Sugar alcohols

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  • Does anyone else have a bad reaction to sugar alcohols? Practically every low-carb meal bar or sugar-free ice cream, gum, or candy out there is sweetened with maltitol, sorbitol, mannitol, etc. I have discovered through bad experience that anything that ends in -tol is going to have very bad effects on my tummy, and not exactly what the warning labels say ("a laxative effect")--instead, so embarrassing, they make me FART! I'm so bummed--I have NO other food sensitivities, a cast-iron stomach, etc. The no-sugar-added ice cream is the worst, I don't know why. So I can only eat certain flavors of Advantage bar, and basically no other meal bars, since they all have either sugar or maltitol/sorbitol.

    And I have the world's BIGGEST sweet tooth. Velamints sugar-free chocolate mints were my lifeline until I realized the connection....SIGH.

    BD
    Max weight 180--current weight 145--goal weight 130
  • Re: Sugar alcohols
    Quote:
    Originally posted by BellyDancer
    Does anyone else have a bad reaction to sugar alcohols? Velamints sugar-free chocolate mints were my lifeline until I realized the connection....SIGH.
    Well I don't have this reaction BUT - maybe this is my 7yr old's problem. She LOVES those Velamints choc. and she is constantly complaining about her stomach hurting and gas pains and she gets the runs. I will start watching this more now and start loggin what she is eating and how soon after it happens. I'll bet there are a lot of foods we all eat ending in "ol". Good Luck - sorry this isn't very helpful but I am so glad you pointed this out!
  • For ice cream, try Le Carb low carb frozen yogurt. It only has Splenda in it, and the cinnamon is very tasty! Vanilla with a hint of cinnamon. No sugar alcohols, but it does have 3 grams of glycerine. That shouldn't bother you though. I have only seen it at WalMart. I think the company that makes it is Goldenbrook Farms...or something similar to that. I don't have a pint here or I would look.
  • I have that reaction to a lot of sugar free ice cream, BellyDancer. It's vastly unpleasant (More so, I imagine, for the people around me.)

    I find that things sweetened with Splenda don't have that effect, at least for me. Hope you find something that works!
  • Some people are more sensitive to this sort of thing than others.
  • Watch for sorbitol too, that will give you the worst gas this side of the mississippi... (to much of it that is).

    If you read Carbolite candy bar wrappers it says "consuming to much could give you a laxitive effect"

    I'll vouge for that statement !
  • The malitol tends to affect many people that way.

    I know that you guys may not want to see this but there was an article about those "harmless" sugar alcohols and whether or not you should count them. I do count them as part of my carbs because I've found that they definitely make a difference.

    Making the Case to count Sugar Alcohols

    It's worth reading....even though it isnt what most of us want to hear
  • thanks for the info. i don't really eat them, but my dh does, along with a good bit of diet drinks. he still loses very well. i told him he'd really be going fast if he was drinking water and regular stuff instead. i'll pass it on to him.
  • Great article, if I don't lose this week I'll know why, the syrup has been an every day thing for me this week... OY!

    !+%#&^!+_#%^&!#^%_&* !!!!!!!
  • The Le Carb lemon ice cream is good. I've had it. You can read more about Le Carb products at http://www.lecarb.net/. I think I read somewhere that this company is based in Texas. The site has some good low carb, diebetic and glycemic links.
  • I've been eating the LC syrup all week and lost 2 lbs this week....? maybe lucky, maybe not ?

    Maybe the key is just not to go overboard with the products... a little is okay I guess

    I heard the bryers strawberry ice cream is devine.......gonna try it and its cheaper then atkins by ALOT !

    Again, i think if you use these as treats and not as a staple, you'll be okay.

    JMHO
  • Leens, the low carb syrup really isnt a problem as long as it's sweetened with Splenda but the other stuff, specifically chocolate bars with the sugar alcohols (Malitol) are the ones that should be counted. I've seen people still lose while eating them but they usually have less and count the full carbs.
  • Kokoloo, I've learned my lesson this weekend. I'm gonna try to stay away from foods that are sweet and LC.... It really makes me go bonkers because the cravings are worse after I eat that stuff.

    I ate about 600 calories in chocolates LC this weekend, actually last night.

    I'm one of those folks where its all or nothing........ well I ate them all and the cravings drove me insane afterwards.

    I'm going cold turkey lol and am going to stay away from that stuff for a while.

    OY OY OY !!!
  • Leens, OMG!!!! I think your really smart to be swearing this stuff off for awhile - anything that causes you to crave means you need to cut it out IMO.

    A very dear friend has been low carbing with me and she was seriously addicted to chocolate before we went on Atkins, after she just replaced it with the chocolates and couldnt lose for anything. She's actually been off the chocolates for about a month and she's losing as well as no longer craving them. What she's found is that her tastes have changed and although she likes something sweet every few days, she doesnt feel the same pull.

    Good luck and hang in there
  • Thanks Kokoloo, unfortunately I'm one of those people too, One w/ a slow metabolism, needs to watch caloires, and NOW the LC sweetened foods..... GROWL !!!!!!!! @_&%#&%#@_& !!!!!!

    The LC chocolates drive me nuts. Its a vicious cycle, you eat them, you crave more, so you fill up on calories trying to fill the void left from the chocolates... double whammy, make sense? lol

    Last night I threw out the (okay I ate the rest of them lol) chocolates, I tossed the pepperoni too, I was chowing down on to much of that too. So whats left in my frig.... J-E-L-L-O oy! I have some pork rinds but will save them for when I'm chewing my nails.

    Bottom line is I have to stop this hunger b/4 it destroys my diet. I'm hungry like b/4 going on atkins, not a good thing.

    Does anyone else feel like this?