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Gluten/wheat/dairy Free...why Not More Sugar Free?

Silkroad77

Active Member
Messages
32
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Er hello folks,

Before I go on, I have a sweet tooth so ouch!

I've been wondering this, and wondering this for a long time...

Why is it in supermarkets & health food shops, you can get gluten free, dairy free, wheat free, dairy free-but absolutely **** options for sugar free?

BTW I consider sweeteners, such as maltitose/isomalt/sucralose/saccharin/aspartame a bad option, as is agave syrup, and xylotil-depending on its source.

Why do you often get 'warning excessive consumption may produce laxative effects' on sugar-free Diabetic friendly options?

I hope I'm not the only Diabetic who is bothered by this-why does everything have to be dairy/gluten/wheat free, and yet Diabetes which is a disease many more people have then those with Coeliacs or dairy or wheat etc allergies.

Also why do people have to lump sugar free with dairy free/gluten free/wheat free-when yes these foods TASTE AWFUL!
I don't want ***** sweeteners, but neither do I want the entire 'everything' free options-with a nasty texture and no taste whatsoever!

Why do only 2 out of 17,5000 products have stevia-and why are they basic **** like vanilla ice-cream, and mint chewing gums?

I don't get it, do they think people with Diabetes only like vanilla ice cream & mint chewing gum?

Yes sure there is the cost of production-but there are loads of Diabetic people in this country-and to be honest I wouldn't mind paying more, for a nice sweet treat.

I'm not being nasty to those with Coeliac disease, nor those who cannot tolerate dairy products etc-it just annoys me that Diabetes, which is one of the biggest diseases in the UK but also the western world-is ignored, not catered for, and given **** options such as -everything free, or 'laxative effects-if taken in abundance'

I am going to say it-it's become trendy for people to not want gluten in their diet-of course it's different if you genuinely cannot eat gluten, say what you want-most people (who don't have a medical condition) avoid gluten because it's a trend!

There have to be others out there like me-I cannot be the only one annoyed, can I?

Surely somebody else has a sweet tooth as well?

Yes as for fruit-well sometimes I feel like a piece of cake, or biscuits.

Edited by moderator for language
 
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Make your own then. I also need gluten free products and its what we did before the "abundance" of products there are now.

Not only that but those *sugar free products* your looking for have the same carb content generally as the normal versions.
 
I’ve just found cold infusion bags. Like tea bags, but for cold water. You put them into cold water, and leave them. Flavours are a range of about 6 of assorted fruit flavours.
They are brilliant, no sugar or sweeteners. Judging by the reviews on Sainsburys people either love them or hate them, but I think they are brilliant. Sainsburys have their own brand with 2 varieties, Twinings have about 6 varieties.
 

Because you have imposed an extra condition of not having sweeteners. Sugar free is easy, no sugar, but to sell it, they have to add a sweetener.

If Stevia is acceptable, Pure Circle Ltd, the leading supplier of Stevia Sweeteners reckon it's use is expanding rapidly. See https://www.brenntag.com/uk-ireland...oods-expanding-rapidly-reports-purecircle.jsp.
The report suggests a bit more than 2 out of 17,500. I expect the link needs following to identify actual food products.
 
Engineer88 said:
Make your own then. I also need gluten free products and its what we did before the "abundance" of products there are now.

Not only that but those *sugar free products* your looking for have the same carb content generally as the normal versions.
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I agree with you too, and sometimes they contain more than the normal variety.
 
I like what you say about the need for more sugar free labelling and products for us - too right @Silkroad77.

But I'm not at all annoyed by gluten free products and folks getting into it.
 
Believe me, if I was avoiding gluten for trendy reasons, I would have got bored, given up and returned to gluten a loooooong time ago.

And I find avoiding sugar and sweeteners far easier than avoiding gluten - although the answer to both is very similar; eat fresh and unprocessed, not Frankenfoods with a list of ingredients. Problem solved.
 
The reason for the laxative warning is very real - sugar alcohols can have that effect. If you want a laugh, google "Sugar Free Haribos".
 
I have more intolerance than you could guess.
My body will only except fresh, unprocessed foods.
I can't eat dairy, I can't eat cooked vegetables, I eat loads of raw vegetables as in salads, no wheat, grains and so on.
But the list of my balanced dietary intake is a lot longer after discovering what I can eat.
Don't do sweeteners, they are disgusting, to taste.
I avoid sugary foods entirely and yes, I have a sweet tooth!
But after a few years of this diet, everything that is sweet, tastes dreadful!

You have to convince your brain and body, your taste buds, that anything that is sweet may not be good for you.
 
I have often wondered why, given the diabetes ‘epidemic’, you only ever see large ranges of gluten-free products in shops and restaurants but hardly any sugar free, low carb options. I believe if the will was there to sort this out it wouldn’t be too difficult. I am not saying get rid of gluten-free or dairy-free but take into account diabetics too.
 
The supermarkets are (and always have been) full of fresh sugar free produce.

If I want to avoid sugar, then I just don't eat (or at least do my best to avoid) food that contains it in its various forms - for me it's as simple as that.

If I want sweet then I'll use erythritol and/or stevia which are both "diabetic friendly " and should have no impact either on glucose levels or bowel movements.

Robbity
 
Jbicheno said:
I am not saying get rid of gluten-free or dairy-free but take into account diabetics too.
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And those that have both as well.
I was pretty sure at one point with gluten-free food they had mostly just replaced the flour with sugar .... (note: I have no evidence to support this claim, but it didn't half seem like it was that some years ago) - well either that or with cardboard (note: it has got a lot better recently - the GF fad has actually helped those with coeliac - means there's more choice and it generally tastes a lot better than it used to
 
I am all for the manufacturing of gluten free food it must make life a lot easier for those who can't eat gluten what I do not agree with is making people who seriously need it having to pay sometimes double the price of a similar food containing gluten . I found out the other day that a gluten free Bergen Linseed and Soya small loaf was dearer than the large standard one Does it really cost so much more to make gluten free foods It seems if something is free of an ingredient we pay more for it .
 

Because Gluten free would mean using different equipment for handling, baking etc in the factory so not the norm. It is expensive, a small loaf can cost up to £3.00 I remember an older man telling me he had been Coeliac for many decades and remembered a gluten free loaf in a special tin and the bread tasted awful, but that was all there was back then.
 
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Yes I think the gluten free Bergen loaf was about £2.90. It must be a bit difficult for people with coeliac to afford the gluten free food if they are on a limited budget. I never thought about it being made in a specialist equipment and environment place in a factory of course they could not risk it being made where the wheat products are
 
The main problem I have with gluten free foods, is that the gluten is replaced in most gluten free foods by potato starch!!!!!
So for me, it's out of the fire, into the frying pan!
I just avoid it all!
 
Bergen bread in asda in reasonably priced.
 

It was tough when I was first diagnosed with Coeliac, I make my own meatballs, burger's, curry and they taste great, I know all the ingredients and it's safe to eat. and roast dinner's just need a little tweaking,
 
Thanks for all your replies folks,

I think (but may be wrong) that out of all the sweeteners Stevia could be the best-well same with Xylotil, but you need to check it's origins, to ensure it's the right one.

See I'd love to bake if I could-but I'm awful at baking, I mean I do try to bake cakes from time to time, but they come out halfway between cake & biscuits!
I've tried several times and it's always the same-it's only once when I made some cupcakes, they turned out not too bad-but even then they weren't great

This is it, of course I'd never say get rid of gluten free, or dairy free etc, as people do have intolerances and of course cannot eat certain kinds of foods.
But it's just when some products out there, are gluten free, dairy free, wheat free and sugar free.
I for example want proper stevia & xylitol in some products I buy, but I don't want gluten or dairy free, and I'm sure some people who cannot eat gluten, do not want sugar or dairy free.

Also we have the sugar tax-which is I think excellent-it's not just Diabetic people who cannot have sugar, but as we all know sugar can lead to obesity & tooth decay.
Funny how people talk about how sugar is bad for you, and yet companies don't bother making attempts to create products without maltitol/aspartame/isomalt/saccharin etc!
 
We are all different but there are some other things I find that don't spike my blood sugar. My last HBA1c reading was 31 ( July) down from 93 when I was diagnosed in September. To get this control I try to limit my carb intake to about 100g a day. I have cut out beer bread and rice. Pasta too is a no no. This seems to work in giving me good control.

I do however like ice cream and was delighted to find a couple of brands of healthy ice cream, Oppo and Halo Top. They are low sugar and some of the flavours have less than 10g of carbs in 2 scoops. You must check the labels for carbs but they do taste quite good and they don't spike my blood sugar
 
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