Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dee Meloche on April 17, 2009 at 7:52am

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.

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Permalink Reply by Jesse James on April 17, 2009 at 7:26pm

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.

Stevia via Zenperserving!

Peace.

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Permalink Reply by Jason on April 18, 2009 at 11:52pm

I like Stevia a lot. Why is it banned in the UK? It is a natural plant extract.

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Permalink Reply by Ross Padden on April 19, 2009 at 5:53am

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.

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Cohen on April 19, 2009 at 12:17am

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.

1. Sugar - on the glycemic index it's number is 80
2. Honey - on the glycemic index it's number is about 55
3. Agave - on the glycemic index it's number is between 10 and 30

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)

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on April 21, 2009 at 5:17pm

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

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Permalink Reply by Cheri on April 21, 2009 at 6:52pm

You go, girl...................so what's your favorite "goodie" that you make for yourself?

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Permalink Reply by Anthony Holko on April 21, 2009 at 6:57pm

I second almonds very diabetic friendly

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Cohen on April 21, 2009 at 9:45pm

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.

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on April 21, 2009 at 10:10pm

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.

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Permalink Reply by Anthony Holko on April 21, 2009 at 10:28pm

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.

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on April 21, 2009 at 10:40pm

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.

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