Char, that IS the main reason I had not used it. Although I had heard the hydrogenated fat had been removed, I didn't get a new box because I had one unopened. I will probably ditch the old one and order a box of the new formula.

Now that I've read Maggie's test results; tried it on the chicken; I think it's ok to have it around for a rare treat. Having it on my shelf doesn't drive me nuts wanting to make something.

I still haven't bought my FoodSaver, but that's a good tip!

__________________
Ozzie's Place

I just read through this whole thread and it's fascinating.
I do wonder about the Polydextrose result, though. I'm a big fan of the stuff, and was curious as to whether you might test it again with a more reasonable amount--1/4 cup is a huge amount! I don't know about this kind of testing; how much plain white sugar would you use if you were testing that?

Actually the standard amount of glucose used in GTT's is now 75 gms of dry glucose in enough water to dissolve it.

I settled on 50 for sweeteners (1/4 cup) because it's easier to gag that much down compared to 75. As for that being a big dose of polydextrose, I don't know. I've seen a quite a few recipes, some on this board if I recall, that call for one or two cups of polydextrose and wind up with about 8 servings. I've seen people estimating that there are as few as 8 - 10 gms of carbs in a cup of polydextrose. That means I had all that blood glucose rise as a result of 2 - 2 1/2 gms of carbs??? Doesn't seem bloody likely.

Actually when you think of items like candy or soda, 1/4 cup isn't that huge an amount of sugar. For instance, a standard chocolate fudge recipe calls for about 2 cups of sugar (that's 8 quarter cups) and is said to give you one pound of fudge. I don't know about you, but back when I was eating that sort of thing, I could easily eat a few ounces of fudge at a time. But, let's be modest, and say I ate only two ounces. In that two ounce serving, there would be a quarter of a cup of sugar. The average 12 oz can of soda has about 40 gms of sugar in it. Most people drink 16 or 20 ouncers. We're over a quarter of a cup there.

I've said it before, but it's worth repeating. The absolute numbers shouldn't mean that much in and of themselves (except to me). I've got my own metabolic challenges.

When you're comparing one persons response to another, it shows the individual differences in metabolism. When you're comparing my tests to my other tests, the differences in the response have some value. For instance, compare my reaction to erythritol to polydextrose and you have something to talk about. Throw in my reaction to a "7 effective grams of carbohydrate" serving of dreamfield pasta, and you can really get a discussion going.

It's all just food for thought, so to speak.

__________________

That makes sense.

I'm sorry to hear the PD had such an effect on you; it's been responsible for a lot of happiness around my way!

Thanks for being a human guinea pig for this stuff. It's all such uncharted territory at this point.

Ok, does anyone know if you can by stevia seeds? I found a site http://seedrack.com/09.html that sells them, but doesn't say (or I couldn't find) if its ok to grow in the US. Any comments? I, being a gardener, would love to try to grow some.

I found Stevia at an herb festival about 2 years ago and it grew very well in my climate zone. I'm enclosing a link that explains how to grow stevia but discourages you from growing it from seed. So you would need to find a source for starter plants. Growing Stevia

__________________

my blog

Thanks Rob. I called Herbal Advantage in Missouri and they said they are 4 for $20. Not too bad considering the price I pay for Splenda. When it gets warmer here I will probably order some. Just gotta get my garden plot started. Most of my land is clay... maybe I'll do the indoor growing.

Last spring, Whole Foods was selling stevia plants in 4" pots, so I'm sure it's okay to grow the plants here. If you have a Whole Foods store in your area, you might ask the manager if they will sell the plants again this year.

I cannot use stevia because it has a very bitter aftertaste to me. I tasted a tiny leaf, and found that even a fresh stevia leaf has a bitter after taste to me. When I think of all the money I spent buying different brands of stevia trying to find one that wasn't bitter...

__________________
~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

ok... I just bought a monitor to do some self testing to get a better idea about my body. I'm confused more then ever now..someone please help... ok here is what happened
2:45 =91 tested hadn't eaten anything since 1:00 except some unsweetened home made ice tea came to the computer then decided i was going to try a atkins advantage bar (one of the new ones with out sugar alcohols)
3:00 ate the bar
3:15 tested read a 74????!!! a drop??
3:30 tested again and now a 85...

Could be a lot of things, kat. Most of us test over a 2-3 hour period, the first level being at 30 minutes, then one hour (then at 2 and 3), although, as you can see there are some variations. My feeling is that you have a good stage one insulin response and not much receptor resistance. With a normal metabolism, one would expect a quick, and effective, bolus of insulin in response to eating. Indeed, even the smell of food can start the process.

How did the rest of your test go?

__________________

I'm somewhat confused to what you just said. Is it a good thing? I did test myself again at 4:27 and my BS was 84. With the numbers i listed would this "snack" be an ok range for me on occasion?

I usually lurk and just joined but have be low carbing for a long time. As far as the seeds for stevia they can be found from many sites. Sometimes it's called sweetleaf. But if you are planning to grow it to use as a sweetener, you will probably be disappointed. The stevia we get is very refined. The raw stuff is so sweet it's bitter and green! It makes a nice plant though just for the sake of the plant.