Carbohydrate vs Polyols

[onlyholly]

I read a while back that if an item contained any polyols, that they were subtracted from the Carbohydrates.

Is this true or have I dreamt it ?

Can anyone clarify this for us especially for the UK dieters as our labelling is different from the US.

Thanks
Holly

 

[DoeWDW]

I believe that a large percentage of people's bodies do not treat polyols (like malitol, etc.) like a regular carb. The polyols are not absorbed and do not cause the blood sugar to rise like a regular carb. Most people can subtract them from the carb counts in foods.

With that said, there are a small percentage of people who DO absorb the polyols. I don't know if they are absorbed exactly like a regular carb, but for those people who are sensitive to them, they will slow or stop weight loss.

Also, the polyols tend to give people "the runs" so you don't want to eat large quantities of them without being near the bathroom.

You'll just have to experiment to see if you are in the majority that can eat polyols without consequence or if you are in the unlucky minority for whom they may not be appropriate.

Hope this helps!

 

[nativetxn]

What Doreen said Some people get knocked out of ketosis by sugar alcohols (polyols) and some of us do not. My husband and I are two of the lucky ones.

Dr. Atkins tells us that if we are not sensitive to polyols we may subtract those carbs from the total carbohydrate count.

To get the net carbohydrate count of a food you take the total number of carbohydrates and subtract fiber and polyols.

So, if a product contains 25 grams total carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber and 21 grams of polyols the net carb count would be
25-3-21=1 net carb.

Katholyn

 

[onlyholly]

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

Holly

 

[firecracker]

Is there a blood test that you can take to know if you're sensitive or do you just learn by gaining weight? I'm just afraid that maybe I'm sabotaging myself--not losing as much as I COULD be--and I don't even know it! Should I just give them up?

Carmen

 

[DoeWDW]

Hmmm, good question Carmen!

I've always believed that the healthiest way to do low-carb is to eat REAL FOOD and not rely too heavily on protein bars, etc.

However, I'll be the first to say I've been relying on Atkins bars a lot lately (like once a day!). Is it slowing my loss - maybe. But if I am in a situation where I have to eat and I don't have real food available, I'd rather eat an Atkins bar with polyols than eat carby food.

The only way I've ever seen anyone test for their sensitivity is by using a blood glucose monitor, like the kind diabetics use to test their blood sugar. Dana Carpender, at www.holdthetoast.com, did this. She would eat a protein bar or low-carb candy and then test her blood sugar every 20 minutes for a few hours to see if her blood sugar rose in reaction to the food she ate. A rise in blood sugar after eating a polyol-laden but otherwise low-carb food would indicate that you are sensitive to the polyols.

Sorry to be so technical. I'd say, try eating REAL low-carb foods like basic meats and veggies for a week and see if you lose more. Then add in polyols slowly to see if they slow you down. Personal experimentation is probably the best way to go.

Good luck, Carmen! If you try it, let us know what you find out!

 

[nativetxn]

You will lose weight more quickly if you don't consume sugar alcohols. Supposedly, the molecules of polyols are not absorbed by your body and one sign of this would be loose stools or even diarrhea. You could also use the ketostix say 24 hours after you consume a food containing polyols to make sure you are still in ketosis.

Other than that or testing your blood sugar, I don't know how else to tell if your body is treating the sugar alcohols as sugar or if it is treating it as alcohol. Remember, your body will use the alcohol for fuel before it uses it's own body fat. So that is another reason to go easy on the low carb bars and/or sugar free candy.