Can I Eat Sugar Alcohols On My Low Carb Diet?

Low Carb Diet Tips

Here's a great article about the Low Carb Diet which should help you find out more about how to lose weight by reducing the amount of carbohydrates you eat. This diet has been successful for thousands of people, so it's definitely worth a try as a weight loss method. Read on for more low carb dieting tips.

"Polyols" or sugar alcohols are a number of different carbohydrates that are neither sugars nor alcohols--and are commonly used as artificial sweeteners in a range of products, from ice cream to chewing gum.While these tasty sweeteners appear to be the perfect solution for both low-carb dieters and low-carb food producers, recent studies of sugar alcohols have painted a somewhat different picture.To begin with, sugar alcohols are not entirely carb-free. Most studies have indicated that sugar alcohols contain approximately 1/2 to 1/3 the amount of calories as sugar--and in the form of carbohydrates.In addition, studies have shown that sugar alcohols are absorbed by the small intestine, but the process is slower and fractured. This affects a rise in blood sugar, but again is smaller and more gradual than with sugar--and the rise tends to vary from person to person.Sugar alcohols also have a laxative effect on some consumers. Since they are only partially absorbed, they bring water into the bowel--and undigested carbs into the colon, creating gas and bloating as the carbs are acted on by bacteria.Over-consumption of sugar alcohols can often have an adverse effect on low carb dieters, even when they can digest them properly. Sugar alcohols can trigger cravings in low carb dieters, causing them to deviate from dietary restrictions.In addition, sugar alcohols can often cause low carb dieters to choose an unhealthy diet of sweets, which appear to be carb-free, over a varied diet that includes essential nutrients.If you are currently on a low carb diet and want to mix sugar alcohol products into your diet, it is very important that you monitor your total sugar alcohol intake--and keep it at a minimum while consuming a healthy diet.One easy way to do this is to determine the total amount of carbs in sugar alcohol products you are consuming.

You can do this by subtracting the amount of fat and protein calories per serving from the total amount of calories per serving. Simply multiply the grams of protein by four and the grams of fat by nine. Now subtract the sum of the two from the total amount of calories per serving.Using these figures, you can determine whether or not carbs are being "hidden" in "carb free" sugar alcohol products you consume, allowing you to make a better-informed decision that fits the prescriptions of your low-carb diet.

TIP: As you can tell by reading this article on losing weight by reducing carbs, there's a lot of stuff to know when you're choosing which foods to eat, determining how many carbs are in a serving portion, and balancing your body's nutritional requirements to maximize weight loss.

Related Pages

Zone Diet Information - Details of this popular weight loss system - Find out what the experts say about losing weight by eating fewer starchy foods and more meat, vegetables, and fruit.

Ten Weight Loss Tips - These ten tips will help you lose weight fast - Weight loss works faster when you cleanse your system, drink plenty of water, and increase your fiber intake.

Hoodia Diet Pill - All about the Hoodia diet pill - Weight loss advice on using Hoodia Gordonii to safely suppress your appetite.

In The News

Weight Loss Surgery Helps Obese Women Have Healthier Babies (The Hendersonville Times-News)
A new report suggests that women who become pregnant after weight-loss surgery have easier pregnancies than do obese women who become pregnant.

Weight-loss surgery helps with pregnancy: study (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Women who get pregnant after weight-loss surgery tend to be healthier and less likely to deliver a baby born with complications compared to obese women, researchers said on Tuesday.

	Web Diet-Lose-Weight.info

Diets
Atkins
Low Carb
Mediterranean
South Beach
Zone Diet

Weight Loss
Advice
Diet Pills
Hoodia
Supplements
Surgery

Diet Plans
Tips
Programs
Products

Fitness Tips
Cardio
Workouts
Exercises
Equipment
Programs
Video DVDs

Recipes
Low Carb
Low Fat
Chicken
Seafood
South Beach
Weight Watchers

Resources