Sugar intake is a real concern for people who've had gastric bypass, in fact most patients fear sugar. The foremost fear isn't weight gain, it's dumping. Foods containing sugar pass too quickly through the small pouch, they are rapidly absorbed and cause insulin levels to drop resulting in dumping.
Very unpleasant. Instead of taking chances with sugar many of us reach for "sugar free" sweets or diabetic candy to satisfy our sweet tooth. Many of these products contain sugar alcohol, a natural sweetener derived from fruits and berries. Unlike artificial sweeteners that contain no calories, sugar alcohol has about half the calories of sugar. Diabetics are able to have food with sugar alcohol because it's converted more slowly to glucose and require very little insulin to be metabolized.
While sugar alcohols are low in calories and slow to convert to glucose, the down side is they can cause gas, bloating and diarrhea. I learned this the hard way. One day that devil we call temptation seduced me into buying a bag of sugar-free jelly beans. Jelly beans are dangerous because they are little bites of soft food which means a gastric bypass patient can eat too much volume. I ate the entire bag in about an hour (true confessions of the closet snacker). I soon became uncomfortable with a small tummy ache. The tummy ache turned to bloating, cramping and gas. Extreme cases of all three symptoms. Painful "take me to the hospital I think I'm gonna explode" symptoms. It took a couple of days for my body to return to normal, a couple of stressful and uncomfortable days.
The jelly beans I ate contained Mannitol, a common sugar alcohol extracted from seaweed. I know they contained Mannitol because I read the package mid-way through the crisis. The package contained this warning, "Warning: excessive consumption can cause a laxative effect" Fine time to be reading labels I told myself! Mannitol is found naturally in pineapples, olives, asparagus, sweet potatoes and carrots. It's about 60% as sweet as sugar, so more product is needed to replicate the sweetness of sugar. "Mannitol lingers in the intestines for a long time and therefore causes bloating and diarrhea." Yup! That's exactly what happens all right.
What other names are sugar alcohols called?
Sorbitol is found naturally in fruits and vegetables. It is manufactured from corn syrup. Sorbitol has only 50 percent of the relative sweetness of sugar which means twice as much must be used to deliver a similar amount of sweetness to a product. It has less of a tendency to cause diarrhea compared to mannitol. It is often an ingredient in sugar-free gums and candies.
Xylitol is also called "wood sugar" and occurs naturally in straw, corncobs, fruit, vegetables, cereals, mushrooms and some cereals. Xylitol has the same relative sweetness as sugar. It is found in chewing gums.
Lactitol has about 30-40 percent of sugar's sweetening power, but its taste and solubility profile resembles sugar so it is often found in sugar-free ice cream, chocolate, hard and soft candies, baked goods, sugar-reduced preserves and chewing gums.
Isomalt is 45 - 65 percent as sweet as sugar and does not tend to lose its sweetness or break down during the heating process. Isomalt absorbs little water, so it is often used in hard candies, toffee, cough drops and lollipops.
Maltitol is 75 percent as sweet as sugar. It is used in sugar-free hard candies, chewing gum, chocolate-flavored desserts, baked goods and ice cream because it gives a creamy texture to foods.
Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH) are produced by the partial hydrolysis of corn. HSH are nutritive sweeteners that provide 40 - 90 percent of the sweetness of sugar. HSH do not crystallize and are used extensively in confections, baked goods and mouthwashes.
Should Gastric Bypass Patients indulge their sweet tooth with sugar alcohol?
The American Diabetes Association claims that sugar alcohols are acceptable in a moderate amount but should not be eaten in excess. In addition, weight gain has been seen when these products are overeaten. Personally, I'm not dipping my sticky fingers into sugar-free candy again. For gastric bypass patients generally the key, as in all eating, must be moderation, not a full bag of jelly beans. And of course, we can always rely on the old advice of conventional dieters, "Hungry for something sweet? Reach for a piece of fruit."
Kaye Bailey is a weight loss surgery success story having maintained her health and goal weight for 5+ years. An award winning journalist, she is the author and webmaster of http://www.livingafterwls.com and http://www.livingafterwls.com
LivingAfterWLS is a no-nonsense resource for people Living After Weight Loss Surgery. Our community is growing in numbers even as we are shrinking in pounds. Together we support one another in this lifestyle, that it turns out, is NOT the easy way out.
Fresh & insightful content is added daily, check in often. To subscribe to the LivingAfterWLS monthly newsletter "You Have Arrived" click on http://www.livingafterwls.com and enter your details in the subscription box.
expert residential cleaners Park Ridge ..Have you ever watched someone who appears thin and healthy... Read More
Health food or heart attack on a plate? Eggs had... Read More
First some terminology.Fructose ... a five carbon sugar that occurs... Read More
The most incredible thing you can do for yourself is... Read More
Media coverage of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has incited... Read More
I read a lot about the topics of health and... Read More
Water is a vitally important component of any valuable and... Read More
Tired of having stare-downs with those boxes of Krispy Kremes,... Read More
Spring is in the air and ? summer is around... Read More
The nutritional support in critically ill patients can be explained... Read More
Spring in New York City is a really magical time.... Read More
Many of us, probably even you, want this thing called... Read More
With new research, new products and new skin protection advice... Read More
The typical American diet already provides plenty of protein and... Read More
People want to get the very best they can when... Read More
Did you know that the food you eat when you... Read More
Many low carb dieters fall victim to "carb creep," which... Read More
Are there any benefits to be obtained from drinking water... Read More
Here's food for thought! Did you know the average restaurant... Read More
The confusion about eating healthy and dieting will now be... Read More
Better sleep = better metabolism. I have been saying it... Read More
Can we really stop the aging process, slow it down,... Read More
Having a large amount of such "visceral fat" is associated... Read More
For all I prefer to buy my fresh produce at... Read More
America's major dietary deficiency - EFA a panacea for good... Read More
green cleaning service Park Ridge ..Fad diets have been around for more than 50 years... Read More
Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing my 6-month old... Read More
Here's food for thought! Did you know the average restaurant... Read More
Great news on the chocolate front! Chocolate is good for... Read More
Just what is the "New Biology of Health?" And who's... Read More
The natural antioxidants in Oat Bran can significantly reduce blood... Read More
For a considerable amount of time, nutrition has not played... Read More
It seems as if the health of America is failing.... Read More
As any student of chemistry will assure you, acids and... Read More
Calcium helps reduce constipationUsing calcium and magnesium in the right... Read More
It is often taken as a given fact that soy... Read More
1. Water. If you're thirsty you're already dehydrated. The majority... Read More
If you have a business trip tomorrow morning, you've probably... Read More
What if you could actually slow your rate of aging,... Read More
There are a number of common food mistakes that costs... Read More
Come on, guys and gals. Those Trix are for kids.And... Read More
Today's tip is on hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).Hypoglycemia affects both... Read More
Nature works mostly on the principle of thing and no... Read More
With all the news about Splenda of late and the... Read More
Lactose is the primary carbohydrate in milk. Cow's milk contains... Read More
Flaxseeds may be the smallest seeds you will find in... Read More
A green and lush oasis in the middle of a... Read More
Making simple changes to your food diet can help remedy... Read More
The American Heart Association recommends that you eat a variety... Read More
With the array of different diets and diet foods available... Read More
Nutrition |