Does anybody else eat Werthers

Hi Whatashock,

Most "sugar-free" sweets don't contain sugar (sucrose) but instead they contain a sugar alcohol (or polyol) like sorbitol or maltitol. These are only slightly worse for a diabetic than sugar as they contain around 75% of the carbohydrate value that sugar has. But of course the manufacturers don't warn you about this!

 

I didn't know Werthers did sugar free sweets! I might give them a go up until now I have been eating sugarless sweets from Lidl.

 

Hi Whatashock,

It's up to you. In very small quantities they won't do too much damage. In larger quantities you need to be aware that they have quite a laxative effect - most polyols were originally developed as laxatives, not sweeteners. If you read the small print on the packets it will nearly always warn that they can have a laxative effect. Unfortunately the only polyol that has absolutely no effect on blood sugar is erithrytol, but it is so expensive no sweet-makers will use it.

 

I have fallen for the sugar free but not really polyol scam before too - I had some sugar free marshmallows from Sainsbury's, thought I'd finally managed to find something nice and sweet that wouldn't affect my bg's but no, they shot up after eating them. Then I found out via this forum that maltitol syrup is 2/3 (or something, can't remember exact figs) the same effect on blood sugars as sucrose so felt very cheated! Now just have the odd one or two. As my tooth is a lot less sweet than it used to be I've discovered frozen mixed berries, at only 5g carbs/100g, satisfy my desire for sweets - even better with a swirl of cream.

 

I've just bought some Marks and Spencers sugar free drops - butterscotch and strawberry and cream, does anyone know if these will raise blood sugars? Haven't eaten any yet though diabetes free hubby has been sampling them!

Thanks
Chris

 

WEight Watchers do some low sugar drops. I love the blackberry ones. Just one or 2 doesn't do anything to my BG.
Hana

 

Yes they will. They will have either sorbitol or maltitol as their sweetener and these have 75% and 65% respectively the amount of carbs that sugar has.

 

Hi Dennis

Not sure whether the M n S ones have the stuff you mentioned. Ingredients listed as: Isomalt, sucralose, butter, cream, natural vanilla flavouring, salt, emulsifier (!) soya lecithin, caramel. Carbs do seem high though at 83 g per 100g though sugar only 0.5 per 100g.

Won't be having a 100g worth though because says excessive consumption may produce laxative effects :wink: :wink: Could help with the weight loss I suppose :twisted:

Chris

 

I think I would give them a miss. Each sweet is around 6g carbs.....soon adds up I think.