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Help With Sweeteners Please

W

wasdale

Well-Known Member
Messages
61
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello all, can I please ask what sweeteners you recommend as I like to add to cereal and yogurt, I currently use Splenda but not sure if this one is OK? I've tried truvia & xylitol but don't like it as they have an odd taste & especially don't like them when I mix it with yogurt. Thanks
 
I only use Truvia on the rare occasions that I want sweet but agree about the slightly odd aftertaste. I have tried to get rid of sweetness completely from my diet which seems to make things easier.
Also cereals aren't that great for us and I reckon bacon and eggs are far sweeter things to eat.
 
I find that sweeteners spike my blood sugars the same way sugars do. I may be odd. Testing before and after will tell you if that is true for you too. I find training my tastebuds to wean them off sweet tastes has been my only option. Its is surprising how sweet unsweetened foods taste after a week or two.
 
For some people artificial sweeteners are not inert in the brain and the same goes for the gut. Best way to find out is to test before and after. Read the labels carefully, some sweeteners are bulked out with sugars such as maltodextrose and sucrose.
 
bulkbiker said:
I only use Truvia on the rare occasions that I want sweet but agree about the slightly odd aftertaste. I have tried to get rid of sweetness completely from my diet which seems to make things easier.
Also cereals aren't that great for us and I reckon bacon and eggs are far sweeter things to eat.
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I have found that Truvia is ok for me also. I only add it to plain greek yogurt with vanilla from time to time
 
It's down to personal taste. When I was first diagnosed I tried different sweeteners - I only use them in tea or coffee. I find I liked Splenda most.
 
I current;y use erythritol and/or plain stevia as alternative sweeteners, and don't see any spikes from them. Both are suitable for diabetic use, but you do need to be careful, especially with stevia as due to its extreme sweeteness, there are often less "friendly" fillers (apparently even including actual sugar :wideyed:) added to allow it to be used in reasonably sized portions. I've generally used Sukrin products, Nunaturals liquid stevia (white squeezy bottle) and recently tried Truvia too after @bulkbiker mentioned it.

When I was first diagnosed in November 2013 i inirially chose not to use any form of sweetening but later decided mainly as I do a lot of baking that - after some research - erythritol and stevia would be OK. I have a sweetish tooth, and find that for the most part I never actually crave the genuine article! The very few times I've ever done so were when I've had a few very rare false hypos - and my body can definitely tell the difference between real sugar and these two sweeteners.

Robbity
 
bulkbiker said:
I only use Truvia on the rare occasions that I want sweet but agree about the slightly odd aftertaste. I have tried to get rid of sweetness completely from my diet which seems to make things easier.
Also cereals aren't that great for us and I reckon bacon and eggs are far sweeter things to eat.
Click to expand...
Thank you, yeah I'll have to stop cereal but I cannot stand yogurt without sweetener so will just use it for that. Haha Hubby won't mind eggs & bacon but I've never been keen on English breakfast so will find that option difficult, maybe just scrambled eggs on the occasion
 
lucylocket61 said:
I find that sweeteners spike my blood sugars the same way sugars do. I may be odd. Testing before and after will tell you if that is true for you too. I find training my tastebuds to wean them off sweet tastes has been my only option. Its is surprising how sweet unsweetened foods taste after a week or two.
Click to expand...
Thanks I'll give it a try and see if it is the sweetener for me too
 
Guzzler said:
For some people artificial sweeteners are not inert in the brain and the same goes for the gut. Best way to find out is to test before and after. Read the labels carefully, some sweeteners are bulked out with sugars such as maltodextrose and sucrose.
Click to expand...
Thanks I will test before & after & have a look at Splenda to see what's in it
 
derry60 said:
I have found that Truvia is ok for me also. I only add it to plain greek yogurt with vanilla from time to time
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Yeah I tried that & chucked the whole thing away as made the yogurt taste terrible, I think it's cause it's grainy like sugar ha
 
Prem51 said:
It's down to personal taste. When I was first diagnosed I tried different sweeteners - I only use them in tea or coffee. I find I liked Splenda most.
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Yes I love Splenda but not sure if what's in it is any good etc
 
Resurgam said:
I used to use sweeteners as I was eating sweeter tasting foods, now I don't use anything as I find nothing requires sweetening if you are not used to it.
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I like sweeteners in yogurt & tea but maybe I use too much
 
Robbity said:
I current;y use erythritol and/or plain stevia as alternative sweeteners, and don't see any spikes from them. Both are suitable for diabetic use, but you do need to be careful, especially with stevia as due to its extreme sweeteness, there are often less "friendly" fillers (apparently even including actual sugar :wideyed:) added to allow it to be used in reasonably sized portions. I've generally used Sukrin products, Nunaturals liquid stevia (white squeezy bottle) and recently tried Truvia too after @bulkbiker mentioned it.

When I was first diagnosed in November 2013 i inirially chose not to use any form of sweetening but later decided mainly as I do a lot of baking that - after some research - erythritol and stevia would be OK. I have a sweetish tooth, and find that for the most part I never actually crave the genuine article! The very few times I've ever done so were when I've had a few very rare false hypos - and my body can definitely tell the difference between real sugar and these two sweeteners.

Robbity
Click to expand...
I've tried stevia & just cannot stand the taste unfortunately
 
wasdale said:
Hello all, can I please ask what sweeteners you recommend as I like to add to cereal and yogurt, I currently use Splenda but not sure if this one is OK? I've tried truvia & xylitol but don't like it as they have an odd taste & especially don't like them when I mix it with yogurt. Thanks
Click to expand...

I use Xylitol available from Sainsbury’s
 
wasdale said:
Yes I love Splenda but not sure if what's in it is any good etc
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Yes if you google it there are studies that suggest that it can reduce gut bacteria by 50%. But I only use 4 teaspoons or less a day, and I take a probiotic to encourage gut bacteria.
 
Prem51 said:
Yes if you google it there are studies that suggest that it can reduce gut bacteria by 50%. But I only use 4 teaspoons or less a day, and I take a probiotic to encourage gut bacteria.
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I use a lot more than 4 teaspoons I'm afraid thinking that it wouldn't do any harm as it's not sugar but I believe I've been doing a lot of wrong things as I just went for sugar free stuff & going with the traffic light system as I was never told that diabetics needed a low carb diet!!
 
wasdale said:
Yeah I tried that & chucked the whole thing away as made the yogurt taste terrible, I think it's cause it's grainy like sugar ha
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I have actually added a little hot water to the Truvia to make a liquid and let it cool slightly then add it to foods
 
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