sugar Alcohol what the heck is this....

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-07-2003
sugar Alcohol what the heck is this....
9
Wed, 05-05-2004 - 4:20pm
As some of you may know I have a crazy sweet tooth, well last night while I was at the store I noticed cream savers now come sugar free. Well I was in Heaven thinking as soon as I get home im going to pig out on this bag. As soon as I showed my hubbie he turned it over and said you can’t have these. There is Sugar Alcohol in them but it says sugar 0g.What is this just a big teas or what, is this some evil was of torturing me. I want to eat them but im not sure is its ok to. I woke up to a fasting sugar level of 60 not to low but still low so im really trying to watch every thing.
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-06-2004
Wed, 05-05-2004 - 6:12pm
First. I have no idea what alcohol sugar is. I don't really understand labels at all. Like carb..it'll say total carbs 41 g..then underneath..sugar..whatever grams .fiber...whatever grams..is that on top of the 41? Or as well as 41 and why are sugar and fiber sub headings? I don't know what I am doing. Cover my eyes..eat and hope for the best.

Now, a question though..if you don't mind. You said your number was 60. So for me thats a 3.3. Why are you trying to keep it so low? If I was at a 3.3..I'd be eating right away. The lowest I've ever had ( that I'm aware of) was 3.7 and that was sooo scary. Your numbers should be higher then that...no? I mean there is normal high and normal low. I beleive my dr said it was 3.5 to 10 depending on time of day and what you ate. Anything above or below is not normal and needs to be fixed. Am I missing something here with you? If I am I do apologize...I don't mean to be ignorant. Just please fill me in again (if you don't mind) about what is up with you. Thanks
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-07-2003
Wed, 05-05-2004 - 7:25pm
Im hypoglycemic so i get low sugar sometimes in the 30's, im not trying to keep it low.I check every morning when i wake up and the 60 was this morning, normally im in the high 70's or 80's. Where are you at as i was wondering as you said a 60 was a 3.3 ?

As soon as i do get lows i do eat right away i have only known a month that i have hadthis so im still learning as i go.Im glade to see that im not the only one who does not understand the labels!
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-02-2003
Wed, 05-05-2004 - 9:05pm

If I remember correctly (and forgive me if I actually get this wrong, I've been feeling "off" all day long), sugar alcohols are byproducts that don't actually affect the BG levels, so technically they should be OK to eat.

Blueliner4
(aka The Pixie Princess)

Avatar for coldfingers
Community Leader
Registered: 04-30-2000
Wed, 05-05-2004 - 11:32pm

The thing about labels and carbs is this... they list the break down of carbs and how many.

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Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Thu, 05-06-2004 - 1:51am

There are three sugar alcohols. The most common are sorbitol and mannitol. The third one, which you may see is, xylitol. They are used in candies and cookies found in the diabetic food section. You may also see sorbitol as a "bulking ingredient" in fat-free, sugar free foods. They have fewer calories and raise the blood sugar less than sugar. Let me be clear, they will raise you blood sugar also. But they are really no better for you than calories containing sweetners, such as sugar. They also cause stomach distress if very much is eaten. They can cause diarrhea and because of this should not be given to young children.


I like the peppermints that are made with sorbitol but I limit myself to one candy per day. Foods that are made with the sugar alcohols are not free foods. They are just less in calories

Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Thu, 05-06-2004 - 2:00am

I am glad you are starting to read labels. It will go a long ways towards helping you manage your diabetes.


The first carbohydrate number that you see listed is the total carbohydrates that are found in one serving of food. The other numbers that are under this number are the different kinds of carbohydrates found in that particular food. Some type 1 diabetics subtract the fiber from the total carbohydrates to determine how many carbs there are which can raise the blood sugar. It used to be the recommendation that diabetics not eat a food which contained more than 9 grams of sugar per serving. But the latet thinking is that sugar is a carbohydrate and it raises your blood sugar the same as any other carbohydrate. 1 carbohydrate exchange is equal to 15 grams of carbohydrates.


One word of caution. You need also to look on the label and see what the manufacturer considers to be one serving. In items with a high carbohydrate content it usually quite small.


This was a really good question and I am glad that you asked it. If you have more questions please feel free t ask them.

Mary Frances


cl-maryfrances40


Co-Cl Diabetes Board


iVillage Member
Registered: 08-07-2003
Thu, 05-06-2004 - 10:01am
Thank you every one for the info on the sugar alcohol, im really watchng labels as im starting to have highs in the 180 and lows in the 60 and 50's again.I thought i was doing everything right but just to make sure im reading labels
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-06-2004
Thu, 05-06-2004 - 5:58pm
I am Canadian eh. So my reading are single digits that I need to convert so I can correspond with you guys. Like for me a really high number is 12. LOL A really low number is 3. I noticed you said your numbers go to the 180's for me that would be a 10 and not a good number. What tests have you had done?
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-07-2003
Thu, 05-06-2004 - 6:24pm
Actually i have not had blood work done, my husband is a diabetic and i had used his machine.He asked me to test thinking i would have a high # because i used to eat a lot of candy, well it was very high 180 but that was right after dinner.i though well it would not hurt to test again and when i did it was about 2 hours after dinner it was 52.The next morning when i woke up i though it's the best time to test it was 32.My doctor had me check it on and off for a day and when i went into him i showed him the monitor and told him how i was feeling.He said there was no need for blood work he was 100% sure i was hypoglycemic just from the rest result's and the low 32 plus how im feeling when it does get low.That was about a month ago and i have had a couple of crashes in the 40 and 50 and 60 but nothing like to 32.Im trying to watch what i eat and when i do eat something without thinking i check it and it goes sky high than crash, and than im feeling like crap once again.When i had the 32 i had the super fast heart beat headache felt dizzy like i was going to pass out, i also felt very drunk i was having a hard time talking.I dont ever want that to happen again to me!