sugar alcohols...

Hi guys!  I have a quick question.  Do you count the sugar alcohols in artificial sweetners in your daily totals of carbs?  I've been using a sweetner called "Ideal" for probably a year now and never really thought it a problem.  Recently, though I've really cracked down on my carb intake (after realizing how far I had fallen!)  and realized that every teaspoon equals about 1.5gms of carbs.  I use 2 for coffee in the morning (sometimes 2 cups) and 2 for hot tea in the afternoon.  It adds up!  What do you think?

Hi, slandreth --

First of all, let me say that it is admirable of you to be so vigilant in your attempt to crack down on unnecessary carbs.  We should all be so careful not to let them slip back into our diets.  It seems to me, though, at only 1.5g a teaspoon, you can't possibly be going over about 10 or 15g a day.  Seems a little bit like picking at nits to worry about that ... unless you are ingesting an enormous amount of carbs from other sources.

Enjoy your coffee and tea, and relax :-)

--Dorothy 

Sugar alcohols do a number on my digestive system, so I avoid them for that reason.  But I count them as carbs since they still contain carbs, just not "sugar" per se.  

Even if you have 6 teaspoons per day, that's only 9 g carbs (or about 36 calories).  Doesn't seem like a big deal, especially in maintenance.  Unless it triggers cravings or some other issue.

I love me some coffee!  I don't use sweetener in it, but I sometimes struggle with how much cream or milk I put in it.  It's not much in the grand scheme of things, unless I have 4 cups per day, which I do occassionally!  :)  And hot tea is also another one of my loves.  I drink it straight up though.

Thanks guys for your replys!  I was trying to stay below 20gms a day, so every bit counted.  I'm not sure that is really doable....I know I do need some vegs and I like an occasional glass of wine.... :=)

I don't think you can stay under 20 g a day unless you play the net carb games. I've always counted all carbs but I never tried to go under 40 g a day.

I do think you must count sugar alcohols. While they aren't totally absorbed, they aren't calorie free. Some of them have almost as many calories as sugar! Others have only miniscule calories.  Since every kind has a different absorption rate, it would drive you crazy to try to figure out how much to count so it's easier to count everything.