To sweeten or not to sweeten

[Spiritedgirl]

Hi newly diagnosed T2,

Are we allowed to have sweeteners in our tea or coffee?

 

[JohnEGreen]

Well I do, but others think they are the devils brew. You have to decide for yourself there is no allowed or not allowed only what is right for you and what isn't.

Eat or drink to your meter if you have no meter then I suggest you get one test before ingesting then after to see how it effects you.

I am sorry to here that you have joined our group at first the diagnosis is fraught with uncertainty and confusion as to how we go about managing our diabetes but with good diet it is manageable and in time you will learn how best to manage and what is right for your individual needs so don't panic a diagnosis of diabetes is in no way the end of the world. and I wish you good luck for the future.

 

[Tophat1900]

Agree with @JohnEGreen, test and see what happens. I use stevia myself. And erythritol for baking.... but hardly ever bake. So, it's Stevia in drinks for me. Some people prefer xylitol.

My brand choice is Nirvana for stevia, there seems to be other brands that are loaded up with bulking sugars and sold as stevia and certainly not good for type2 who want to manage by diet.

 

[Wayward Blood]

I used to use sweeteners a lot after starting on a low carbohydrate diet. After a few months with plenty of digestive problems, I thought, 'I wonder if it's the stevia I'm using?' I cut it out and a week later the problems had gone. I was using a large amount of it though – in drinks and in baking.

 

[bulkbiker]

Hi newly diagnosed T2,

Are we allowed to have sweeteners in our tea or coffee?

Once you have cut "sweet" out of your life for a couple of weeks hopefully you'll find like many of us that it's unnecessary to add to food. Milk and cream taste sweet to me these days.

 

[ziggy_w]

Hi newly diagnosed T2,

Are we allowed to have sweeteners in our tea or coffee?

Hi @Spiritedgirl,

Try to keep in mind that it has to work for you. I find that what really matters is that you can maintain this way of living long-term.

Personally, I use erythritol, which is zero-calorie sugar alcohol with very few gastro-intestinal side effects (this doesn't apply to all sugar alcohols though). Doesn't raise my blood sugars at all.

 

[Spiritedgirl]

Ok think I do need a machine then to find out if it affects it thank you

 

[VashtiB]

Hi @Spiritedgirl different sweetness can have different effects- some drastically increase my blood sugars others don't so be prepared to experiment and test.

I personally use them. I have diet jelly for example and some zero sugar vodka mixes occasionally . As said above it needs to be something you can stick with.

I plan to reduce them eventually but hey I have the rest of my life so doesn't have to be right now.

Good luck.

 

[Robbity]

It's not a matter of being "allowed" sweeteners, it's a matter (a) of personal choice and (b) whether those choices have any adverse effects on your glucose levels or heath. Some sweeteners can have unpleasant side effects if you use too much, but generally erythritol and stevia, alone or in combination, are OK and safe for diabetics. But be careful with stevia as it's extremely sweet even in small quantities and sometimes if bulking agents are used with it they may not be particularly good for us.

Ok think I do need a machine then to find out if it affects it thank you

You definitely need a blood glucose monitor the find out how anything you consume, particularly if it contains higher quantities of carbohydrates (sugar or starch) might affect your glucose levels so that you can modify your diet accordingly to keep your levels under control. @Rachox has some useful information about which meters are cheapest to run, as the test strips used can be quite expensive as most T2's have to buy their own.