posted May 19, 2000 10:58 PM         

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Dudes, I just read a post about not spiking insulin levels with sweeteners. Now I've been putting raw sugar in my oatmeal because I heard it is better than white sugar and I've been eating cookies if they were fat-free or sweetened with fructose, even fat-free frozen yogurt.

Have I been doing something counterproductive if I'm trying to lose a little fat around the middle. I really don't know?

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posted May 20, 2000 04:14 PM            

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Hey man, you just answered your own question. Yes Sweeteners spike your insulin level just like sugar does. The concensus I got from the pro's on this site was that anything that taste sweet spikes insulin levels. I think thats a good rule of thumb to go by...When your dieting there shouldn't be too many foods you eat that should taste sweet to you, besides say a shake. Put down the cookies.. Gare

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posted May 24, 2000 04:49 PM         

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Damn, no more frozen yogurt?

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posted May 24, 2000 08:39 PM            

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no man,, I was in the same boat as you untill some guys on this site helped me out. The yogurt not only spikes insulin levels through artificial sweetners. It also is a dairy product, which i've heard can bloat you. Stick to chicken/fish protien powders, eggs...etc High protien, low carb, very low sugar, low sodium, fat is ok, but make sure it is not saturated.
I've been eating this way for a few weeks now. Im doing ok, but still waiting to see the results i'd like. Gare

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posted May 24, 2000 10:11 PM            

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If you just use a tiny bit of a sweetener, then you won't spike insulin levels much at all (not enough to store fat.) Sucrolose (sp?) was just approved by the FDA as a natural sweetener. It is much sweeter than sugar so you only need a tiny bit. For instance, if you get protein from the protein factory with the sucrolose sweetener added, they only add 500mg per pound of protein.

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posted May 25, 2000 05:28 AM         

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I think the thing to remember here is that it isn't so much an increase of insulin which hurts us, but rather how much and how fast these foods/nutrients/etc are digested. Meaning that, some foods people consider "complex carbs" (some nonsweet)can actually spike your insulin levels higher than some foods that are simple/sweet. For example, a microwaved potato, some white rices, pumpkin, and many breads will "spike" your insulin levels more than things like honey, ice creams, Honey Smacks Cereal, oatmeal cookies, and many fruits. Another example of a sweet tasting food would be a Snicker's Candy Bar, which only has a GI rating [glucose index] of around 40, and is considered a "low glycemic" carbohydrate.
Examples of nonsweet complex carbs that spike insulin:
Microwave potato (GI = 82)
Pumpkin (GI =75)
Brown pasta rice (GI = 92)

Some examples of sweet/simple carbs with lower GI ratings:
Kellog's Honey Smacks [GI = 55]
Oatmeal cookies [GI = 55]
Pita bread [GI = 57]
Artificially sweet lowfat yogurt [GI =14]
Low fat ice cream [GI = ~61]
Chocolate milk [GI = 34]
Apples [GI = 38]
Orange Juice [GI = 52]
Sweet potato [GI = 54]
Snickers Candy bar [GI = 40]

There are a lot of factors to consider between a product that is high/low glycemic. The above examples clearly show the inaccurateness of judging on sweetness so I wouldn't set this philosophy in stone. The above figures were measured through the glucose index rating chart.

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posted May 25, 2000 01:55 PM         

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There is a phenomenon called cephalic phase response, where the sensation of foods illicits other physiological responses. There have been some studies showing that SOME people can show this, in terms of insulin response, to artificial sweetners, but the general concensus shows that it does not happen with the vast majority.

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posted May 25, 2000 10:04 PM         

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I am gonna through out some info here that may be incorrect, so do not take this like I know what I am talking about. Some of you medical guys correct me if I am wrong. cockdezl mentioned the word "cephalic", which means, of or pertaining to the head. On my weekend carb-up following a CKD diet, insulin levels are skyrocket high, and I am usually in a sleep induced coma. Would this be an example of one of these conditions mentioned by cockdezl? Lets just say that I am a lazy son of a bitch on the weekend due to ingesting soo many high glycemic carbs, which makes it pretty hard to study on my homework. I don't really have a problem with this, I was just wondering if this is an example of this condition. Just trying to use some analytical thinking here. Never really heard of this condition.

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posted May 28, 2000 02:13 PM         

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BMJ, the cephalic phase response refers to a psycho-physiological response of the body to perceived stimuli, such as insulin release to sweetness. The brain senses sweetness and in some cases triggers a physiological response, such as gastric acid secretion, insulin release, etc.

In the case of a CKD, I am very familiar with the phenomenon you describe. This is my downfall on a CKD, namely during the carb-ups I become very lethargic and fuzzy headed. This occurs because while in ketosis, one becomes HYPERinsulinemic and when a carb meal is introduced it triggers a high insulin release which drives tryptophan across the blood-brain barrier and increases the conversion of Tryp to serotonin. During the keto portion of the week, Tyrosine and Phenylalanine predominate so there is greater norepinephrine formed in the brain, due to low insulin. During a carbup I can often have a dull headache, and I never get headaches, plus I want to sleep all day.

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posted May 28, 2000 09:55 PM         

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Hey thank man

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posted May 30, 2000 08:10 PM         

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uh, ok

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