Kitchen

[JeanLouiseFinch]

Lumping all carbohydrates together as bad is inaccurate and wrong.  The carbs from fruits and vegetables are not metabolized the same way as a piece of candy or a sugar cube.  Fruits and vegetables have their effect minimized somewhat by the dietary fiber they contain.  I believe it's important to choose the right kinds of fruits and vegetables to keep their impact at a minimum but not all fruits and vegetables are bad guys.  Some sugar alcohols and alternative sweeteners have zero effect on blood glucose while others have a higher glycemic index and can spike insulin.  Knowledge is power.  

[GingerHead]

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@Susan Louise wrote:

DH and I have learned that 'zero sugar' really means absolutely nothing.

Ok, so the carbs 'could be' less, and there is 'no sugar added', but ALL carbs turn to sugar when digested.

That is just how the human body functions.

So many folks on these forums don't even know what a carb is either.

For example, I have read posts from folks that say they don't eat carbs, but they eat a lot of veggies & fruits.

Ummmm...

Even the eggs and seafood DH and I eat have carbs...but they are minimal. For example, eggs have about 1 carb each...

I keep my daily carb count to less than 10 most days. My carbs 'might' get to around 20 on days I'll have scallops. However, 95-98% of the time my carb count is zero most days. I don't eat eggs or seafood every day.

So many folks don't understand this basic fact of how human physiology works.

It truly is sad.

We have taken these facts about carbs/sugars seriously. By doing so, DH is not a type 2 diabetic anymore and I am not pre-diabetic anymore.

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@Susan Louise  

@JeanLouiseFinch  

 I agree with @JeanLouiseFinch it's a misconception to view all carbohydrates the same.

This overlooks some basic nutrition principles. While carbohydrates do all break down into sugar, they do so at vastly different speeds and have very different physiological effects.

It’s oversimplified and inaccurate to lump all carbohydrates together as “bad.” 

Carbohydrates shouldn’t be judged without context.

For example, even if a candy bar and an apple had the same amount of carbs, their impact on the body would be completely different.

The candy bar leads to a rapid spike in blood sugar and offers little to no nutritional value. It's also engineered for quick satisfaction (sugar+fat) and lacks fiber and has empty calories.

The apple provides fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other helpful nutrients that slow digestion and produce a far more stable blood sugar response.

There is a huge variety of carbohydrates....legumes, beans, fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc (complex carbs)....and comparing and equating them as the same  to highly processed cookies, cakes, and sodas (simple carbs) is overly simplistic, misleading and just wrong.....

[SHOPR]

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@Lisa now in AZ wrote:

I stay away from sugar-free food sweetened by maltitol or any -tol. I get my cookies from Choc Zero, which is where I get most of my sweet treats. And, I agree that there are way too many net carbs in there to be a viable option for me. I also like to use ground up sugar-free cookies as a pie crust for sugar-free desserts.

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@Lisa now in AZ  This is just FWIW: I have heard multiple reports of Choc Zero products causing huge blood glucose spikes. 
I'm not sure if it is due to the specific type of soluble fiber used, or the large amount of soluble fiber used in their products. Supposedly this was not an issue years ago, but their products changed. 

[SHOPR]

If I really wanted an Oreo, I would probably eat one regular Oreo, not the Zero Sugar version. They are both loaded with bad ingredients.  

Or I would try making my own with black cocoa. I bought black cocoa at the beginning of my keto journey with that idea in mind. But almost 4 years later I still haven't made any.

There are tons of recipes online for Keto Oreos, some with"ok" ingredients, some not.

I don't want to consume high oxalates anymore, which cocoa has, but that is another medical topic, which also involves many so-called "healthy" vegetables, so I will stop here. 

[RespectLife]

Thank you @JeanLouiseFinch   !

Appreciate the info!!

I tried Choc Zero for the first time when I caught them on sale....wow, really good quality but $$

I just tried these also, very good

Lily's Chocolate Salted Caramel Flavored No Added Sugar Baking chips.

 

[Patriot3]

I stay away from sugar free (I am not diabetic) because of the sugar substitutes they use  that irritate my stomach.  And I agree, they are still full of empty carbs.

[Lisa now in AZ]

@SHOPR, thanks for the info on Choc Zero.  I have found a small set of online vendors I use for my keto food. They absolutely ARE more expensive than the less expensive types of sugar replacements, but I have found that if I want to continue on keto, I have to be able to grab a snack that really tastes good. I am hoping the foods with sweeteners like monkfruit and allulose will come down in price soon. I am seeing more of those at the grocery store, which is great.

Yes, there is a lot to learn about nutrients. I had a manager once who had a heart attack and diabetes. When he came back to work, he was so proud of his new "healthy" snacks, but I did have to tell him that eating several POUNDS of grapes every day was not a healthy option and he needed to check his glucose. He just kept telling me that it was fruit, so it is healthy.

[haddon9]

Hmmmm looks like it still has 25 grams of carbs.  It may have zero added sugars but just the fact that it doesn't have zero carbs doesn't mean it has no sugar.

[SHOPR]

Another thing I notice in the main post by @Goodie2shoes is that the serving size in weight is 2/3 of the original serving size, and the total carbs are also 2/3 of the original total carbs. So there is NO reduction in carbohydrates at all.

Big food companies are only concerned about profit and care nothing whatsoever about honesty or people's health. 

And several ingredients would likely be problematic for diabetics (I am not one) such as wheat flour, polydextrose, sorbitol and maltitol (I personally have never had issues with occasional 100% sucralose (also in these Oreos) but we each are different). 

[CelticCrafter]

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@Susan Louise wrote:

DH and I have learned that 'zero sugar' really means absolutely nothing.

Ok, so the carbs 'could be' less, and there is 'no sugar added', but ALL carbs turn to sugar when digested.

That is just how the human body functions.

So many folks on these forums don't even know what a carb is either.

For example, I have read posts from folks that say they don't eat carbs, but they eat a lot of veggies & fruits.

Ummmm...

Even the eggs and seafood DH and I eat have carbs...but they are minimal. For example, eggs have about 1 carb each...

I keep my daily carb count to less than 10 most days. My carbs 'might' get to around 20 on days I'll have scallops. However, 95-98% of the time my carb count is zero most days. I don't eat eggs or seafood every day.

So many folks don't understand this basic fact of how human physiology works.

It truly is sad.

We have taken these facts about carbs/sugars seriously. By doing so, DH is not a type 2 diabetic anymore and I am not pre-diabetic anymore.

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@Susan Louise yes he is.  Once a diabetic, always a diabetic.  He's just in remission.  Give up the crappy diet of no carbs and he would be right back to where he was.