Smart Sugar

[nivram4491]

I buy a stevia based sugar called Smart Sugar from Lazada. It is very expensive compared to ordinary sugar. How much healthier is it than coconut sugar. Is the extra expense worth it?

[scubascuba3]

Are you diabetic or prediabetic? If not i wouldn't bother, choose a healthy low fat diet along with cane sugar instead

[Sheryl]

Actually current thinking is that sugar substitutes -- including stevia -- damage the gut flora and are best avoided. Or at least minimized. 

[MeaMaximaCulpa]

12 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Are you diabetic or prediabetic? If not i wouldn't bother, choose a healthy low fat diet along with cane sugar instead

There are some that would claim that a healthy diet is high fat, but not omega 6 seed oils. Animal fats are the real deal, and restrict the carbs instead, especially grains and processed sugars. Protein depending on requirements.

[KhunLA]

I'm with the low (starchy) carb, and as little sugar as possible folks.  Higher fat & protein intake.  

 

Unless pre or diabetic already, sugar isn't bad for you, but that really depends on the amount, when and how it's consumed.  

 

As long as you realize starchy carbs are sugar.  Long & complex, but still sugar to the body.

 

Surprisingly, you can take in a lot of fat & protein, and not gain weight, and apparently be healthier vs same caloric count that's heavy in carbs and low in fat.

 

What you've told, the food pyramid, low fat diet is BS for most people.  

 

I still eat sugar, natural cane sugar, in extreme moderation, as don't care for, or am suspect of the sugar substitutes.

 

It's the almost no starchy carbs that has made the difference in my diet, weight control and being much healthier.

 

 

Edited November 10 by KhunLA

[BigStar]

Monk fruit sweetener has got good press.

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/tag/monk-fruit-sweetener/?q=monk+fruit+sweetener&_keyori=ss&sugg=monk+fruit+sweetener_0_1&catalog_redirect_tag=true

 

I tried it. While it was OK, it wasn't appealing enough to me to buy more of it. Don't desire sweetener, really, having been on low carb for many years.

[FolkGuitar]

I've been 80% fat, 15% protein, 5% Carbs for the past five and a half years. I began this for weight loss (took off the extra 50-70lbs I was carrying around) but reached my goal after the first 18 months. I continued with this way of eating because my whole body felt better. I do use sugar substitutes such as Allulose, Eurithrytol, Monkfruit, and Stevia (Stevia tastes pretty bad but it's very sweet!) and to date, have had no problems with them.
Warning: If buying in the local supermarkets, don't be fooled by the bottles of sweeteners calling themselves 'Stevia' or some derivative of that. Looking at the labels, there is 1% Stevia, and 99% Malitol inside. Stevia won't raise your blood sugar or spike your insulin. Malitol will...

Every 5-6 months I'll break the diet for a week, eating breads, pastries, potatoes, regular ice cream, pasta, etc., etc. All the things I've cut from my usual diet. But after 4-5 days of eating this way again, my knees start to hurt. Arthritic pains in my hand start up again.  I feel bloated after meals... even 'normal' sized ones. Body aches and pains increase. So I go back on the diet.

In less than a week those pains have disappeared.  I'll stick with this lifestyle another five and a half years.  🙂

[save the frogs]

22 hours ago, nivram4491 said:

I buy a stevia based sugar called Smart Sugar from Lazada. It is very expensive compared to ordinary sugar. How much healthier is it than coconut sugar. Is the extra expense worth it?

I stopped using stevia.

I am now putting cane sugar in my hot cocoa. 

I think a bit of cane sugar or coconut sugar in coffee won't harm health. 

But not 100% sure. 

 

[KhunLA]

15 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

I've been 80% fat, 15% protein, 5% Carbs for the past five and a half years. I began this for weight loss (took off the extra 50-70lbs I was carrying around) but reached my goal after the first 18 months. I continued with this way of eating because my whole body felt better. I do use sugar substitutes such as Allulose, Eurithrytol, Monkfruit, and Stevia (Stevia tastes pretty bad but it's very sweet!) and to date, have had no problems with them.
Warning: If buying in the local supermarkets, don't be fooled by the bottles of sweeteners calling themselves 'Stevia' or some derivative of that. Looking at the labels, there is 1% Stevia, and 99% Malitol inside. Stevia won't raise your blood sugar or spike your insulin. Malitol will...

Every 5-6 months I'll break the diet for a week, eating breads, pastries, potatoes, regular ice cream, pasta, etc., etc. All the things I've cut from my usual diet. But after 4-5 days of eating this way again, my knees start to hurt. Arthritic pains in my hand start up again.  I feel bloated after meals... even 'normal' sized ones. Body aches and pains increase. So I go back on the diet.

In less than a week those pains have disappeared.  I'll stick with this lifestyle another five and a half years.  🙂

I've been at it, a keto ish diet for about 2+ years.  The past year, less cheating (pastries), and stick to homemade CheeseCake & Chocolate for my sweet tooth fix.  Both high fat and very little sugar, and taste great.  Bread is my Achilles heal, but cut way back on that.  Also don't add sugar to my bread, and down to a slice or 2 a day when making, instead of a half of a loaf   

 

Along with eating fat and or protein with it, when I do indulge.  Really is amazing how much better I feel.  More energy, no inflammation aches & pains.  Blood work near perfect; BP, HbAic, ketone levels.

[scubascuba3]

4 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

I stopped using stevia.

I am now putting cane sugar in my hot cocoa. 

I think a bit of cane sugar or coconut sugar in coffee won't harm health. 

But not 100% sure. 

 

I have loads of sugar but then I'm not overweight or prediabetic/diabetic. Cane sugar and lots of fruit

[save the frogs]

7 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I have loads of sugar but then I'm not overweight or prediabetic/diabetic. Cane sugar and lots of fruit

There is some debate in the health community.

Some doctors will tell their patients with diabetes to cut back on fruit.

But I'm not sure fruit is connected to diabetes, despite its high fructose. 

But maybe best to avoid processed white sugar. Cane sugar and coconut sugar are less processed and therefore healthier, I think. 

But also 10 times more expensive than white sugar. 

You get what you pay for. 

 

Edited November 10 by save the frogs

[scubascuba3]

1 minute ago, save the frogs said:

There is some debate in the health community.

Some doctors will tell their patients with diabetes to cut back on fruit.

But I'm not sure fruit is connected to diabetes, despite its high fructose. 

 

Once you're insulin resistant it's more difficult to manage. Cane sugar is 50% Fructose 50% Glucose just what your brain needs

[KannikaP]

37 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

I'll stick with this lifestyle another five and a half years.  🙂

And then what?

[KhunLA]

9 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I have loads of sugar but then I'm not overweight or prediabetic/diabetic. Cane sugar and lots of fruit

Might want to get your HbA1c level checked, if not knowing already.

[Lacessit]

26 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

I've been 80% fat, 15% protein, 5% Carbs for the past five and a half years. I began this for weight loss (took off the extra 50-70lbs I was carrying around) but reached my goal after the first 18 months. I continued with this way of eating because my whole body felt better. I do use sugar substitutes such as Allulose, Eurithrytol, Monkfruit, and Stevia (Stevia tastes pretty bad but it's very sweet!) and to date, have had no problems with them.
Warning: If buying in the local supermarkets, don't be fooled by the bottles of sweeteners calling themselves 'Stevia' or some derivative of that. Looking at the labels, there is 1% Stevia, and 99% Malitol inside. Stevia won't raise your blood sugar or spike your insulin. Malitol will...

Every 5-6 months I'll break the diet for a week, eating breads, pastries, potatoes, regular ice cream, pasta, etc., etc. All the things I've cut from my usual diet. But after 4-5 days of eating this way again, my knees start to hurt. Arthritic pains in my hand start up again.  I feel bloated after meals... even 'normal' sized ones. Body aches and pains increase. So I go back on the diet.

In less than a week those pains have disappeared.  I'll stick with this lifestyle another five and a half years.  🙂

Arthritis is inflammation. Sugar is inflammatory. There are several ways in which sugar provokes inflammation.

 

My diet is as much protein as I want, plenty of cheese ( 40% fat ) and a small amount of butter. Unsweetened yoghurt.

 

My carbohydrate intake is limited to low carb vegetables - broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, green beans, cauliflower and bamboo.

 

On that diet, my weight went from 93 kg to 78 kg. I have since backslid to 81 kg, as I allow myself half a small bar of chocolate a day. I don't drink alcohol.

 

If the body is deprived of sugar, it has to start burning fat instead, for energy. IMO it's that simple.

[save the frogs]

20 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Once you're insulin resistant it's more difficult to manage. Cane sugar is 50% Fructose 50% Glucose just what your brain needs

there is a specific test for insulin resistance.

can't remember what the biomarker is called.

will need to do it at some point.

but now I usually have my last meal around 3 PM. so I am probably in ketosis from 7 PM to 7 AM the next morning. so probably not too insulin resistant I hope. 

[scubascuba3]

21 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Might want to get your HbA1c level checked, if not knowing already.

Yeah been checking it for years, perfect

[FolkGuitar]

25 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Arthritis is inflammation. Sugar is inflammatory. There are several ways in which sugar provokes inflammation.

 

My diet is as much protein as I want, plenty of cheese ( 40% fat ) and a small amount of butter. Unsweetened yoghurt.

 

My carbohydrate intake is limited to low carb vegetables - broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, green beans, cauliflower and bamboo.

 

On that diet, my weight went from 93 kg to 78 kg. I have since backslid to 81 kg, as I allow myself half a small bar of chocolate a day. I don't drink alcohol.

 

If the body is deprived of sugar, it has to start burning fat instead, for energy. IMO it's that simple.

My diet is very similar to yours, with the addition of a LOT of Kalamata olives and avocados! Olives, cheese, and a bit of deli meat for breakfast every day! We make our own Greek yogurt and eat a lot of it.

But getting back on topic...I love my sweets, so make my own Chocolate Almond Bark, or Coconut Almond bars too... 🙂
Sweeteners for that is a bit of a problem now that 'Sweety Cafe' has closed. That was my source for 'powdered' Allulose or Erythritol.

[zepplin]

On 11/9/2024 at 5:27 PM, nivram4491 said:

I buy a stevia based sugar called Smart Sugar from Lazada. It is very expensive compared to ordinary sugar. How much healthier is it than coconut sugar. Is the extra expense worth it?

I buy date sugar, 400 bht a kilo , it doesn’t spike your glucose levels at all , and tastes great, well worth a try 

[bradiston]

14 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

My diet is very similar to yours, with the addition of a LOT of Kalamata olives and avocados! Olives, cheese, and a bit of deli meat for breakfast every day! We make our own Greek yogurt and eat a lot of it.

But getting back on topic...I love my sweets, so make my own Chocolate Almond Bark, or Coconut Almond bars too... 🙂
Sweeteners for that is a bit of a problem now that 'Sweety Cafe' has closed. That was my source for 'powdered' Allulose or Erythritol.

Erythritol is available on Lazada, and it's not expensive. Been using it for years. Buy 3 kilos or so at a time. Lasts months. Beware of some Stevia and monk fruit products. They often have other ingredients.

Edited November 11 by bradiston

[john donson]

On 11/9/2024 at 5:38 PM, scubascuba3 said:

Are you diabetic or prediabetic? If not i wouldn't bother, choose a healthy low fat diet along with cane sugar instead

 

low fat...lol... people never learn

 

even the stevia or other chemical chlorine fake sugars, will spike insulin even zero calories...

 

learn to skip breakfast, you don't need it anymore if over 40++

 

sugary laden junk raises cholesterol, weight, blood pressure, etc...

 

 

 

[Wuvu2]

Smart Sugar Ingredients: 99.5% Unrefined Sugar / 0.5 % Steviol Glycosides, Stevia Extract FDA Registration  

 

99.5% Unrefined Sugar - Smart marketing but sounds like nonsense to me 🙄

[Lacessit]

15 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

My diet is very similar to yours, with the addition of a LOT of Kalamata olives and avocados! Olives, cheese, and a bit of deli meat for breakfast every day! We make our own Greek yogurt and eat a lot of it.

But getting back on topic...I love my sweets, so make my own Chocolate Almond Bark, or Coconut Almond bars too... 🙂
Sweeteners for that is a bit of a problem now that 'Sweety Cafe' has closed. That was my source for 'powdered' Allulose or Erythritol.

No objection whatsoever to Kalamata olives and avocados. IMO avocado is healthy fat.

Dark chocolate is supposed to be the healthiest, I am always shopping for 80-90% cacao content.

I tend to limit processed meats. I prefer unmodified fish, beef, chicken, pork and eggs for protein.

Edited November 11 by Lacessit

[Lacessit]

For those trying to get their blood sugar under control, I suggest fenugreek seed. Soak a teaspoon of it in water overnight.

 

1/ Fenugreek seeds are high in soluble fiber, which slows down digestion and the absorption of carbohydrates, helping to prevent spikes in blood sugar levels.

 

2/ Some studies suggest that fenugreek may improve the body's sensitivity to insulin, allowing the hormone to work more effectively in lowering blood sugar.

 

I was prediabetic. My FBS and HBa1C levels are now normal.

 

Not expensive, readily available on Lazada.

 

[scubascuba3]

4 hours ago, john donson said:

low fat...lol... people never learn

Yes never learn, quirky fad diets for the fatso's 

[FolkGuitar]

6 hours ago, bradiston said:

Erythritol is available on Lazada, and it's not expensive. Been using it for years. Buy 3 kilos or so at a time. Lasts months. Beware of some Stevia and monk fruit products. They often have other ingredients.

Yes, that is where I've been buying it since, but ...  would you know who carries the 'powdered' Allulose or Erythritol that I like to use in my chocolate?

[FolkGuitar]

6 hours ago, Wuvu2 said:

Smart Sugar Ingredients: 99.5% Unrefined Sugar / 0.5 % Steviol Glycosides, Stevia Extract FDA Registration  

 

99.5% Unrefined Sugar - Smart marketing but sounds like nonsense to me 🙄

 

Yes!  This is basically what I mentioned in my earlier post in this thread, except I was referring to the liquid sweeteners I found on the supermarket shelves. 1% Stevia and 99% other sugars!

[bradiston]

1 hour ago, FolkGuitar said:

Yes, that is where I've been buying it since, but ...  would you know who carries the 'powdered' Allulose or Erythritol that I like to use in my chocolate?

Odd you ask that. One source I used did send more of an "icing sugar" version, rather than the granulated kind. Can't trace back which it was though. I'll have a go, but it was some time ago.

[bradiston]

18 hours ago, bradiston said:

Odd you ask that. One source I used did send more of an "icing sugar" version, rather than the granulated kind. Can't trace back which it was though. I'll have a go, but it was some time ago.

Found it:

 

https://s.lazada.co.th/s.I25WK

 

It's quite a hassle clicking through Lazada's security checks. Who would have thought?

 

 

Edited November 12 by bradiston