Erythritol

[Dancing Badger]

"School puddings" are my weakness - chocolate sponge and pink custard, jam roly-poly, gypsy tart, apple pie - you name it, I love it. Despite this, pre-diagnosis puddings like this were an occasional treat, and post-diagnosis in May completely off the menu. However, we have a widowed elderly relative we visit on a regular basis and always take dinner, including a pudding, when we visit. He's non-diabetic and loves his puddings. Over the summer this hasn't been a problem as I've been able to serve strawberries and cream, etc, together with Eton Mess, making sure I leave out the meringues for me.

All good until now with the colder weather coming on. I was stumped as to how to get round the problem of a diabetic-friendly baked pudding until I came across Delia's apple almond pudding - Bramley apples, ground almonds, eggs, butter, a splash of almond essence - and Erythritol to replace the sugar, served with double cream. It was amazing, and two hours after starting dinner I had a finger prick reading of 5.4mmol and neither my OH or elderly relative noticed they were eating something not quite "normal".

But I'm worried: I've always avoided UPF, cooked from scratch, and never ventured into a Maccy D or any fast food restaurant, always used butter. etc, so a sugar substitute like Erythritol pushed my comfort zone to the limit. Apparently, over use can have a laxative effect, but I can't find many more negative effects and would be very interested to hear others' experience of using it.

 

[KennyA]

I've used erythritol (sold as Truvia) increasingly, with no ill effects. I used to use sucralose but I find erythritol doesn't have the slightly chemical taste that sucralose does. It's also much better for cooking - I made a pork "sweet" and sour last night, the erythritol worked perfectly.

 

[Rachox]

I use sweeteners, but some people, like yourself maybe, don’t like their ‘artificial’ nature. Here are a few recipes that might fit the bill for winter type puddings though:

The Best Keto Carrot Cake Recipe (Gluten-Free)

Finally a keto carrot cake that is so deliciousl with only 3.8G NET carbs. Easy and versatile recipe that can be used for cupcakes too.

thinlicious.com

Suuuper Fudgy Gluten Free, Paleo & Keto Brownies

Just 1g net carbs a pop!

www.gnom-gnom.com

Lemon Drizzle Cake

You'll also find this recipe, with step by step photos, on page 70 of the Creative Bakes Cookbook.

www.ketofitnessclub.com

Low Carb Rhubarb Crumble

This low carb rhubarb crumble is a lovely dessert that will finish your meal off perfectly. Sugar free and gluten free recipe.

stepawayfromthecarbs.com

I’ve made all of these and I love them, plus non diabetic family and friends have enjoyed them too.

 

[LivingLightly]

Congratulations on avoiding UPFs, cooking from scratch and steering clear of fast food restaurants.

When initially diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2003, sweeteners helped me over the line, but gradually I realised that eating
artificially sweetened foods reinforced my desire to round off meals with something sweet. In time, my palate changed and foods I once regarded as savoury, like onions for instance, now taste sweet. I have erythritol and stevia in my cupboard, but I seldom use sweeteners these days although, AFAIK, I've never experienced ill effects from their occasional use.

Have you asked your relative if he actually wants you to make a pudding every time you visit? As somebody living alone, I'm sure it's your company he values most, not the puds you make. If concerned about erythritol, I'd save Delia's apple almond pudding for an occasional treat.

 

[MrsA2]

This blog from 2 Australian lady doctors sums up the pros and cons well.

Alternate sweeteners and low carb diets - What you need to know

Are alternative sweeteners helpful on a low carb diet? We delve into the pros and cons of consuming alternative sweeteners and discuss the worst and 'least worst' options. This article will help you decide if alternative sweeteners are right for you.

www.rlmedicine.com

We each end up finding a way of eating that suits us.
I do use sweeteners, but very sparingly and only in very small amounts.
A cheese board can be a good alternative to a pud

 

[Robbity]

I've used erythritol and stevia, either individually or in combination without any side effects (apart from a slight initial difference in taste) for my baking and general sweetening after doing some research soon after I was diagnosed with T2 nearly 10 years ago. In general. I've simply adapted my existing recipes - nuts, eggs, butter are all good/acceptable low carb foods anyway, so IMO no real reason not to bake.

Both erythritol and stevia can occur naturally, and I consisder them alternative rather than artifictal sweeteners, and I was slightly surprised that my body could actually tell the difference - they've never caused me any issues with sugar craving - in fact when I had a few cases of minor false hypos when first diagnosed only the real thing would do.

Stevia (aka sweet leaf) has been used in its natural leaf form for ages without any apparent adverse effects, so for me it's no more artifical than sugar cane, and if I remember correctly at least one forum member used to grow their own stevia plants. And @MrsA2 - I've now learned a fair bit more about its benefits - including the fact that the flowers and seeds are also edible - so thanks for those new pieces of information.

ETA I've kept my glucose levels down to mainly lower pre-diabetic levels from soon after diagnosis in 2013, and without any diabetic medication since 2017, so a taste for the (alternative) sweet stuff has done me no harm so far.

 

[Dancing Badger]

Have you asked your relative if he actually wants you to make a pudding every time you visit? As somebody living alone, I'm sure it's your company he values most, not the puds you make. If concerned about erythritol, I'd save Delia's apple almond pudding for an occasional treat.

Puddings are obligatory when we visit; he loves his puddings and they're part and parcel of the day for him, together with me busy in the kitchen and my OH doing odd jobs round the house; family stuff. TBH, I think he might have been slightly disappointed with my berries and cream offerings throughout the summer. It's a 200-mile round trip to Bristol from where we live so we don't see him that often; about once a month. Given his age (88), I would be very reluctant to deny him the food he enjoys.

 

[Dancing Badger]

Thank you for your responses and recipes. It seems, then, using the 100% erythritol doesn't fall into the "Frankenstein food" category, which was my main concern (together with the price, that is).