# Sugar free foods.



## TED THE BEAR (Oct 10, 2015)

Hi all I have type 2 steroid induced diabetes due to my having to take them for a lung disease called bronciecatasis, also in the past, for Ulcerative colitis.
After recently watching Jamie olivers programme on the perils of sugar in our diet, how addicitive it is, and the many dangerous ways it affects our health ( obesity, tooth decay, etc) to name but  a few I did some searching and have come across an excellent site selling sugar free food, it also has some very helpful recipes. I have tried most of it ( especially the choclates ) and it is delicious,  a choccie fix without the guilt. I must stress its not aimed soley  at diabetics but is mainly for those wanting to have less sugar in their diets.

If anyone is interested in sugar free recipes, or foods then it is called SugarNoNo.co.uk

I hope this helps


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## Northerner (Oct 10, 2015)

Hi Ted the Bear, welcome to the forum  I think that, whilst there is merit in the current debate about sugar - particularly 'hidden' sugar in foods you might not expect it, or excessive sugar in things like smoothies or energy drinks - we shouldn't concentrate solely on this one single issue. Sugar is just a form of carbohydrate and all carbohydrates will raise blood glucose levels to a greater or lesser degree. In fact, white flour products, like white bread, will raise levels faster than sugar due to the chemistry (sugar needs two chemical processes to convert to glucose, white flour only one), yet it is often the choice for most people - just look at the bread shelves in any supermarket 

Sugar-free items using artificial sweeteners often still contain carbohydrate, and many will cause gastric upset due to the way they are digested. The advice from Diabetes UK is that it's OK to eat products containing sugar, but in moderation 

Thank you for the information about the site


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## Vicsetter (Oct 10, 2015)

Agreed Alan, I especially liked the 'Natvia Natural Sources Icing Mix' which states that it is low in carbs, but the Nutritional value is listed at 98.6g carb per 100g.  It would be interesting to see what it is made of.
All the products are based on the mistaken idea that it is sugar that is bad and not carbs.


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## HOBIE (Oct 10, 2015)

Thanks Ted the Bear & welcome. Will have a look


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## TED THE BEAR (Oct 11, 2015)

Thank you Hobie and all for your replys. and welcomes, much appreciated.
I know since I have reduced sugar in my diet, I have managed to lose weight, and my energy levels are much better than before.  When I treated myself to a bar of ordinary chocolate  I would find that 20 minutes later I would be wanting another one, also I could never eat just 1 biscuit from a pack i would have to eat a lot more. I find with the sugar free chocolate I only need 2 or 3 pieces, or 2 biscuits and I am satisfied. This is I believe because I am not craving the sugar. Sugar is addictive, and many doctors belive it to be as addictive as smoking, and some drugs. I know that too much sugar free food can have a laxative effect in some people, but like most things its fine in moderation. I have a colostomy, due to my ulcerative colitis, so have to be careful with foods, but I find I have no problems with the stomach with the sugar free I certainly feel better by reducing sugar from my diet.  The sugar free chocolate is tastier too.


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## DeusXM (Oct 11, 2015)

Sugar-free chocolate is one of the worst things you can eat with diabetes - not only does it cause, erm, 'distress' (and much further down the digestive tract than your stomach!), but the majority of people will find it raises their blood sugar by as much as regular chocolate.

Far better to eat a couple of squares of 90% chocolate - that'll kill off any cravings with minimal impact on your blood sugar, or your toilet roll budget.


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## Sally71 (Oct 12, 2015)

DeusXM said:


> Sugar-free chocolate is one of the worst things you can eat with diabetes - not only does it cause, erm, 'distress' (and much further down the digestive tract than your stomach!), but the majority of people will find it raises their blood sugar by as much as regular chocolate.
> 
> Far better to eat a couple of squares of 90% chocolate - that'll kill off any cravings with minimal impact on your blood sugar, or your toilet roll budget.



I can vouch for this, whilst doing my weekly supermarket shop some time around Easter last year, my eyes fell on a "no added sugar" Easter Egg made by a famous chocolate company.  Curious as to how you can make a chocolate egg without adding any sugar, I had a look at the back of the packet, and compared it with the same sized egg of the same brand made with "normal" chocolate.  And guess what - the total no of carbs per 100g of both eggs was EXACTLY THE SAME.  Which means it will raise your blood sugar by exactly the same amount.  Instead of sugar the carbs consisted mostly of polyols, which I believe are the very sweeteners which make you need the loo so desperately.

The total weight and price of both eggs was also identical - so you pay the same price for the same size egg which has exactly the same effect on your blood sugar but probably makes you spend quite a long time in the toilet into the bargain.  What's the point??

It makes me so angry that people are persuaded to buy these things in the mistaken belief that they are doing themselves some good!  You might as well just buy the normal one and eat it in moderation.


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## KookyCat (Oct 12, 2015)

Hi Ted the Bear
Welcome aboard, sorry to hear you ended up with diabetes on top of your other conditions, must be difficult to have that thrown at you as well 

Personally I'm not a sugar free person, I prefer to take small amounts of the real stuff, but I prefer cooking with maple syrup and honey instead of refined sugar.  Just a personal choice nothing at all to do with the diabetes, I just prefer a more gently sweetened food.  I also prefer to use less refined flours, like wholemeal spelt, buckwheat and almond.  It works for me and that's what's important to me, but lots of people dismiss my whole food approach as faddy (including a dietician at the diabetes clinic).  The way I see it you choose what feels right for you.

i too get concerned about the sugar free drive though, precisely because sugar as in sucrose is only part of the story.  I do feel it gives the impression that you can just cut sugar out and all is right with the world.  Sadly there is no free food with diabetes, it's a balance.  Reducing sugary foods is without doubt a good objective though, so I'm glad you're enjoying discovering alternatives.


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## Robin (Oct 12, 2015)

Separating out the 'too much sugar' issue from the 'too much refined carb' for a moment, I think Ted has a point when he says sugar is addictive. I know when I was younger and working, I'd go for months without being tempted by the mars bars etc at the checkout, but once I bought one, I'd then want something the next day, and then I'd fall into a pattern of really craving one every day, to the point where I'd be thinking how soon I Could nip out of the office to buy something, until I forced myself to break the habit. I've never craved white bread or other carbs in the same way. So if cutting sugar means cutting addiction to unnecessary calories, this has got to be a good thing.


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## TED THE BEAR (Oct 12, 2015)

I can only say what my personal experience has been, and have found since cutting out a lot of sugar from my diet, I have felt much better, energy levels and weight are better. I only use the sugar free products in moderation, as with everything. I certainly wouldn't return to eating normal chocolate again. I am lucky though I guess because I have had none of the laxative effects from the sugar free products that a lot of people do get, and I have to watch my food more carefully as I have a colostomy.


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## HOBIE (Oct 12, 2015)

TED THE BEAR said:


> I can only say what my personal experience has been, and have found since cutting out a lot of sugar from my diet, I have felt much better, energy levels and weight are better. I only use the sugar free products in moderation, as with everything. I certainly wouldn't return to eating normal chocolate again. I am lucky though I guess because I have had none of the laxative effects from the sugar free products that a lot of people do get, and I have to watch my food more carefully as I have a colostomy.



I do not have a sweet tooth !  From being T1 since the age of 3.  I would not thank you for cake & c--- !  I agree with you Ted  "Cut the Sugar"


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## TED THE BEAR (Oct 13, 2015)

Thank you every one for your input into this discussion. Its much appreciated. I checked with the SugarNoNo website and they do have sugar free products that don't contain sweetners, but are sweetened with other things such as Agave Syrup etc. They also have a sugar free Christmas Pudding, which is solely sweetened by the fruit itself, no sweetners added  So I can enjoy that and not fall back into being a constant slave to a sugar addiction. I used to smoke many years ago and the one thing I hated about it was the way the addiction controlled my life, always thinking about the next fix, but now I have been doing the same thing with sugar when can I get my next Mars bar. I hate that feeling.  I think its as addictive as smoking or some drugs, and is harmful. Tooth decay and IBS joint pains are just a few problems.


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## Vicsetter (Oct 13, 2015)

TED THE BEAR said:


> Thank you every one for your input into this discussion. Its much appreciated. I checked with the SugarNoNo website and they do have sugar free products that don't contain sweetners, but are sweetened with other things such as Agave Syrup etc. They also have a sugar free Christmas Pudding, which is solely sweetened by the fruit itself, no sweetners added  So I can enjoy that and not fall back into being a constant slave to a sugar addiction. I used to smoke many years ago and the one thing I hated about it was the way the addiction controlled my life, always thinking about the next fix, but now I have been doing the same thing with sugar when can I get my next Mars bar. I hate that feeling.  I think its as addictive as smoking or some drugs, and is harmful. Tooth decay and IBS joint pains are just a few problems.


I think you should maybe read up on Agave Syrup as many consider it worse than sugar because of the high Fructose content which can cause liver problems and promotes obesity.
Are you Diet and exercise controlled or on medication?


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## pottersusan (Oct 14, 2015)

I went to a pancreatic cancer survivors meeting last weekend where we had afternoon tea. The hotel ' very kindly' made cakes specially for the diabetics. Strangely, none of us ate them!


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## TED THE BEAR (Oct 14, 2015)

Vicsetter said:


> I think you should maybe read up on Agave Syrup as many consider it worse than sugar because of the high Fructose content which can cause liver problems and promotes obesity.
> Are you Diet and exercise controlled or on medication?



Thanks. I am on Metformin. I cant exercise sadly as mentioned before I have other health problems including a terminal Lung condition. I try to be good about what I eat so as I don't gain anymore weight. The site I found has other sugar free products, that have no sweetners at all, such as a xmas pudding without sugar or sweetners. I try to cut sugar out as much as possible, and do have a lot more energy for it, less sleeping.


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## TED THE BEAR (Oct 14, 2015)

pottersusan said:


> I went to a pancreatic cancer survivors meeting last weekend where we had afternoon tea. The hotel ' very kindly' made cakes specially for the diabetics. Strangely, none of us ate them!


That was very kind and thoughtful of them to go to the extra trouble. I know Warners hotels have a special dessert menu for Diabetics.


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## robert@fm (Oct 14, 2015)

Isn't it ironic that sugar, which is ultimately the main source of the body's energy (whether extracted from carbs or synthesised from fat/protein) is a cause of _lacking_ energy in diabetics. (Though not as ironic as the fact that sugar-free "energy drinks" don't actually contain any energy in the scientific sense.)


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## DeusXM (Oct 15, 2015)

> That was very kind and thoughtful of them to go to the extra trouble. I know Warners hotels have a special dessert menu for Diabetics.



Err...I guess...but it's extremely misguided.

The problem is, as has already been stated here, that everything thinks diabetes is about sugar.

Diabetes, technically, is NOTHING to do with sugar. It's everything to do with carbohydrate metabolism.

The overwhelming majority of 'diabetic' foods simply replace the sucrose with something else that is still a carbohydrate and therefore has exactly the same impact on our blood glucose control as the 'normal' option.

Cakes 'suitable for diabetics' is a complete misnomer because the main issue for us caused by cakes is NOT the sugar - it's the flour!

I haven't seen the Warners menu but I'd be willing to bet that it is pretty high in carbs. Unfortunately, diabetes is much, much more than simply avoiding sugar or eating 'diabetic' foods.


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## Vicsetter (Oct 15, 2015)

And just when you thought you had it all sorted:
*Could Artificial Sweeteners Raise Your Blood Sugar?*
http://www.webmd.com/diet/20140917/artificial-sweeteners-blood-sugar?page=1
It's all to do with the gut bacteria, which may love artificial sweeteners.

You will be better off eating Artisan chocolate (sweetened, if at all, by the lactose in milk)


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## Sally71 (Oct 15, 2015)

DeusXM said:


> Err...I guess...but it's extremely misguided.
> 
> The problem is, as has already been stated here, that everything thinks diabetes is about sugar.
> 
> ...



Don't know why it sticks in my brain, but I can remember learning at school that in your digestive system, all proteins turn into amino acids, all fats turn into fatty acids and all carbohydrates turn into glucose.  This is because complex carbs are just longer chains of glucose molecules all joined together ("sugars" are made of just one or two molecules).  So regardless of whether you eat sweets, cakes, fruit (high in natural sugars), bread or any other carbs, you will still end up with a load of glucose molecules floating around your blood stream.  Which then need insulin to move them into the body cells where they are needed for energy.

Now I know we all forget a lot of what we learn at school, but I can't believe that there seems to be nobody else in the world who remembers this fact, other than those of us who are trying to deal with diabetes!


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## Northerner (Oct 15, 2015)

My understanding is that some sweeteners are 'right-handed' in molecular terms but this means that they cannot be absorbed by the body, only 'left-handed' ones can - hence the problems with the 'plumbing' if you have too much of them. As such, the carb content is largely irrelevant as they never convert to glucose in the bloodstream


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## robert@fm (Oct 15, 2015)

Northerner said:


> My understanding is that some sweeteners are 'right-handed' in molecular terms but this means that they cannot be absorbed by the body, only 'left-handed' ones can - hence the problems with the 'plumbing' if you have too much of them. As such, the carb content is largely irrelevant as they never convert to glucose in the bloodstream



I think the basic sugars themselves are the opposite of this; they're chemically identical, but glucose (slightly less sweet than sucrose) is the right-handed form and fructose (slightly sweeter) is the left-handed form. (Joined together they make the symmetrical sucrose molecule). This probably has something to do with the extra problems fructose causes.


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## DeusXM (Oct 15, 2015)

My understanding is that fructose actually gets converted into fat around the liver first before your body can use it, which means that fructose can cause some serious issues with insulin resistance and cholesterol synthesis.

Also, protein can be converted to glucose - the only macronutrient you can eat without it directly raising your blood sugar is fat.


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## TED THE BEAR (Oct 21, 2015)

Thank you all so much again for your input. Well I guess it is horses for courses as they say. I only know that, since having sugar free products from Sugarnono. I have felt a lot better, I have more energy, and although I will never loose much weight due to the steroids I have to live on, I have lost some which has to be a bonus. Not all the products have sweetners in  e.g. the   xmas pudding is sugar and sweetner free. I think its all about things in moderation too. I have found that I am starting to lose my taste for sugar now which is brilliant. A bit like when I gave up smoking I think I am weaning off it, and no longer crave chocolate at night, or puddings.  The sugar free chocolate when I do treat myself tastes a lot nicer too.  Thank you all again.


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## DeusXM (Oct 21, 2015)

> Not all the products have sweetners in e.g. the xmas pudding is sugar and sweetener free.



It's not, it just doesn't have any added sugar. I looked at the ingredients and it's still absolutely full of sugar in the dates, raisins etc. plus the flour. Granted, it is probably lower in sugar than a standard Xmas pud but this just emphasises exactly what I've been saying all along - just because something is described as no added sugar or sugar free does not mean it is inherantly safer/better for people with diabetes to eat.

I had a look at the Sugar No No website and I have to say that personally, I wouldn't touch the chocolate as it has as many carbs as regular chocolate and thus would cause my blood sugar to rise in exactly the same way.


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## HOBIE (Oct 21, 2015)

TED THE BEAR said:


> Thank you all so much again for your input. Well I guess it is horses for courses as they say. I only know that, since having sugar free products from Sugarnono. I have felt a lot better, I have more energy, and although I will never loose much weight due to the steroids I have to live on, I have lost some which has to be a bonus. Not all the products have sweetners in  e.g. the   xmas pudding is sugar and sweetner free. I think its all about things in moderation too. I have found that I am starting to lose my taste for sugar now which is brilliant. A bit like when I gave up smoking I think I am weaning off it, and no longer crave chocolate at night, or puddings.  The sugar free chocolate when I do treat myself tastes a lot nicer too.  Thank you all again.


Hi Ted the bear , you do feel better when your blood is in better shape. I feel clogged up when blood sugar is high.  Keep at it


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## TED THE BEAR (Oct 24, 2015)

DeusXM said:


> It's not, it just doesn't have any added sugar. I looked at the ingredients and it's still absolutely full of sugar in the dates, raisins etc. plus the flour. Granted, it is probably lower in sugar than a standard Xmas pud but this just emphasises exactly what I've been saying all along - just because something is described as no added sugar or sugar free does not mean it is inherantly safer/better for people with diabetes to eat.
> 
> I had a look at the Sugar No No website and I have to say that personally, I wouldn't touch the chocolate as it has as many carbs as regular chocolate and thus would cause my blood sugar to rise in exactly the same way.



When I say sugar free I am ref ering to sugar itself not the natural sugars you would find in fruit. It wouldn't be a Christmas pudding if it didn't have fruit in.


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## TED THE BEAR (Oct 24, 2015)

HOBIE said:


> Hi Ted the bear , you do feel better when your blood is in better shape. I feel clogged up when blood sugar is high.  Keep at it



Thanks Hobie I will.


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