With modern diabetes treatment, there’s really no need to consume those awful sugar-free concoctions. They taste awful! They’re really a relic of pre-1990s diabetes therapy when medications and BG monitoring weren’t nearly as refined as they are today.
These kinds of “sugar free” products don’t really have a place in today’s diabetes. The only one I’d really recommend is diet soda-- no amount of regular soda is really beneficial to anyone, let alone diabetics. I personally only drink soda on rare occasions to treat low BG, and maybe a diet soda once or twice a year. I don’t really see the point in buying or consuming them-- it’s just chemicals or empty calories.
There is nothing wrong with low carb substitution or even alternative sweeteners within reason. It is a matter of skill, effort, and risk management, and personal taste.
It is not always advisable to prebolus a child and that is for the parents and medical team to evaluate. I prebolus for myself and it works for me. In fact, my kid loves waffles and so I made them today; I started at 125 mg/dl, 20 minute prebolus, peaked under140 and am now 102. … and still full!
Anyway. I wanted to emphasize that There is no wrong answer here.
I think that a big piece of the puzzle here is that food should be not just a source of sustenance, but a source of pleasure whether you’re a diabetic or not. We should spend time eating delicious, freshly cooked food that tastes really good. I was diagnosed at 12 years old in 1986 and I remember eating those sugar free syrups in my childhood. They tasted terrible but I pretended I liked it because I felt like I had to. Nowadays with modern rapid insulin, CGM and hybrid closed loop systems, there’s no reason at all for any other child to choke down that stuff and then try to convince themselves that it actually tasted good.
True pleasure in eating needs to be emphasized a lot more in our culture, and that means enjoying foods like real maple syrup in ways that work with modern diabetes therapy.
Personally, I prefer the sugar-free stuff to actual maple syrup, which I find has a grainy texture to it that I don’t really enjoy. Besides, I’d rather spend my calorie intake on more important things.
Now, there are instances where I absolutely will go for the “real thing,” and dose accordingly, and I’ve done so for years before CGMs even existed, generally without trouble.
But, for me, real syrup is an awful lot of sugar for not much benefit. Likewise, there are some great sugar-free chocolates available, and I’m just as happy with those. Especially with relatively newer sweeteners like sucralose and stevia extract.
Like Joe said, there’s no wrong answer. You have to figure out what works for you, both in terms of diabetes management and personal taste.
Speaking of sweets, I used to gett regular size candy bars but discovered one or two of the little mini ones were just as satisfying with minimal effect on my numbers (and they had very little impact on my waistline).
I just had the same revelation last night. My son ate most of a full-sized Hershey bar for dessert before declaring himself full. Naturally, I offered to help. (That’s just the kind of mom I am. ) Imagine my surprise when 1/4 of a Hershey bar was actually just right!
Personally, I keep an emergency Snickers bar for low blood sugars. My favorite candy bar, and it’s a good mix of simple sugar, complex carbs, and some fat and protein. Guaranteed to get my sugar level back up and keep it up until mealtime. And much better than glucose tablets.
So, yeah… getting back on topic: I’ve got a definite sweet tooth. Always have. But I’ve been happy with the Smuckers sugar-free syrup (no one believes me, but it goes great on cottage cheese, too) and saving my sugar allotment for dessert.
Tastes vary, but hopefully something here helps. And it might actually be worth trying that middle ground I mentioned. Log Cabin Lite, for example, has about half the sugar of the regular stuff. There are a couple of other brands with similar products. Real sugar, just less of it, so you have less of a spike to deal with.
Thanks for the suggestion with cottage cheese. I’ve actually been looking for new mix-ins to try, and that one sounds good to me.
I agree that some SF stuff is foul (as is some GF stuff, some DF stuff, etc.). Honestly, anything trying to be something it’s not has an uphill climb. But some substitutes are fine, and it really is just a matter of personal taste.
My dad couldn’t have cared less what he ate: beanie weanies made him exactly as happy as steak did, and so did the plates of cottage cheese, fruits, and veggies my mom gave him after his first heart attack. He truly didn’t notice or care, beyond being grateful that someone else had provided food.
I’m not quite as indifferent as he was — I can tell the difference between real maple syrup and the fake stuff, and I prefer the real deal — but some things aren’t worth the calories to me (or the BG spikes to my daughter), either. We use Smucker’s SF jam, and it’s definitely easier to dose for than the full-sugar version. Ditto with hot chocolate, which is completely unmanageable for my daughter, period. A heart-felt “thank you!” again to whichever poster years ago suggested reduced-sugar hot chocolate packets for ski trips. Total game-changer.
So, yeah. Additional sugar-free or reduced-sugar suggestions for various things are always welcome as far as we’re concerned. And, hey, if no one likes it, I won’t buy it again.
I use Smuckers. Of all sugar free syrups I’ve used in 65 yrs of T1 I think it is the best. Not all grocery stores in our area carry it. I order directly from Smucker’s online store.
If your child only likes pancakes with syrup, it sounds like she likes the syrup, not the pancakes themselves. Try a sweeter pancake recipe like banana pancakes, where the bananas naturally provide sweetness and no syrup is needed. Or she might like waffles with margarine instead. Or bagels with cream cheese. Neither of those has sugar.
@srozelle I love hot chocolate and some people think I am a total weirdo because I like cinnamon in my hot chocolate!! I love the reduced sugar/ no sugar added hot chocolate packets, but sometimes I feel like they are too bitter so I add a tiny bit of Splenda along with my cinnamon and it works out good for me. Do you usually make them as is, or do you add something. I myself have never been a huge fan of sweets, but I love hot chocolate.
On the topic of syrup, my parents are from Vermont and I usually only eat the actually real stuff, made up the road from my grandparent’s house 3 days before you buy it kind of syrup. None of that store-bought stuff. In regards to this post, I have been curious about this. I know it often comes down to our own bodies and experiences, but a lot of store-bought syrups have additives that I wouldn’t find in the kind I eat. Although I rarely eat it, I have never had a problem when I do and I was just curious if that might be why? This is just speculation, but the maple syrups like Aunt Jamima, are often loaded with added sugar and high fructose corn syrup. I was just looking at the nutrition facts on some maple syrup we bought in Vermont (Haven’t canned it yet) and it has the same carbs, but no added sugars or sweeteners. It is made by boiling maple tree sap, which contains about 2 percent natural sugar and that is why it thickens. This is again just speculation, but I was talking about how I usually don’t have problems with maple syrup in a past post on this discussion and I wanted to add this to the discussion. Sorry for this being a little late to the discussion, I just thought about this!!
Protein almost never affects BG, in my 60+ years of personal experience. By their chemical nature, I think, proteins do not metabolize rapidly - which is a key reason most Type 1s incorporate some protein or fat+protein in each meal, to spread out the PP curve somewhat instead of carb-only spiking PP curve. And as an ingredient in syrup I find it hard to imagine its volume representing a high percentage of the volume. So I DEFINITELY wouldn’t worry about it, notice no-one else here has remarked on it either, and
You know, we haven’t put anything it it yet, but we might try it now — both cinnamon and a little Splenda sound like good ideas to me! My daughter loves spicy things, and I know some people even put a little red pepper in theirs. I wouldn’t like that, but she might. Thanks for the suggestions!
As for maple syrup, I agree that it matters what you’re using, as well as how much. We’re real maple syrup snobs in our house, too, so I like the suggestion of measuring out the amount first, so you know what you’re getting.
And I’ll second the suggestion to try different food combinations, too. Maybe fewer pancakes along with more eggs and bacon (or other protein/fat of your choice) would slow down the syrup enough to be manageable.
I like spicey foods myself and recently discovered a spice called Ghost Pepper Naga Jolokia - I had tried Dunkin Donuts ghost pepper donuts and wanted to see if I could make something similar, and this spice was in one of the recipes.
I sprinkle some in the batter for Dutch Baby pancakes and find its delicious, but use sparingly😊. I ordered from Amazon but you might find it at Whole Foods or gourmet type markets.
Cracker Barrell. It’s available for purchase in their Old Country Store. Also, try Birch Benders Keto pancake mix. This is the only way my son can eat pancakes and not be in the clouds.
On a side note - has your daughter ever tried Dutch Baby pancakes? They’re light and fluffy, and the recipe I use works out to about 20g of carbs for one - depending on toppings, which is plenty for me (I make mine in an 8" pan).
I top mine with fresh raspberries and a dusting of powdered sugar and/or whipped cream, depending on my mood - and the spice I referenced earlier is delicious mixed into the batter.
@wadawabbit Quit fooling around and give us the actual recipe! I’ve tried every reasonable suggestion I can find to replace the traditional “pancake” to no avail…almond flower, coconut flour, etc…would love to find something!
) Imagine my surprise when 1/4 of a Hershey bar was actually just right!
I love the reduced sugar/ no sugar added hot chocolate packets, but sometimes I feel like they are too bitter so I add a tiny bit of Splenda along with my cinnamon and it works out good for me. Do you usually make them as is, or do you add something. I myself have never been a huge fan of sweets, but I love hot chocolate.