# Do Tesco Or Adsa Do Sugar Free Biscuits



## Jon

I really do have a craving for chocolate biscuits and sweets.
When i go shopping with the wife i have an uncanny knack of smelling the biscuit aisle from the front door

Do the above mentioned supermarkets or any shops for that matter do sugar free sweets or biscuits and if so are they really sugar free or are the sugar substitutes just as bad.


----------



## Steff

Hi Jon ,

I cant say difinetivly they do but alot of biccies have the "light" word written on then for example choccie digestives.As for sweets its been so long since i had a hard boiled sweet id have no idea...  best thing you can do is look at the packet and get all the info off there


----------



## Northerner

Hi Jon, you can get sweets etc. that use sugar substitutes, but the problem is that they still contain carbohydrates, and it is the carbs that cause blood sugar levels to rise - they just don't rise as quickly with artifcial sweeteners. Also, the artificial sweeteners can have a laxative effect in some people.

The best thing to do is to get some plain biscuits, or possibly something like oatcakes or crispbreads and try and wean yourself off the sweet stuff. You should still be able to treat yourself to a proper biscuit with a main meal, as the meal will help slow the digestion of the biscuit.


----------



## Sugarbum

Hi,

I buy a big pack of 2 bar kitkats in dark, mint or orange. Not too sugary, and for a chocolate fix (all-be-it small) its about 1.6 units a pop. Not tooooo disasterous!


----------



## everydayupsanddowns

Hi Jon

welcome to the forum!

I feel your pain. I was a complete biscuit-head before diagnosis. Sadly as Northerner says even if there were such a thing as a 'low sugar' biscuit, it would still contain refined flour which would push your BG up quickly. I can't see any details of your condition (t1 / t2, meds etc) but assuming you are T2, the only way to know how badly you are affected by a biscuit would be to test your levels before and perhaps an hour after. 

If I'm active I can occasionally get away with one, and (bizarrely) if weight is not an issue, chocolate on a digestive can even help slow the absorption of the carbs. 

Occasional treat only for me I'm afraid


----------



## Steff

everydayupsanddowns said:


> . I can't see any details of your condition (t1 / t2, meds etc) but assuming you are T2





*
Hi it says he is a type 2 Micheal x*


----------



## Jon

I'm type 2 diagnosed in 2000
Take two tablets per day of metaphormine
Plus a few others for bp,cholesterol,statins


----------



## Ellie Jones

I've never seen sugar free biscuts in my local tesco's or Asda's..

I know that Boots do a range of sugar free biscutes and other products but believe me they taste disgusting and if you are sensitive to the sweetner they use (sorbitol) you'll be spending a large amount of time in the loo..

But choose your biscutes wisely and use as a treat, then you can limit the impact..

Rich tea only have just over 5gs of carbs, digestives have just under 10g's..  And then you get something like kitkat which is a lot lower carb value than most people think they are, even the milk chocolate ones..


----------



## Jon

Ellie Jones said:


> I've never seen sugar free biscuts in my local tesco's or Asda's..
> 
> I know that Boots do a range of sugar free biscutes and other products but believe me they taste disgusting and if you are sensitive to the sweetner they use (sorbitol) you'll be spending a large amount of time in the loo..
> 
> But choose your biscutes wisely and use as a treat, then you can limit the impact..
> 
> Rich tea only have just over 5gs of carbs, digestives have just under 10g's..  And then you get something like kitkat which is a lot lower carb value than most people think they are, even the milk chocolate ones..



I've been eyeing those kitkats recently
Gonna give them a try


----------



## sas77

Hi there,

I know that Tesco do a range of sugar free shortbread biscuits.  These are the nutritional values:

Typical Values Each Shortbread Round (16.7g) provides:
Energy 350kJ (85kcal)  
Protein 1.1g 
Carbohydrate 10.0g 
Sugars trace 
Fat 4.4g 
Saturates 2.8g 
Mono Unsaturates 1.1g 
Polyunsaturates 0.2g 
Fibre 0.4g 
Sodium* trace 
*Salt Equivalent trace 

I used to have them before I started reading nutritional values  (you know, you see sugar free and think it is like eating a stick of celery!).  However, since then I have become wiser and, even though these are nice, they are not much better than a normal biscuit, carb-wise.

I have always been told by my diabetes consultant that Rich Tea biscuits are probably the best and they have a light version, which is even better.  It is all about trying to stop yourself from munching the whole lot.

Hope this helps.

Sarah


----------



## Caroline

Hope you don't mind a word of caution. Everything I have seen with the word LIGHT on it means there is less fat. In some things the fat is replaced by sugar and/or salt. Sugar salt and fat are all used to make things taste better. Advice given to me was to look for the over all carbohydrate content instead of the sugar content.


----------



## Fabmxx

*No Sugar free or diet goods in the UK? Too bad!*

Howdy,
I have just relocated from California and so far,no sugar free cookies,ice cream,or chocolate bars!! Looks like im back to the 60's USA. 
i wont even mention carbless ice cream or splenda sweetened cookies or soft drinks,that would be too much to asks for.
Gosh, its is impossible to find anything on the grocery shelves hats not regular-sugared. Anyone has a vague idea why??


----------



## Northerner

Hi Fabmxx, welcome to the forum  These things are available, but the advice here is to just have the normal stuff, but to make sure it is in moderation and bearing in mind your own particular blood sugar control. 'Diet' i.e. sugar-free soft drinks are widely available.


----------



## LeeLee

Low cal hot chocolate (Tesco do a very good Lighter one) gets rid of the sweet craving for me.  Make sure you measure out the 11g portion - it's very strong!


----------



## Fabmxx

Thanks for the info on soft drinks, but i was trying to look for sugar free custard cream biscuits at waitrose today, as well as ice cream, and..  Nope. 
So,basically, even if i wanted to eat the whole package ,i couldnt.
So,they are not available at uk's popular food marts. Thats weird....no sugar free malted milk cookies , custard or rich tea biscuits??? The only way out is: next time i fly to uncle sam's i will bring a whole luggage set filled with it!! Hahahaha
Thanks!


----------



## Northerner

Fabmxx said:


> Thanks for the info on soft drinks, but i was trying to look for sugar free custard cream biscuits at waitrose today, as well as ice cream, and..  Nope.
> So,basically, even if i wanted to eat the whole package ,i couldnt.
> So,they are not available at uk's popular food marts. Thats weird....no sugar free malted milk cookies , custard or rich tea biscuits??? The only way out is: next time i fly to uncle sam's i will bring a whole luggage set filled with it!! Hahahaha
> Thanks!



There is an ice cream called 'Franks' which is sugar free and sold in Waitrose, I believe. Boots (a pharmacy chain) sell specialist 'diabetic' biscuits and sweets, and Thornton's chocolate shops sell 'diabetic' chocolate, but there's not much of a market for it, it's more expensive and the sweeteners are likely to give you gastric problems so most people avoid them


----------



## HOBIE

I am pleased i am not keen on any type of "sweet stuff".   If have been out doing something i might be slightly interested but ??


----------



## Fabmxx

I appreciate your help, thanks!
Yeah, i know about the sorbitol and i use SPLENDA, which is side effect free. I found it at waitrose and boots. I will check the ice cream, though. I cannot have sorbitol or any other sweeter than splenda, which made from sugar, and tastes way better than those regular ones


----------



## Pattidevans

To be honest the flour content is just as bad as the sugar content for increasing BGs.  I recommend this recipe for a good biscuit which won't raise BGs http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/forum/Blah.pl?m-1226867521/  You can add Spenda to make them sweeter.


----------



## trophywench

sas77 said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I know that Tesco do a range of sugar free shortbread biscuits.  These are the nutritional values:
> 
> Typical Values Each Shortbread Round (16.7g) provides:
> Energy 350kJ (85kcal)
> Protein 1.1g
> Carbohydrate 10.0g
> Sugars trace
> Fat 4.4g
> Saturates 2.8g
> Mono Unsaturates 1.1g
> Polyunsaturates 0.2g
> Fibre 0.4g
> Sodium* trace
> *Salt Equivalent trace
> 
> I used to have them before I started reading nutritional values  (you know, you see sugar free and think it is like eating a stick of celery!).  However, since then I have become wiser and, even though these are nice, they are not much better than a normal biscuit, carb-wise.
> 
> I have always been told by my diabetes consultant that Rich Tea biscuits are probably the best and they have a light version, which is even better.  It is all about trying to stop yourself from munching the whole lot.
> 
> Hope this helps.
> 
> Sarah



Just killed myself laughing at this.

I have a packet of Tesco's Traditional Scottish All Butter Shortbread Fingers right here in front of me.  Darkish green packet.

Each finger weighs 18g.  There are 58.3g of carbs in 100g of biscuits so what's that work out to?  

10.4g CHO per biscuit ..........


----------



## Vicsetter

Fabmxx said:


> I appreciate your help, thanks!
> Yeah, i know about the sorbitol and i use SPLENDA, which is side effect free. I found it at waitrose and boots. I will check the ice cream, though. I cannot have sorbitol or any other sweeter than splenda, which made from sugar, and tastes way better than those regular ones



Is this a dietary requirement or don't you wish to disclose your diabetic status or do you care for someone with diabetes? 
If you have problems with sweeteners then even if you did find sugar free biscuits you would have a problem with the sweetener used.  You could probably get something at a 'health' food store - Atkins dietary products.  The trouble is as others have said that being sugar free does not mean you can eat a lot of them because of the flour content (biscuits that is not ice cream).  If you can stay disciplined then 1 or 2 biscuits (with sugar in them) won't do a lot of harm.
The other trouble with always aiming for sugar free products is that you end up consuming a lot of artificial sweeteners, some of which can have unwelcome effects of your digestive processes.
If you are up to doing it yourself, have you tried Agave Nectar?.


----------



## Caroline

Not sure about sugar free but many shops do a free from range and you can get low and no carb alternatives if that is any help.


----------



## everydayupsanddowns

Can only agree with what's been said.

Just because something has _*no sugar*_ does not mean that you can eat it freely.

Just because something has _*sugar*_ does not mean that you can eat it freely.

_'Diabetic'_ products are almost always worse for us in almost every way than the normal varieties. Yuk.

You need to ask yourself _why_ you are looking for a no sugar biscuit?

If it is because you think the biscuit will push your BG up rapidly then whether or not is contains sugar is of questionable importance. As has been suggested, a 'normal' shortbread finger has pretty much the same amount of carbohydrate. Being refined flour that will push BG up fast irrespective of which sweetener is used. So if you are looking for a 'low spike' more 'BG friendly' biscuit then you need to look for one that will absorb more slowly. Fat will help - so all butter shortbread with chocolate covering gram-for-gram of total carbs is likely to have less impact on BG I would expect. Check the GI tables on http://www.glycemicindex.com/ for a few averaged examples.

Alternatively lower carb will reduce impact, so thinner/plainer biscuit-for biscuit might help (ie if you are eating by 'number of biscuit' not 'total grams of carb').

But it will never really be about the sugar.


----------



## Northerner

I've found Belvita biscuits to be quite low-impact on my BG levels. Around 8.5g carbs per biscuit


----------

