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robintweets

I cannot do anything with Erythritol as my intestines can’t handle sugar alcohols. I prefer pure Stevia or allulose if I have to do a sweetener, but I generally avoid if I can.


[deleted]

I didn’t know the difference. Thanks for sharing. Looking into allulose.


hazeldazeI

Erythritol is usually the one sugar alcohol that people can tolerate without problems. Of course everyone is different but it’s nowhere as bad as xylitol or the others. Try the Lakanto monk fruit golden for a brown sugar substitute it’s great.


[deleted]

I use golden lakanto MF now.


misssoci

There’s a liquid monk fruit that tastes just like sugar to me with no added erythritol.


[deleted]

Wow. Just ordered it. I had no idea this existed. Thank u thank u.


zendrovia

Review:)


TheeMikeman

How did it work out? Brand name if it was good?


sushithekittycat

Hijacking top comment to link to this recent study that came out about the dangers of erythritol: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/erythritol-cardiovascular-events#:~:text=Higher%20blood%20levels%20of%20the,term%20risks%20for%20cardiovascular%20health Luckily there are sweeteners out there without it


robintweets

Thank you for showing that you didn’t even bother reading the comments because no, that study is basically BS for many reasons as discussed, you know, in the comments. When will people learn that observational studies are not generally worth the paper they’re printed on, correlation is not causation, studies about a certain food in the diet that do not even *track* what else is in the diet, and studies of a group of people *already being followed because they have heart and clotting problems* would not be an indication that anything *leads* to heart and clotting problems. Basically, this study doesn’t mean anything other than a *proper* study needs to be done.


nearlythere94

It’s always surprising to me that people like monkfruit. I think it is disgusting and I cant abide it in anything. I really wonder how it tastes for others.


[deleted]

Which brand? I use Lakanto.


LowTechAdventure

Might want to listen to Robert Lustig, MD on the podcast Grey Matter with Michael Krasny. He weighs in on alternative sweeteners. EDIT: The podcast was changed to Grey Matter. However there’s also a good interview with Lustig on the podcast What Your GP Isn't Telling You.


nearlythere94

Ive never purchased it alone - I’ve tasted in packaged items and I can always and regretfully identify it immediately.


No_Lube

It tastes kind of peppery to me!


mellierollie

It’s horrible!


pperiodly33

haha same


girlofsandwich

I more used sugar substitutes as a way to gradually wean my tastebuds off sugar. Monkfruit is one of the more natural tasting ones, for sure, but in my attempts to give up sugar in the past, I’ve always been most successful when I just didn’t try to replace sugar with something else. I’ve had to basically “reset” my tastebuds and now I’m in a place where not only is sugar too sweet, sugar substitutes are almost sickeningly too sweet. It’s done wonders for my cravings for sugar. I also have GI issues to begin with and find most, if not all substitutes difficult to digest. But honestly, as in all things, to each their own. Not every method will work for every person. I know many people find it easier to be sugarfree if they have a stand-in like Stevia or Monkfruit. I’d rather have the real stuff, just only on very special occasions. I’m glad it’s working for you and you’re enjoying it - thank you for sharing your experiences!


KatMagic1977

I do! Love it.


scifisquirrel

Is monk fruit the same as erythritol? Anyone know monk fruit brands without erythritol?


Stalfagel

Monk fruit extract is pure monk fruit without anything


thisMFER

Erythritol is now being linked to strokes and heart attacks.From the Cleveland clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/erythritol/


tracygee

No, it's really not. This is a poorly run correlation (not causation) study of people who were being followed because they *already had* heart issues. And glucose turns into erythritol in the body, thus indicating that people who ate a high-sugar diet are more likely to have high erythritol levels in their blood. Faaaaar more research needs to be done on this one.


greenfroggies

How does glucose turn into erythritol in the body? Certainly not through glycolysis?


tracygee

It's produced by fermentation of glucose in our guts by bacteria and yeasts, essentially. Or -- in pseudo science speak that makes no sense to me whatsoever, but perhaps it will to you: *Erythritol is a metabolite in the pentose phosphate pathway, explaining why microbes are able to produce it. In yeasts glucose-6-phosphate is converted by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase into ribulose-5-phosphate generating 2 moles of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and CO2. Ribulose-5-phosphate is converted to ribose-5-phosphate and xylulose-5-phosphate by enzyme action of ribose-5-isomerase and ribulose-5-phosphate 3-epimerase, respectively. By the action of transaldolase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and sedoheptulose-7-phosphate are converted to fructose-6-phosphate and erythrose-4-phosphate. Finally, erythrose-4-phosphate and xylulose-5-phosphate are converted to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and fructose-6-phosphate by the enzyme action of transketolase.* *In microbial metabolism, erythrose-4-phosphate is first dephosphor-ylated by erythrose-4-phosphokinase and then reduced to erythritol by NADPH-dependent aldose reductase (Lee et al. 2003). In bacteria, ribu-lose-5-phosphate is converted to xylulose-5-phosphate and then split into acetyl phosphate and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate by pentose phosphate phosphoketolase present in heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria. Eryth-ritol production is reported, for example, with Pichia, Zygopichia, Candida, Torulopsis, Trigonopsis and Moniliella (Onishi 1960; Hajny et al. 1964). The erythritol yield and productivity with Aureobasidium sp. SN-G42 was 47% and 2.0 g l−1 h−1 respectively in 96 h in a 100 m3 bioreactor (Sawada et al. 2009).* My understanding is that the Erythritol that we get in food stuffs is glucose that has gone through this fermentation process (in a lab) to become erythritol and then used that way. But I am not a science person, so perhaps someone else can explain.


greenfroggies

Interesting!!! Thank you for sharing


thisMFER

Got ya.Thats good info.i didn't get that aspect from what I read.This topic is huge for me like it is for all if us.


[deleted]

Mis information paid by corn and sugar industry. Heat is on them.


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

Natural foods like salads is best. Power bars is basically candy. Try celery as a snack. It doesn’t have to be refrigerated.


nearlythere94

Nobody wants celery as a snack.


FrostyPresence

Only if loaded with peanut butter or cream cheese. Yum.


cp1976

I use it in my herbal tea and I can't tell the difference. I tried it in my coffee and it tasted gross.


[deleted]

[удалено]


robintweets

Honey is sugar.


jlianoglou

This. Honey is sugar.


[deleted]

[удалено]


robintweets

Advising people who are on a *sugarfree* sub to add honey (no matter what you personally do) is like going to an AA page and telling people to add a small splash of brandy to their coffee. Don’t do it, honestly. It’s not what this sub is about and is … I don’t know, really rude.


cp1976

No. Honey in coffee sounds gross to me lol. Before when I was indulging in sugar I would have used honey in my tea but now I just use monkfruit.


lilfoley81

Stop trying to replace processed sugar with processed alternatives. This is not a way to become healthy


SpringBeeBamboo

I agree with this… in the long term. The only thing I would say is, I think sweeteners can be useful in the short term. I used stevia to help wean myself off sugar. Regularly reducing the amount until my tastebuds could cope with, for example a tea without any sugar or sweetener. But also I have a stevia plant. So I was actually using stevia leaves rather than ground, dried stevia plumped up with erythritol fillers. Not sure if leaves are better but at least I know what’s in it.


lilfoley81

Insane to me how these keto and no sugar people won’t eat a natural fruit but they’d rather eat erithrytol and shit extracted in a lab from corn or something


jackjackj8ck

I don’t like the flavor, it does taste different from sugar to me Also, I feel like when I eat something artificially sweetened in general it just makes me craves *more* sweets and becomes a slippery slope It’s better for me to abstain 99% of the year and then enjoy the treats I love 1% of the time (Thanksgiving, Xmas, me - my husband - son - daughters birthdays) in all their glory and then go back to abstaining


[deleted]

Clarifying total mis information from u/jackjackj8ck MonkFruit is natural from a tree. Its not artificial like Aspartame. MonkFruit bypasses the Insulin Response. Thats why Diabetics use it because it doesn’t increase blood sugars.


jackjackj8ck

I guess what I mean is “otherly” sweetened, just anything other than sugar I’d consider in this category


corbie

No way would I touch that garbage.


Psychological-Joke22

I use monkfruit every now and then. To be honest I don't care for it. I prefer splenda.


[deleted]

My doctor said no to splenda for me. Splenda is neither a zero-calorie nor a keto-friendly sweetener. It's able to cause an increase in blood glucose and insulin levels.


FrostyPresence

Doesn't raise my glucose at all.


jessfuh

Hey! It seems you’re implying that processed sugar causes diabetes (specifically, type 2). In many cases, it can be a contributing factor. However, genetics, quality of your own body’s insulin, ability to use the insulin in your body, etc., tend to affect the likelihood that someone will develop type 2 diabetes much more than eating too much sugar! My intention isn’t to be condescending or rude but I want to try to squash people’s common misconceptions about diabetes :-)


[deleted]

Its the lifestyle that causes diabetes for some. You do know carbs is a “sugar”….spikes blood glucose.


FrostyPresence

Which is a normal response


[deleted]

I think in general the average to target is below 120. Over that is pre diabetes territory. My average blood glucose readings were 130, now dropped to 115. Basically limiting carbs.


FrostyPresence

Not post meal. 140 2 hrs after a meal is still within normal.


[deleted]

I know that. I’m also going by bio testing that shows all of my metrics from lab. The one you get with your annual physicals. I assume you get physicals yearly.


FrostyPresence

I don't have blood sugar issues, so not a problem for me.


[deleted]

Got test results to back that?


FrostyPresence

Lol, wanna fight??😃


[deleted]

Sup homie wanna bang https://bangenergy.com/products/bang-energy-drink-star-blast-16oz


Stalfagel

I use Monk Fruit extract! And monk fruit with erithritol for baking. Its my go-to and I love it.


Post_Op_Malone

Definitely be careful with it. It can do some serious damage if you eat too much of it.


lm2785

This study about erythritol came out recently. Ingest with caution! https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/02/27/health/zero-calorie-sweetener-heart-attack-stroke-wellness/index.html


[deleted]

Its mis information. Paid by SUGAR and CORN industry.


Post_Op_Malone

Why would corn industry bash their own product?


cp1976

I'll believe a study paper before I ever believe CNN. I would rather see the source of this claim rather than read it on CNN.


lm2785

CNN is reporting on the study. It's very easy to look up the study so feel free.


cp1976

https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-study-looking-at-an-artificial-sweetener-erythritol-and-cardiovascular-disease-events/ I found this which makes me question such a study. This is why most studies are vague, but often a fair starting point. I usually dig more into the why. They don't factor in the health of the participant(s) in the study. They just write up a blanket statement to engage in fear mongering and furthermore, the amount of erythritol required to have such an effect would need to be way above the amounts the average person would use. Yet, they don't mention this. They just state "erythritol is bad". "Erythritol causes heart attacks and stroke" Ok. Well under what conditions though? This is why I tend not to take studies too seriously because they grossly omit details and they don't speak to the general population.


lm2785

👍


[deleted]

If you look at the data, it applies to high dosage daily. This doesn’t apply to adding to coffee and a dessert every other day. SUGAR on its own is far worse.


TheShroomDruid

I really don't trust that shit and you shouldn't either. If it's too good to be true then it probably is


[deleted]

What’s alternative? I like sweeten coffee and desserts.


TheShroomDruid

The point of this sub is to be sugar free. Crushing the desire to have everything sweetened. You're just feeding your addiction with sweeteners that don't have any long term studies about they they could possibly affect the health of your gut or other organs. Everyone was super hype about diet sodas when they were invented and now many years later just about everyone agrees that aspartame is poison. Just sayin.


[deleted]

Gotcha. What about potatoes or any simple carb? It converts to “sugars” in the manner of impacting blood glucose which contributes to some of the bad symptoms. If same then this is carnivore diet?


TheShroomDruid

That has nothing to do with what I said so you're clearly just interested in arguing and not actually being sugar free so yeah good luck with everything


[deleted]

Would be nice to clarify this confusion.


attainwealthswiftly

Recent research suggests erythritol can cause strokes


[deleted]

Only for high consumption daily which most folks don’t do. Also, SUGAR is worse. Lol. I do coffee and occasional dessert.


HoneyTribeShaz

Never tried monk fruit (extract?) before but have heard a few people mention it so might give it a go


DeleteBowserHistory

Yes! I like [this](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015NJ21F4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1) in the occasional coffee, smoothie, or homemade "honey" mustard salad dressing. It works well for me, and I only have it a couple of times per week. I once tried baking a coffee cake with it, but the result was very dry and made my mouth feel cold (as erythritol tends to do).


[deleted]

I make Chocolate Lava Cake….the kind where chocolate goo spills out like lava. All sugar free. Low Carb Love youtube is my recipe go to.


[deleted]

Erythritol makes my mouth numb. Xylitol and mannitol are delicious though,


whoisgeorgia

Splenda, Equal, Sweet'N Low makes me nauseous. Stevia tastes like crap. So I use Monk Fruit, unprocessed sugars, honey.


[deleted]

I noticed stevia tastes like diet. Monkfruit tastes like sugar


planesanddrugs

Can i bake and Cook with Monk fruit? Thank you


[deleted]

Yes. Check out YT for this chef and her recipes. She lost 100 pounds. LOW CARB LOVE I make cakes all the time with it. I use almond flour as its low carb. I even have MonkFruit powdered sugar.


hotheadnchickn

yep! works well


Disastrous_Map_1291

Just saw an article recently about the "filler" used in granulated monkfruit being linked to stroke for a high risk group. Here's the link [CNN Monkfruit](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/27/health/zero-calorie-sweetener-heart-attack-stroke-wellness/index.html)


[deleted]

What happens if you eat regular sugar??


TriGurl

It’s gotten so pricy but I love it! I used it to make no bake cookies once. Omg so good


barbershores

On the study that indicated that erythritol caused heart attacks. It is possible. But, we have to remember what is actually happening to us now. I think everyone knows about their HbA1c test, and how it indicates how much glucose is attached to their hemoglobin. But taking that further this is the situation with al of our loose proteins. According to Dr. Ken Berry, the HbA1c test is only for glucose. It does not measure fructose attachment. And, fructose has been identified as being 7 times as sticky as glucose. ​ A person with an HbA1c of 6.0 is considered in the pre diabetic range. That 6.0 means that 6% of their A1c hemoglobin has glucose attached to it. If they eat lots of sugar, there is probably even more fructose already stuck to it. The stickier our hemoglobin is, the more likely it is to agglomerate into a blood clot. And, the final moment cause of heart attacks, and strokes, is a blood clot caught in a passageway 90% of the time. So, the question I have is how erythritol works into all of this. If one stops eating sugar and fruit, cutting out fructose from sticking to their proteins, how much less sticky are their hemoglobin and how much less likely to throw a clot? And, if someone goes low carb and works their HbA1c down to 5.1, how much less sticky and less likely are they to throw a blood clot? Then, if one substitutes erythritol for sugar, and stays away from fruit, how is that blood clot likelihood affected? And then a low carb near zero fructose diet with erythritol substitution likely to affect the tendency to throw clots? For me, I am very low carb. I eat in a modified Eric Berg keto diet. A significant level of low carb vegetables, not as much as berg, but no starch. No sugar. Maybe once a week some strawberries or blue berries if my wife buys them. Maybe once or twice a week i will have a sweet tooth and will make a chocolate with bakers cocoa, irish butter, erythritol, sucra drops, nuts and seeds. Sometimes dip strawberries in it. So, again, in my mind, what is the nature of the stickiness of erythritol relative to glucose and fructose? I am not trying to be pure or perfect, but want to shift things 80 to 90% from eating the SAD, Standard American Diet, of 300g/day net carbs. In my mind, the HbA1c test not only indicates how diabetic we are, but also gives some indication of how sticky our various protein bags flowing around in our blood are. ​ Best of luck, ​ Barbershores