• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Diabetic Hard Candy

neithskye

neithskye

Well-Known Member
Messages
244
Location
Toronto, Canada
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I was just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes on July 6th. My whole life I've been a hard candy (Life Savers, Jolly Ranchers) fan.

I figured they're not good for diabetes so I sought out sugar-free candy and realized those have just as many carbs as regular candy.

Should I not have hard candy at all? (I can't have gum as I have TMJ and the chewing gives me jaw and temple pain.) Thanks!
 
Are the carbs in your sugar free sweets from polyols, otherwise callered alcohol sugars? Examples of these are sorbitol, erythritol or xylitol. These are a group of sweetners that affect different people differently. It is assumed that they aren’t absorbed in the GI tract, that’s why they often have the warning “excessive consumption may have a laxative effect”, so although the carb count is high you might not absorb them. I’m lucky that I don’t get a sugar spike from them but some people it would seem do. The only way you’ll know is to test.
 
Werthers do a sugar free version of the "Originals".
They apparently taste as good as the sugar version - they keep dispaearing from the desk.

There are sugar free polos in Poundland ( five tubes for the nominal amount ) - these use sorbitol do not eat too many.
 
Do you use a meter? If so, you can just test if you tolerate a piece of candy. After all, the sugar/carb percentage is high, but the amount is small (as long as you don't gobble half a bag in one go). Also, it might be that you can tolerate it better as a 'dessert' after a lowish carb meal.
I hope you'll find a way to still enjoy your favourite candy!
 
Rachox said:
Not sure whether to give you a hug or a funny for that?
Click to expand...
There was a time that I didn't know about this hidden effect. I was working interstate and took the family with me just for the trip. Ended up with a bad dose of a cold. My lovely Mrs Croc bought me a couple of bags of cough lollies, sugar free of course. I devoured them. Of course I got the runs and didn't know why. Kept eating the lollies blissfully unaware. The dark water kept on coming. It went on for another day. Finally, while sitting on the throne for yet another release I was reading the packet label from the lollies. Needless to say, I nearly fell off the throne.
 
Rachox said:
Are the carbs in your sugar free sweets from polyols, otherwise callered alcohol sugars? Examples of these are sorbitol, erythritol or xylitol. These are a group of sweetners that affect different people differently. It is assumed that they aren’t absorbed in the GI tract, that’s why they often have the warning “excessive consumption may have a laxative effect”, so although the carb count is high you might not absorb them. I’m lucky that I don’t get a sugar spike from them but some people it would seem do. The only way you’ll know is to test.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure. I haven't bought any yet so next time I'm in the store I'll have a look at the ingredients. Thanks for that info. I'm still learning. :)
 
Antje77 said:
Do you use a meter? If so, you can just test if you tolerate a piece of candy. After all, the sugar/carb percentage is high, but the amount is small (as long as you don't gobble half a bag in one go). Also, it might be that you can tolerate it better as a 'dessert' after a lowish carb meal.
I hope you'll find a way to still enjoy your favourite candy!
Click to expand...

I do use a meter. I keep forgetting I can test at other times than what I was told to, lol.

The carbs are what concern me. Four candies are 14-16 carbs. Before I was diagnosed I mindlessly tossed candies in my mouth one after the other, especially after I quit smoking five years ago. I might just chew sugarless gum.
 
neithskye said:
I was just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes on July 6th. My whole life I've been a hard candy (Life Savers, Jolly Ranchers) fan.

I figured they're not good for diabetes so I sought out sugar-free candy and realized those have just as many carbs as regular candy.

Should I not have hard candy at all? (I can't have gum as I have TMJ and the chewing gives me jaw and temple pain.) Thanks!
Click to expand...

I would watch out for anything labelled 'sugar free'. Sugar is only one content we need to look out for. I like the occasional Werthers Original Sugar Free (and they are exactly like the 'full sugar' version) and found they have carbs rather than sugar so although they are nice I really wouldn't eat them every day, I get through half a dozen a week as I really only keep them for a treat, and I keep a few in the car for long journeys.
 
masonap said:
I would watch out for anything labelled 'sugar free'. Sugar is only one content we need to look out for.
Click to expand...

For some reason I thought sugar free = no carbs. I think I'll just eschew candy for now. Interestingly when I hit my mid-40s a few years ago I found that my tolerance for sweets decreased significantly, not only with my taste buds but with my tummy too.
 
neithskye said:
For some reason I thought sugar free = no carbs. I think I'll just eschew candy for now. Interestingly when I hit my mid-40s a few years ago I found that my tolerance for sweets decreased significantly, not only with my taste buds but with my tummy too.
Click to expand...
A very common misunderstanding. After all, sugar is a carbohydrate.
 
Back
Top