OMG...do NOT overeat foods with sugar alcohols!

[Free4Life11]

So...I went a little crazy and ate 2/3 of a container of Edy's Light ice cream that had 8 grams of sugar alcohols per serving and OMG, I have never had such bad bloating and...other problems in my life!

Avoid at ALL costs!

 

[clarabelle]

My mom has those kinds of problems with sorbitol (is that a sugar alcohol?)
A brand of sugar free syrup that she likes contains it and she has to be very careful.

 

[Ohiodislover]

Yep--Learned that one the hard way myself.

A few years ago, my STUPID, STUPID uncle gave my grandmother a 3 lb box of sugar free chocolate candy. She was so sick, she had to go to the hospital.

 

[Carl]

I have the same problem. And you really have to read the labels carefully. They will write in large letters "Sweetened with SPLENDA." But, when you read the small print, you see that the greatest amount of sweetener is actually some type of sugar alcohol. Why do they feel they have to use that? They could do all the sweetening with Splenda, Equal, or something that is not a sugar alcohol.

 

[Todd&Copper]

Yeah, too much sugar alcohols can give you really really bad trots.

 

[wall*e2008]

I avoid Edy's at all costs!

 

[scrapquitler]

Yes, those sugar alcohols can affect people in a very bad way (me included). I know now to never eat more than a couple of those sugar free candies in a day or I will spend a lot of time in the bathroom.

 

[Laura]

Sugar alcohols suck.

Says the wife of a type 1 diabetic.

 

[luvavacation]

Well now that explains it! I recently ate a nice big coffee mug worth of Edy's light French Silk, and then was indisposed for a time later. Now I know, don't overdue next time.

Wait! Maybe I should just eat a big mug worth again next time! If the ice cream runs out of you later, did the calories count? Really, they could not have been in there long enough to do damage, and sometimes after a particularily bad day caring for my elderly mom, I really really really want something comforting, such as the ice cream above. I can deal with tummy problems for awhile if I get to eat a whole bunch of Light French Silk to ease my emotions!

So do the calories count? And if not, can I then top it off with lots of good chocolate? If it is just going to depart anyway, why not?

 

[My2Cinderellas]

sorbitol is nasty nasty stuff.

another similar product is olestra - never never never eat an entire can of the fat free pringles. I haven't done this, and never will - I'm scared of any product that warns of GI side effects on the label.

My mom has Chron's and brought a can of these pringles in my house - I promptly threw them out! She had not read the fine print and didn't know they caused diarrhea. She doesn't have great self restraint when it comes to potato chips and the end result would not have been pretty.

 

[MommyPoppins]

My DH and I have long since given up light ice cream and low sugar ice cream. It was making us sick. lol. Just give us the good stuff.

 

[themarquis]

lol, I actually like stuff with sugar alcohols in them! You're right that you have to be careful with them, though

I like sugar alcohols because they are natural sugar compounds (they extract a lot of them from fruits and vegetables) that taste almost exactly like regular sugar (not gross like artificial sweetners). They aren't calorie free, but they are low in calories, and your body doens't absorb them like regular sugar. You absorb them very slowly (that's why they are used in diabetic food a lot -- they don't spike blood sugar -- good for non-diabetics, too ).

The fact that it's absorbed differently is what causes "problems" for people -- some of it kind of passes through you without getting totally processed. But it's a natural sugar -- the same thing happens when we eat fruits (some of the sweet stuff in them doesn't get processed ) I've read that if you eat small amounts, your body will sort of get more used to them after a while.

I don't generally eat stuff with artificial sugar, so the sugar alcohols are nice because they can make a really low calorie "sweet" food with them that tastes good.

But you do have to have self-restraint, lol!!! I think the only sugar alcohol thing I have in the house right now is "light" rice pudding -- I'm not really tempted to overdose on that!

 

[Dizzy4Disney90210]

If I'm constipated I have a big ol' tub of sugar free ice cream and it puts me right.

 

[jam217]

I had the same problem with the Fiber One yogurts which are sweetened with the sugar alcohol. I used to have one every morning for breakfast along with a bowl of fruit. They taste delicious but my afternoons were horrible. They're now off my grocery list!

 

[Carl]

Does anyone know why they use sugar alcohols in every "sugar free" product? Why can't they use some other sugar substitute? Is it price, taste, heat resistance? What?

 

[Talking Hands]

So...I went a little crazy and ate 2/3 of a container of Edy's Light ice cream that had 8 grams of sugar alcohols per serving and OMG, I have never had such bad bloating and...other problems in my life!

Avoid at ALL costs!

Been there and done that. I only takes 1 piece of candy made with sugar alcohol to give me those problems. I avoid them like the plague.

 

[MrsHeg]

Beware of the Sugar Free Character Gummies from Goofy's Candy Co, let's just say it's a good thing there are lot's of "facilities" in Epcot.

 

[minniecarousel]

I can't handle MALTITOL!! eeewwww!!

 

[C.Ann]

Wow! This is all very interesting.. Who would have thought?
I'll have to pass this info on to DD.. Maybe "some" of her problems that she has attributed to her lactose intolerance were actually caused by sugar alcohols!

 

[beattyfamily]

I've been doing the low carb lifestyle for almost 4 years. So I've had many things with sugar alcohols over the years. I haven't had a bad reaction yet, thankfully, cause I love sweets!

Here are some of them: Maltitol, Xylitol, Isomalt, Sorbitol, Lactitol, Mannitol, and Erythritol.

There are many different kinds of sugar alcohols and some are worse in their side effects than others and they can affect people differently as well.

Sorbitol and mannitol are the worst offenders so just keep your intake to a minimum.