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!

__________________

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

__________________

]

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.

I realize that this blog has been "in hibernation" for almost 2 years but I stumbled acrossed it when I was searching for something else that dealt with other sweeteners - artificial and natural for diabetics. Kudos for the testers, but none of you were Type 1 diabetics and as a Type 1 I'd be more than willing to run some of the finger stick tests and post results.

I am also on the insulin pump so my basal rate is set for me and my bolus rate is based on carb intake. I am also in weightwatchers to lose wieght but follow a low carb, low glycemic index diet. I am 5' 2.75" tall and started out at 173lb am down to 152lb and my final goal is 125-130lb. I started weightwatchers in Jan 08 had lots of issues with their program and the fact that they had no way to deal with low blood sugars so I was on my own, not only did I have to count points I had to count carbs and keep an eagle eye on my blood sugars. my Basal rate for the day has dropped by 25% and my bolus carb ratio has also dropped 20-25% and my insulin usuage per day has dropped almost 50%. My A1C has settled into the low 6.x range this is down from being in the low 8.x range.

Because I do not produce insulin if I do the same tests that others have done I can give a better glycemic index but I'd have to test two different ways. Without a bolus shot for any carbs taken - this is to determine how much it elevates the blood sugar levels just by itself (if there is a negative factor or no increase then we can determine that there is no glycemic index) and with a bolus shot to get the true glycemic index based on the insulin that I am taking per carb - if there is a negative factor (we can assume that there is no need to count the carbs or alteast not all of the carbs) if there is no increase then we can determine that there is an isulin requirement based on all the carbs listed, and if there is a rise we can also determine whether the listed glycemic index is true to the product details.

I have Erythritol, Xylitol, Fructose, regular sugar, New Naturals Steva white powder (non bitter form), Splenda in bulk but not in packets - but can get some packets. I am looking at getting the Whey-Low-D sample to see what that does as well.

There is one drawback - I have to do these tests with a couple of days in between some of them, when I use NutraSweet and Splenda in the same day (24 hour period) I get horrible intestinal gas cramps.

Before I start I also need to do a couple of fasting not eating for 2-3 hours to see where my blood sugar levels are at the 30,60,120 minute markers just to make sure that any rise isn't a false positive. Because I know my insulin to carb ratio I will also list how many carbs are being absorbed and how many aren't being absorbed.

Being a type on diabetic I will not be doing the Sugar or the Fructose test unless it is requested - and if requested I will not be doing it at the 50g range - I do not want to pop a 500+ blood sugar when I test without taking any insulin.

If anyone would like me to test other items let me know, but I do draw the line at no more that 12 blood tests a day - as I do my tests on my arm. Because some have raised the fact that meters aren't very accurate I have had mine checked with my blood tests done at the hospital and it is within 5 or less mg/dl. Also my meter talks to my insulin pump and my doctor can read the data from my pump as all meter data is stored on my pump aswell as on the meter. This data might one day be used in some of my nursing courses so don't be afraid to ask for additional things to test.

-Connie

Welcome, Connie.

Nice to have you here and I'm sure everyone will benefit from any contribution you care to make to the knowledge base.

__________________

Connie, welcome. Thanks for volunteering to test these products. I'm interested to see how these sweeteners affect someone with Type 1 diabetes. I've read Dr. Bernstein's book, and am fascinated at how he was able to overcome what are considered usual health problems with Type 1, just by following a controlled carb approach.

Keep us posted on how doing low carb is going for you. It's so exciting to hear from those who have had positive health benefits from changing their way of eating.

__________________
Nita