friend of mine said she can't for the life of her figure out why people stay away from regular butter. One of the finest things we can put in our body - in moderation -- of course.

Thanks!

[knorris]

Be careful tho because they really mess up your gut!! Make you feel like you are turning inside out! Personal experience - not worth it!

[knorris]

excuse me. I mean CAN mess up your gut. you may not be like me!

[NewdestinyX]

Be careful tho because they really mess up your gut!! Make you feel like you are turning inside out! Personal experience - not worth it!I assume you're referring to 'sugar alcohols'? I've read that from some folks but I haven't had any trouble at all with Maltitol and LActitol. I don't do sugar free gum or mints so I haven't tried sorbitol yet.

What tends to be the case is if you eat a LOT of sugar alcohols. Like 6-7 pieces of candy in one sitting. I have these AMAZING Choc Chip muffins I get --that noone can tell me I ain't eating a REAL muffin.. :) They taste so good. The cakey part of the muffin is sweetened with Lactitol and the choc chips (6-8 per muffin) are Maltitol. I only have a half muffin with my coffee and it's WONDERFUL. Only 11g of carbs per half muffin. That's the same amount of carbs as the milk in my Latte. (11g).

I just discovered today that milk is a carb.. uggh. And FAT FREE milk has MORE carb than WHOLE MILK. Whole milk per 8oz = 11g and Fat Free = 13g. Taking the fat out seems to leave more of the 'carb in'. Who knew?