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Diet Any Healthy(er) Artificial Sweeteners That Are Actually Sweet

ChemicallyEnhanced

ChemicallyEnhanced

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Apr 29, 2018
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So I've been re-diagnosed diabetic, but not type 1 or 2. 8 years ago I had a very severe attack of acute pancreatitis that destroyed 95% of my pancreas (the pancreas cells are the only cells in the body capable of releasing insulin). Three years later I was suddenly diagnosed as an insulin-dependant diabetic. However, I was CONVINCED it was due to the high dose of Quetiapine I was on. So after three months I just quit taking both the insulin and the Quetiapine. within a couple months my blood sugars were normal again. Cut to last month and a random blood test shows my blood sugars are so high the standard machine can't read them (they do the numbers different in different countries, but in the UK 4-7 mm/l is normal) and the machine goes up to 33.
I've been given Gliclizide (80mg bd) and Lantus (insulin).
I gained 7lbs in 4 days on the insulin despite significantly LOWERING my calories (I had been maintaining a body weight of ~120lb on 3000-3500 calories a day and now I was PILING on weight on 2000 calories a day) so I stopped taking it. I looked up the Gliclizide online and that can cause a lot of weight gain too so I've stopped taking that too.

I'm trying to control my sugars as best I can through diet alone. I have an extremely sweet tooth but am staying away from sugar/simple-carbs as much as possible. Fortunately, I drink Coke Zero anyway (regular soda always leaves me able to FEEL the sugar clinging to my teeth) but I what sweetener can I use on cereal or in general?

I really wanna not be having a load of thing like Aspartame and Acesulphame Potassium. I've tried Stevia/Truvia but they just taste bitter to me.


EDIT: Forgot to mention I suffered from eating disorders for 17 years and have only been recovered the last two. I'm a healthy weight (BMI 19) but not prepared to get heavy due to meds and also the whole thing has be stressed and on the verge of relapse (I keep having anorectic cognitions).
 
FuckinAcidMan said:
Monk fruit sweetener?

health.clevelandclinic.org

Is Monk Fruit a Healthy Sweetener?

Monk fruit extract is a natural sugar substitute. Find out whether this sweetener is healthy and safe and how to use it.
health.clevelandclinic.org health.clevelandclinic.org

all i can think of
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Cool, I'll do some research on it online (as I've never heard of it; best to be well-informed of anything before putting it into your body). Thanks for the suggestion! :)
 
ChemicallyEnhanced said:
Cool, I'll do some research on it online (as I've never heard of it; best to be well-informed of anything before putting it into your body). Thanks for the suggestion! :)
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You're welcome. For the record this is actual advice. A lot of my posts recently have been absolute nonsense because I'm tired of reading bout politics and fear. But the monk fruit thing is for real. Have a nice day
 
A lot of the bestsugar free products use blends of a few types of sweetener (ie protein like ones like monkfruit extract, sugar alcohols, full synthetics and steviosides). This allows the jank flavors to be minimized.

Not sure if there is a blended sweetener packet like that.
 
A few years ago I was on a ketogenic diet (just to try it out), and the only 2 sweeteners that you can really have on a keto diet are stevia and monk fruit (neither of which are artificial, really). I was unimpressed with stevia.
However I never really tried monk fruit because a) I knew if I got "the taste" for sweet things I'd crave sugar again, and b) ALL sweeteners mess with my gut, even stevia.

I think you might need to aim towards not craving sweet things as much...which takes a lot more mental training and time, but will definitely make life easier in the long run.
 
n3ophy7e said:
I think you might need to aim towards not craving sweet things as much...which takes a lot more mental training and time, but will definitely make life easier in the long run.
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I completely agree with this. I gave up sugary drinks a couple years ago, and I did want them for a while, but now I don't want them at all. Cutting out craving sweet things and especially processed sugars seems smart for OP considering being diabetic.
 
ChemicallyEnhanced said:
Stevia tastes bitter to me, rather than sweet. Haven't tried it since it came out over a decade ago, though, so may give it a second chance.
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n3ophy7e said:
A few years ago I was on a ketogenic diet (just to try it out), and the only 2 sweeteners that you can really have on a keto diet are stevia and monk fruit (neither of which are artificial, really). I was unimpressed with stevia.
However I never really tried monk fruit because a) I knew if I got "the taste" for sweet things I'd crave sugar again, and b) ALL sweeteners mess with my gut, even stevia.

I think you might need to aim towards not craving sweet things as much...which takes a lot more mental training and time, but will definitely make life easier in the long run.
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FYI, Stevia is composed of two separate sweet compounds. The common "sweetener" form you find at the store is minimally processed and contains the compound that is sweet but also bitter.

Stevia extract, on the other hand, will have only the sweet compound, meaning - very potent and no bitterness. As it's so concentrated, you only need ~1/10th than you would need of the more common form.

If you've ever had stepped on coke and then had fishscale, then the former is the bitter type of stevia and the extract is like fishscale - a totally different experience.

I would definitely say take a look around for the extract, you will be impressed.
 
thujone said:
FYI, Stevia is composed of two separate sweet compounds. The common "sweetener" form you find at the store is minimally processed and contains the compound that is sweet but also bitter.

Stevia extract, on the other hand, will have only the sweet compound, meaning - very potent and no bitterness. As it's so concentrated, you only need ~1/10th than you would need of the more common form.

If you've ever had stepped on coke and then had fishscale, then the former is the bitter type of stevia and the extract is like fishscale - a totally different experience.

I would definitely say take a look around for the extract, you will be impressed.
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Be that as it may, the problem I have with stevia is that it gives me a stomach ache and diarrhoea.
 
n3ophy7e said:
Be that as it may, the problem I have with stevia is that it gives me a stomach ache and diarrhoea.
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What kind of diarrhoea? 'Cause I may be okay with that. The painful kind that comes with those horrible cramps I hate hate hate (I was once on like 34mg/loperamide day and just stopped when I stopped needing it after a few weeks and the cramps and diarrhoea I had for a fortnight after had me in tears at times), but if it's the diarrhoea that's pain-and-cramp free I don't mind that at all. Makes the stomach flatter and makes you feel and light and skinny paha.

OHHH. Ya know. I've been using Stevia the last few days and I have been farting like crazy! lmaoo that must be it!
 
Xylitol is a good alternative and it actually tastes nicer than sugar. I wouldn’t use it if you have a dog though as it’s extremely toxic to them even in small amounts.
 
n3ophy7e said:
Be that as it may, the problem I have with stevia is that it gives me a stomach ache and diarrhoea.
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I haven't heard of stevia causing such issues, but if even that is causing you gasto discomfort i'm not sure how suitable the alternatives would be.

the other main natural sweeteners are sugar alcohols xylitol and erythritol (Swerve) and both commonly cause gastro discomfort, but they're mostly dose-dependent.

stevia extract is much more potent than the "sweetener" stuff in packets so it's possible that you can avoid gastro distress with just a pinch of the extract, versus needing a packet or two of the less refined stuff.

@ChemicallyEnhanced - you can also control your diabetes by managing blood sugar. My paps was a diabetic and the official diabetic association recommended taking sugar with fats or fibre (fruit) to slow the rate at which the sugar gets through the liver and into the blood.

so, if alternative sweeteners are intolerable then maybe you can still satisfy your sweet tooth the old-fashioned way by counting macros. establish how many grams of fat to grams of net carbs you can consume in a serving without causing an issue, then you have a baseline to measure sweet foods against.
 
thujone said:
I haven't heard of stevia causing such issues, but if even that is causing you gasto discomfort i'm not sure how suitable the alternatives would be.

the other main natural sweeteners are sugar alcohols xylitol and erythritol (Swerve) and both commonly cause gastro discomfort, but they're mostly dose-dependent.

stevia extract is much more potent than the "sweetener" stuff in packets so it's possible that you can avoid gastro distress with just a pinch of the extract, versus needing a packet or two of the less refined stuff.

@ChemicallyEnhanced - you can also control your diabetes by managing blood sugar. My paps was a diabetic and the official diabetic association recommended taking sugar with fats or fibre (fruit) to slow the rate at which the sugar gets through the liver and into the blood.

so, if alternative sweeteners are intolerable then maybe you can still satisfy your sweet tooth the old-fashioned way by counting macros. establish how many grams of fat to grams of net carbs you can consume in a serving without causing an issue, then you have a baseline to measure sweet foods against.
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Nah it's all good mate, I personally am not looking for any sweetener substitutes, I was just chiming in to the thread :)
 
MsDiz said:
Xylitol is a good alternative and it actually tastes nicer than sugar. I wouldn’t use it if you have a dog though as it’s extremely toxic to them even in small amounts.
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Like added to chewing gum, then they warn you about the laxative effects...
 
Arnold said:
Like added to chewing gum, then they warn you about the laxative effects...
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Well it’s dose dependant, if you’re taking copious amounts of it then yes, I’d expect GI issues.
 
MsDiz said:
Well it’s dose dependant, if you’re taking copious amounts of it then yes, I’d expect GI issues.
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I learned not to eat large amounts of orange Tic Tacs. Was quite unpleasant to learn.
 
Electrum1 said:
I learned not to eat large amounts of orange Tic Tacs. Was quite unpleasant to learn.
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Same here just with chewing gum, I had a bad habit of swallowing chewing since I was a child.
Very unpleasant indeed, put it down as double fresh 'breath'.

MsDiz said:
Well it’s dose dependant, if you’re taking copious amounts of it then yes, I’d expect GI issues.
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My intestines don't need a lot of xylitol honestly.
 
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