Atkins Diet: Acceptable Low Carb Sweeteners

In this video, I give my perspective on the acceptable sweeteners for those following a low carb diet. A number of new sweeteners have hit the market since Dr. Atkins wrote his book, and while I don't presume to talk for him, I am giving my perspective on the sweeteners on the market based upon personal experience and meta-analysis of the experts in the field. As with most things, your experience may differ from mine or the norm, and you may be able to consume a particular sweetener and have no side effects and continue to lose weight at the rate expected.

One final note -- one thing Dr. Atkins said was our food should be as unprocessed as possible, and that we should shop the exterior of the grocery store. Most of the foods sweetened with these items are in the middle or a special health food section. The vast majority of your food on the Atkins Diet should be regular food with natural ingredients. Each day or even meal does not need a dessert to cap it off.

http://www.medicinenet.com/artificial_sweeteners/page3.htm

Acceptable Sweeteners:
* Splenda (sucralose) - granulated or liquid form ( http://bit.ly/dv997y )
* Saccharin
* Stevia - Natural * Rebiana extract ( http://bit.ly/ckKqpf ) * http://nutritionwonderland.com/2009/02/science-truvia-and-purevia-rebiana/ * http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18554769

* Oligofructose / Inulin (http://www.lowcarbfreedom.com/2004/12/inulin_oligofru.html) -- http://bit.ly/dpHF6s
* Inulin works just like fiber and is made out of plants like chicory root and isn't digested like other starches, it isn't absorbed, so it doesn't have an effect on blood sugar.
* Inulin (IN-yoo-lin) is used as a test to help diagnose problems or disease of the kidneys. Inulin passes out of the body entirely in the urine. Measuring the amount of inulin in the blood after it has been given can help the doctor determine if the kidneys are working properly.

* Ace K

Less acceptable or Unacceptable Sweeteners:
- Polyols (Sugar Alcohol) like maltitol and sorbitol - count against net carbs - are able to be converted in varying degrees to glucose - from better to worse (Erythritol .2 Cal/gram)- Xylitol - Isomalt - Sorbitol (2.6C/g) - Mannitol Maltitol (2.1C/g)) http://www.mendosa.com/netcarbs.htm
The reason that sugar alcohols provide fewer calories than sugar is because they are not completed absorbed in our body. For this reason, high intakes of foods containing some sugar alcohols can lead to abdominal gas and diarrhea. Any foods that contain sorbitol or mannitol must include a warning on their label that "excess consumption may have a laxative effect."

- Aspartame - Causes Stalls, Cephalic Insulin Reactions (YMMV)

- Blue Agave Syrup (Lower GI, but extremely high fructose)
Dr. Michael EADES: Be aware that agave nectar is mainly fructose, which is not only caloric, but a lipogenic sugar and fraught with problems for an insulin-resistant body. It doesnt run insulin up, of course, but it does promote insulin resistance if not used sparingly.
http://www.holdthetoast.com/node/318
"Perhaps because of needing to be metabolized in the liver, fructose causes non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, making the livers even of teetotalers look and function like those of long-term alcoholics. Fructose is implicated in metabolic syndrome -- you know, carbohydrate intolerance, the thing we're all fighting. Repeated studies demonstrate that fructose raises triglycerides like nothing else. And there are some studies that indicate that the stuff is uniquely fattening. "
The glycemic index does not address other metabolic issues related to excess sugar consumption. Prominent among these issues is the use of low glycemic index sweeteners, particularly fructose, which is increasingly present in processed food. Fructose is associated with increased adiposity, which may result from its effects on hormones associated with satiety
http://www.holdthetoast.com/httblog/archives/000169.html

- Honey - extremely high fructose
See above comments on Agave Nectar

- Whey Low - Lactose (http://www.wheylow.com/) Ingredients: Sucrose, Fructose, Lactose (all simple sugars)

Others combine unaccepable ingredients with acceptable ones:
* Sun Crystals - mixed Stevia with Sugar
* Splenda Baking Mixes- mixed 50-50 with sugar
* Splenda w/ Fiber - additional carbs (more than regular Splenda) and added corn fiber (not acceptable for Induction)

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Atkins Diet
• Low Carb
• Bowulf
• Sweetener
• Artificial
• Splenda
• Stevia

[kgerton]

Hey Ken, Thanks for all the weight loss help. Atkins should take note and subsidize your efforts. Please don't pay attention to the comments by the ass holes, they are the pathetic little people demeaning your work to make themselves feel tall. What do you think about liquid sucralose made without maltadetrin or other carriers?

[bowulf]

@kgerton Thanks for the kind words.

I actually use liquid sucralose almost exclusively in my cooking with the exception of the few times I need either the bulk of the Splenda (like with peanut butter cookies) or need something like powdered Splenda, which I take the granulated Splenda and grind in my coffee mill. I actually made a video on this topic and the different options recently called "Atkins Diet: Liquid Splenda or Sucralose -- where to get it."

[budsa11]

people you need to beware of any diet that promotes the use of artificial sweeteners. actually this alone should tell you alot about the diet and its followers

Any book that recommends unlimited amounts of meat, butter, and eggs, as this one does, in my opinion is dangerous. The author who makes the suggestion is guilty of malpractice, any good diet is one you can stay on for the long term 85% of people last 2 weeks on Atkins, we need to get real.

[bowulf]

@budsa11 Promotes vs. allows is a big difference.

Your inability to actually understand that which you complain against should be evidence enough that you have no clue what you are talking about. As for long term, is 7 years long enough? Or how about my friends' reports of being on it 10,15, 20 years? The recividism on low carb diet is actually better than other diets, or said differently less people fail on low carb diets long term than other diets studied.

Check out my video for links.

[budsa11]

@bowulf you seem a very obnoxious and unpleasant individual with the intellectual capacity of a small field mouse, why you so mad?

[bowulf]

@budsa11 No obnoxious and unpleasant is:

"actually this alone should tell you alot about the diet and its followers"

"this is unbelievable a diet recommending processed food like this."

There is one Internet troll here. Have a nice life with your "pissing on a nun" video, but you can do it elsewhere.

[bowulf]

Or perhaps you have no idea what you are talking about...

[ThriceDog]

@budsa11 It doesn't matter that in your OPINION it's unhealthy

Because you're not a fucking dietitian or a biologist, you may think it's unhealthy

but the FACT is that it is healthy.

And that's not my opinion, that's a fact.

[thepamperroom]

Thank you so much for the heads up about xylitol and the effects on poor pups! I would be heart sick if anything ever happened to my dog, so I will switch from xylitol to the liquid Splenda you prefer.

[lrd9999]

On interesting thing about saccharine: SweetN'Low contains calcium-saccharine while some of its competitors contain sodium saccharine, which tastes horrible and needlessly adds a little sodium one's diet. So, check whatever brand you are considering; if it's based on calcium-saccharine it should be worth buying.

[ellyfav1]

@budsa11 WRONG, you don't know what you are talking about. I have lost 70 pounds eating low carb and I have lowered my triglycerides to the point I don't need meds. There are different phases of low carb and you can stay on it for life.

[sinnerpeace]

..any way i could continue but im think i have made my point ...i would encourage you to read up on low carb science...which its more than just low carb its also fresh un processed foods as a way of eating for life.

[sinnerpeace]

@budsa11 and as far as Meat, butter and eggs are concerned, we never had the issues consuming these things we did before we made wheat corn flour and sugar the dominant nutrients in our diet. If you will notice when we took fat out we became more fat...scientist are trying to figure this one out right now, well Dr. Atkins, the DR's Eades and so on have known that we need fat to survive...in fact this is how we survived as a species. Good natural fats are not the culprit.

[sinnerpeace]

@budsa11 one question budsa have you ever really studied doctor atkins at all or have you simply come to standard conclusions based on what you have been fed about diet and what is healthly for you. Do you understand that the low fat high carb diet when it was first touted as "the" diet for mankind for weight loss and health, was never even studied???? It is simplistic association, eating fat causes fat....nothing could be farther from the truth.