sweetner help please

i use sweetex and morrisons own brand

There are powder versions of some tablet sweetners such as Splenda which you should be able to use for baking but might need to research online how to substitute quantities for the sugar in recipes. I have been trying truvia this week which are quite nice made from stevia rather than a traditional sugar. Also got a liquid called agave from my local health food shop which is really nice and am using instead of honey as a cold remedy. It's made from a plant from Mexico and they do a tablet sweetners version too. Any sweetners will taste weird at first but stick with it and if you still aren't keen give a different brand a go. There are some recipes on the diet section which sound lovely. Hope you find something you like.

SueB743 said:

Also got a liquid called agave from my local health food shop which is really nice and am using instead of honey as a cold remedy. It's made from a plant from Mexico and they do a tablet sweetners version too.

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I stand to be corrected, but isn't agave syrup pretty much pure fructose - very high in carbs? There was something on TV about it recently about how it is marketed as healthy alternative to sugar, but simply isn't much less calorific than honey - it's only because it's sweeter in taste that you can get away with using a bit less less.

I know not everyone will agree with using sweetners, but after using Splenda for a while pre diagnosis and reading that the bulking agents contains carbs and the calorie value, I am trying liquid sucralose from Amazon

So I've now read the packaging on the agave - on the front it claims to be low GI and on the back seems to be 75% carbs. Not sure how that can translate to low GI, so I guess its back to the others on the list. Sorry for any confusion, and note to self to read the back as well as the front of the labelling in future.

@SueB743 I think you've just demonstrated exactly what they were highlighting on TV; that it's marketed as a healthier sweetening option but its only merit is that it tastes sweeter which allows you to use a little less of it. Sorry that you've wasted your dosh on it, I bet it was pretty expensive too.

Stating it as low GI may actually be true, if it is known to convert to glucose in the bloodstream more slowly than other sweetening products, but certainly gives the wrong impression as to its value as a healthy alternative.

The only figure I judge by is the total carbs (and this necessitates shopping with my reading glasses in my hand) and I work out the anticipated portion size - therefore the total carbs I'm likely to consume in that meal or dish and if that fits in with my eating plan and is acceptable.

Candarel is a bit pricey but i feel is nicer than sugar!

There's a great comparison table for all sweeteners on the web somewhere that I've looked at recently, but I can't find it again now that I want it!

The two sweeteners that I believe are recommended for diabetics are stevia and erythritol. They're both considered "natural" sweeteners - in that they originate in plants (like "real" sugar), and are both low calorie and low carb ( though erythritol is weird in that it is actually high in carbds, but they're not digestible, so don't raise glucose levels). Both can be used in diabetic baking. These two are also the ones recommended in Trudi Deakin's recent book "Eat Fat!" - she has three pages devoted to information on various sweeteners.

Xylitol is another sugar alcohol, and is suitable for baking, but it can be very dangerous for dogs - so definitely not one for dog owners.

Robbity

brettsza said:

I dont really like sweets but i like my tea with sugar, ofcourse not now. After diagnosis i started having tea without sugar but just hated it, did try having it for a month thinking i will develop taste to it gradually, but just couldnt.
i never liked sweetners but had no option but to try once, and while roaming in lidl i saw cologram i think was the name, i dont dislike it but are there any bettr options anyone can suggest pls.

Also if i need anything for baking, although i never bake and dont intend to still but would be nice to know what i could use if i do plan to at some point of time.

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I weaned myself off from sugar in coffee some years ago by cutting the amount in half a couple of times. I also made the coffee slightly weaker. You could try this approach and also change your brand of tea

Agave syrup is mostly fructose and while it is said not to raise BG much it sure will damage your liver.

If I need a little bit of sweet I use a syrup sweetener called Sweet Freedom it is available from H&B and some supermarkets. I have a little on my Greek yogurt and berries if they are very sour as frozen ones are. It is made from 100% fruit is low GL and low in fructose and has no other added sweeteners it says it is 4g carbs per tsp. I never did have sugar in tea or coffee and I don't bake so I do not use any other sweeteners for anything else

While its an expensive option the best advise I can give is to try and see what you like. This is just my opinion

Canderel red (often considered the normal Canderel) tastes fine, not like sugar but acceptable. However there are concerns that having too much might not be good for your health. You also can't use it for baking as it can't take the long term heat. (It does work very well in custard made with custard powder, I've been using it for years even before diagnosis)
Canderel Green, available as tablets or as powder. Contains Stevia which at the moment is believed to be better for you as it is natural. It can be used in baking. However I noticed that the cakes I made had an odd after taste, at first I put it down to the ground almonds instead of flour as I don't normally like almonds. I then tried the tablets in coffee and ended up throwing the pack away. I can get away with a 50/50 mix of Canderel red and green in hot chocolate to use up the pot of granulated I have left. The tablets also seemed to crumble more when they came out of the container.
Canderel yellow (contains the sweetener as Splenda) I have found it as tablets and it is supposed to be available in granulated form, but I have not found any yet so I have tried Splenda as an alternative) This is another that can also be used for baking and doesn't seem to have the after taste that Stevia has, and I have used it happily in coffee and cakes. However there does seem to be some concern over the calory content and the carb content but I think some of the carbs are the ones that aren't absorbs which is why it is advertised as suitable for diabetics.

I could never stand the taste of saccharin so that takes several of the cheaper options out for me.

One option for trying them cheaply is to check when ever you go out, some restaurants do have sachets of sweetener available, Canderel Yellow seems fairly common, so you can try it in their coffee and see what you think (or put a couple in your bag to try in your coffee at home

It is a bit of a minefield out there and the best way as ever is to try and then test and then take your chances with the ones that taste reasonable.

@Ruth B To add to what you've said, it's worth noting that supermarkets also seem to sell their own label versions of many of the known branded sweeteners - you need to do a bit of detective work on the labels. I've tried several and just can't get on with any of them, so have passed the jars on to people than can, so don't have them for reference.

But from memory, Aldi do a sucralose one which I think is the same ingredient list and data as Splenda - yellow topped jars - but a fraction of the price. Just looking on their web site it's 89p a jar of 75g - product reference 44383 if you want to look it up but it doesn't give data on their web site (Splenda was about 4 times that when I tried it). I also got a Stevia one that was a Tesco own label - again much cheaper than the branded version on the same shelf. Lidl likewise do a Candarel lookalikee in a red top jar (something like 'Coloran') but I think I rejected that one as it was saccharine based.

Because I just can't tolerate any of them (and I don't even much like the idea of them anyway), I've decided that the once in a blue moon that I need something sweetening, I just use sugar, honey or maple syrup. After 23 years as a diabetic, my taste buds have modified (they actually did that within a few weeks, as did my husband's) to the extent that I don't need very much at all.

brettsza said:

You would not believe I saw that page yesterday somewhere and cant find it now.

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The web sugar police have eaten it??

I actually thought I'd bookmarked it, too.
Robbity

SueB743 said:

So I've now read the packaging on the agave - on the front it claims to be low GI and on the back seems to be 75% carbs. Not sure how that can translate to low GI, so I guess its back to the others on the list. Sorry for any confusion, and note to self to read the back as well as the front of the labelling in future.

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Agave syrup is not particularly natural - it's produced using some kind of chemical industrial process. It's mostly fructose, which is why it is supposedly low glycemic. I would avoid this stuff.

Ruth B said:

Canderel Green, available as tablets or as powder. Contains Stevia which at the moment is believed to be better for you as it is natural. It can be used in baking. However I noticed that the cakes I made had an odd after taste, at first I put it down to the ground almonds instead of flour as I don't normally like almonds.

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Stevia in quantity definitely does have a sightly odd aftertaste, so it's best use use it in very small quantities. I prefer to use the liquid version, though I have a little tub of powdered stevia too, and I bought a tiny micro spoon (!!) to measure this out. Otherwise it's eeeuugghh!

I believe, but people would obviously need to check the ingredients carefully, that many very sweet sweeteners can often be bulked up with starches, so they obviously wouldn't be a good diabetic choice.

Robbity

I use xylitol occasionally although I don't understand how I can get away with it. There is at least one other thread about it (try looking for "polyols") on here.
I never got used to ordinary tea without sugar so I don't drink it. To me it tastes like straw. I have fruit teas, and am addicted to coffee with double cream. While on holiday recently I got a liking for diet Coke which I have quickly recovered from! I also drink quite a lot of water.
Short answer: if you can't stand your regular drink without a sweetener, abandon the drink and find something else.