[dlife]

Guys, I have a sugar free snack before me. It has 8 gms carbs, 0 gms sugar but 7 gms sugar alcohol. I have two questions...1. Is it safe to eat something with so much of sugar substitute?

2. Now how many gms of carbs this item has, is it only 8 gms or do I need to add the sugar alcohol quantity also to it?

I can eat it and then test but I also want to get this minimum knowledge about Sugar Alcohol. Thanks in Advance.

[enigmalady777]

I have read that when counting the carbs from sugar alcohols, one would count half of the carbs. So if your item has 9 grams of carbs, it would count as 4.5 carbs.

I occasionally eat sweets made from sweeteners containing sugar alcohols but have to be sure to stick with only the recommended serving amount in order to avoid gastric distress.

Most of the candies and chocolates I eat contain about 20 grams of sugar alcohol per serving and I can tolerate it fine. More than that and I am likely to spend a good amount of time in the bathroom.

[David_S]

I subtract SA from a carb count. But I wouldn't eat more then one item with it at a meal.. it can lead to a bloated feeling, gas.. and out and out bath room trips.
Hersheys makes little bars.. sugar free.. mostly with SA.. the carb count is like 1 for asmall bar.. the little Halloween type. One is fine.. two is a treat. Three is a risk I won't take again.

[HuskerMychal]

Sugar Alcohol, malitol?? Here come the farts or worse if you aint used to it

[enigmalady777]

Originally Posted by HuskerMychal

Sugar Alcohol, malitol?? Here come the farts or worse if you aint used to it

LOL, I actually use the stuff as a laxative every now and then when I get *irregular*. Works every time!

[Caravaggio]

Originally Posted by enigmalady777

LOL, I actually use the stuff as a laxative every now and then when I get *irregular*. Works every time!

That's an innovative use for my protein bars!

Personally, I don't like the taste of most products that use sugar alcohols. They taste like plastic to me. I also do not eat/drink a lot of products that use sugar substitutes as more and more researches are finding ill effects associated with sugar substitutes (You can check out the book Get the Sugar Out by Ann Louise Gittleman). That said, I do find them protein bars useful when I'm getting awfully hungry and can't find decent food (for example, during a very long meeting, I go out of the meeting room to take a bite out of a protein bar). So, I have a half-eaten bar in my bag for emergency.

Sugar alcohols do not raise my blood sugar. However, there are others who do get a spike from sugar alcohols.

From what I've read, you count half of the sugar alcohols as your carb intake.

[owlyn]

I have always counted sugar alcohol carbs in full. I have not read anything scientific that says to not count them, or only count half, etc, and counting in full has always worked for me to calculate insulin dosage.

[pdxdennisj]

A google on Sugar Alcohols will reveal various medical web sites saying that each alcohol is metabolized in a different manner and that as an average, count them at half their stated value.

[fgummett]

I think with any carb counting and BG management, the key is to be consistent with your approach

As to the OP I prefer food that is quality as opposed to quantity... by doing that I avoid chemicals and additives and these kind of questions as well. A snack for me would be a few raw walnuts, some mature cheddar cheese, or a couple of squares of dark chocolate

[BigcityRich]

Sugar free sweets with Sugar Alcohols have never seemed to raise my BG.

I do avoid these like the plague, since I always have to run to the bathroom and suffer. It is not worth it.

Treat yourself with the real thing in moderation.

[dlife]

I didn't know sugar alchohols have this added benefit too, lol enigma lady 777. However, I did have two of them yesterday. I didn't get a spike nor did spend any extra time in the bathroom somehow. I'd be more careful about this in the future.