Sugar: Desserts vs Carbs?

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2006
Sugar: Desserts vs Carbs?
10
Tue, 12-09-2008 - 12:42pm

Is it possible -
that it is SUGAR(SWEETS) that affect me more than the SUGAR (CARBS) ??????

With my lab fasting syrup & anything dessert like -
it seems higher?

Anyone know if that's ever a real difference???????

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-10-2003
Tue, 12-09-2008 - 1:06pm

Although theoretically the various carbs "should" affect us all the same they do not!

Avatar for cl_coldfingers
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Tue, 12-09-2008 - 1:10pm

ALL sugar carbs, in anything, not just desserts will cause your glucose to go higher faster.


iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Thu, 12-11-2008 - 1:15pm

Well if you're talking like cookies...you have to count BOTH the flour and the sugar in them, they're both carbs. Most 'dessert like things' have both white flour and white sugar and close to zero fiber - it's like shooting it straight into your veins. Whole wheat flour is still a carb but the fiber helps slow digestion so it takes a little longer to get into your bloodstream.

That's something that's sort of a minor pet peeve with me...I'll go to someone's house and they'll generously have some sort of "second" dessert that is sugar free...yippee! Then they wonder why I only eat a tiny portion of it...after all, it's sugar free, right? Duh - it's still got a bazillion carbs from the white flour used for the dough or batter or whatever. Add to that my physical reactions to almost all artificial or alternative sweeteners and I'd just rather they make something with regular sugar and I'll skip it or have a tiny bite instead of trying to explain the whole deal (for me, sugar alcohols -itols cause diarrhea, nutrasweet causes migraine like headaches, stevia causes odd 'fuzzy' effects like a cold medicine, Splenda is OK in limited amounts, agave works fine but since it's still a syrup albeit slightly lower glycemically I have to watch quantity).

--Deb

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2006
Thu, 12-11-2008 - 5:41pm

Thanks - I'm really learning from reading all these posts.

Just wondered - have you tried that new Truvia?---- supposed to be better than Splenda now?

Not sure about it - but we definitely have been Splenda users...... My neighbor gave me some of the Truvia to try.

Why in the world to people say certain desserts are Sugar Free? I guess they're just referring to the "sugary part".....

:( Is there anything truly sugarfree?????

Avatar for cl_coldfingers
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 12-11-2008 - 7:11pm

Most foods have some 'sugar' in them naturally.


iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Fri, 12-12-2008 - 1:15pm

Yup - a biggie is learning all the names for sugars (and sugar substitutes) because if you just look for "sugar" you'll miss all the stuff ending in -ose (fructose, lactose, etc); cane juice; anything 'syrupy' corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, maple syrup, molasses, honey, etc. Splenda is sucralose; NutraSweet is aspartame; sugar alcohols end in -itol (sorbitol, maltitol, etc).

And, realizing that just because it has no sugar in it (not even in the ingredients) doesn't mean it's low on carbs. Saltine crackers have zero sugar - just water, flour, and salt most of the time (plus whatever preservatives they choose). BUT they are also basically all carbohydrate from the flour and almost no fiber when they are made with white flour (aka "enriched" wheat flour on many labels - that's another pet peeve of mine - they strip the wheat down to nothing useful then add in the nutrients they stripped out using manufactured chemicals. Why not just leave the nutrients in there to start with?)

--Deb

Avatar for cl_coldfingers
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Fri, 12-12-2008 - 1:45pm

I know it is an overly generalization, but for people just starting this journey I think they need to remember that sugar is a carb too and that our bodies don't care where carbs come from, they react basically the same.


iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Fri, 12-12-2008 - 5:04pm

It can be hard for folks just starting out if they, like much of the general population, think diabetes = no sugar. The reality is that diabetes = control all carbohydrates.

The glycemic index and glycemic load are useful tools BUT since not all foods have been tested, there are a lot of things that there is no or little glycemic information for. Plus, the glycemic index information is for individual food items, like 1 tablespoon of agave syrup or 1/2 cup cooked white rice, and not actual meals the way real people eat - the way 1/2 cup cooked white rice reacts when combined with, say, red beans and cooked chicken is different than it might react on it's own. And there's not really an 'additive' property - that is, add the index for food A plus the index for food B and you get the index for the combination AB. In some cases, food B might slow the digestion of food A which changes the overall glycemic effect. For a day to day thing, I'll stick to watching carbs. However, reading some good materials on the glycemic index (we've got a really good low carb vegetarian cookbook with lots of info on the glycemic effects of different goods) can help people to understand WHY white foods and very processed commercial foods aren't the best choices in most cases (YMMV).

--Deb

Avatar for cl_coldfingers
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Fri, 12-12-2008 - 5:23pm
I also prefer counting carbs.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Mon, 12-15-2008 - 11:32am

Yup, I don't have any "Never" items because that just makes them more desirable when they're around (like mashed potatoes at a holiday dinner with relatives). I have "always okay" items (most veggies, nuts and some fruits), "sometimes okay" items (some fruits and veggies) , "be careful" items (whole grain items mostly) and "are you sure about that?" items - like potatoes, that generally send my glucose way off, as well as typical dessert type items. One thing that really helps me regulate sweets and such is to get the kind with good quality maltitol - on the one hand, it doesn't raise my glucose levels so I can enjoy it but on the other hand I know it will send me to the bathroom for hours if I eat more than one small portion. Great disincentive, but it's not externally enforced, it's very "internally" enforced LOL

I also make sure to bring along things to holiday gatherings that or on the always or at least sometimes okay lists - whole grain crackers and cheese, veggie tray, low carb tortilla wrap appetizers (low carb multi grain tortilla, cream cheese, low sodium ham, dill pickle spear rolled up and cut into bite size pieces - I can eat an entire tortilla-worth, about 8 pieces, for 10 grams of carbs! And they're very popular with everybody which makes it not a 'diabetic' treat)

--Deb