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Strawberry Jam

Listlad

Listlad

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Hi. I am looking for advice on making sugar free strawberry jam. I have been trying to make some with frozen strawberries and sweetners instead of sugar. Jelling is the difficult bit. I have used arrowroot but this didn’t really work.

Has anybody been successful with this and any comments on blood sugar levels as a consequence of consuming it?

I tried to find and buy diabetic jam but was not as successful as I thought I was going to be.

Thanks for any responses.
 
I know this might sound like an off topic question but what are you planning to put this strawberry jam on?
Mostly jam goes on bread, toast, biscuits or cakes. All of which are probably not the best idea for any diabetic?
 
Robin101 said:
I know this might sound like an off topic question but what are you planning to put this strawberry jam on?
Mostly jam goes on bread, toast, biscuits or cakes. All of which are probably not the best idea for any diabetic?
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Hi Robin. Good question. I am prediabetic and am trying to cut out added sugar or sugar added to my foods such as bread for example. This is in an attempt to reduce the amount of sugar in my blood though not eliminate it.

I don’t know if I am barking up the wrong tree here.

I might add that it is not clear to me if it’s a case of my body not producing enough insulin i.e. As much as it used to or that I am just eating too much in the way of sugary items that has led to my prediabetic diagnosis.
 
Listlad, welcome to the best place for all things diabetic and food.
Cutting down or out all sugar is a great starting point and one we should all probably have done along while back !
Key to cutting sugar is to be really critical of food labelling and some of the sources of added sugar. As an example: in checking the ingredients of Bisto gravy granules it turns out the Low Salt variety actually has TWICE the sugar of standard Bisto?
I'd have a go at cutting down carbs as well, sounds like you probably have a sweet tooth - good luck with catching this at pre-diabetes. You have a good chance of keeping away from T2 through good diet!
 
Robin101 said:
Listlad, welcome to the best place for all things diabetic and food.
Cutting down or out all sugar is a great starting point and one we should all probably have done along while back !
Key to cutting sugar is to be really critical of food labelling and some of the sources of added sugar. As an example: in checking the ingredients of Bisto gravy granules it turns out the Low Salt variety actually has TWICE the sugar of standard Bisto?
I'd have a go at cutting down carbs as well, sounds like you probably have a sweet tooth - good luck with catching this at pre-diabetes. You have a good chance of keeping away from T2 through good diet!
Click to expand...
Thanks. I do have a sweet tooth. Exactly.

I have another reason to approach sugar carefully and that is that we have a younger child who also has a sweet tooth. Though not diabetic we would hope she grows up avoiding it if possible.
 
I can’t help with the jam question but would respectfully go out on a limb and say that whatever you spread it on is likely to give an equal or greater glucose response than the jam itself. Every little helps though, and sucrose (sugar) definitely does need to be avoided.
 
"Normal" jam is thicken using pectin - not sure or the carb count, but you can usually buy it in the baking isle of the supermarket
 
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Jim Lahey said:
I can’t help with the jam question but would respectfully go out on a limb and say that whatever you spread it on is likely to give an equal or greater glucose response than the jam itself. Every little helps though, and sucrose (sugar) definitely does need to be avoided.
Click to expand...

In the bad old days before I knew better I'd put jam or marmalade into a cheese sandwich.. surprisingly tasty... so sugar free jam on a slice of cheese.. then again I'm a weirdo!
 
bulkbiker said:
In the bad old days before I knew better I'd put jam or marmalade into a cheese sandwich.. surprisingly tasty... so sugar free jam on a slice of cheese.. then again I'm a weirdo!
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That's a weird combination. Then again I'm partial to peanut butter with prune yoghurt! Takes all sorts!! :-)
 
bulkbiker said:
In the bad old days before I knew better I'd put jam or marmalade into a cheese sandwich.. surprisingly tasty... so sugar free jam on a slice of cheese.. then again I'm a weirdo!
Click to expand...

I’ll keep that in mind if I ever get pregnant :hilarious:
 
Jim Lahey said:
I can’t help with the jam question but would respectfully go out on a limb and say that whatever you spread it on is likely to give an equal or greater glucose response than the jam itself. Every little helps though, and sucrose (sugar) definitely does need to be avoided.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Yes, I am trying to deal with the “low hanging fruit” first.
 
bulkbiker said:
In the bad old days before I knew better I'd put jam or marmalade into a cheese sandwich.. surprisingly tasty... so sugar free jam on a slice of cheese.. then again I'm a weirdo!
Click to expand...
Not so weird used to be a favorite of mine in the past along with lettuce and sugar sandwiches and of course Brei and red current jelly toasties.
 
Good approach. Identify what sugar you do actually consume.
I would actually just eat normally for a week but weigh everything and write down ALL sugar in everything and all carbs.
I wouldn't even cut back portion sizes.
Then you will understand how much you need to cut back. A little? A lot?

My Achilles heel is bread. If I can't eat it in a sandwich it isn't food! Sadly I have little will power where bread is concerned so my only option was to cut it from my diet completely. And no replacement......
Painful at first. But makes the difference.

Sugar went the same way. I didn't look for alternatives to sugar, I looked to alternative foods that avoided sugar or sweeteners completely. More difficult, just as painful.
 
How are you going to keep your jam? As the sugar is the epreservative in normal jam recipes, I would suggest making small quantities to keep in the fridge. Gelatine would set your jam, but you might need to experiment to get the right level of gelling. When you make the jam, add some lemon juice to acidify it slightly to help keep down any microorganisms and then eat it within a few weeks.
 
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