April 28, 2003
Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from Schenectady, New York, USA:
I recently bought sugar-free jelly beans, and I am a bit confused because the nutritional information says that a serving size of 35 pieces contains 36 grams of carb which is equivalent to regular jelly beans. However, when I looked it up further on their website, it said that for those on a low carb diet, the “net carbs” for the serving size was 4 grams of carb. Does that mean when I carb count, I figure 4 grams of carb for every 35 beans or do I count them as 36 grams of carb and cover for that? ( I am being hypothetical since I would never give such a large serving size to a child because of the laxative affect of sorbitol and mannitol). If I only count them as 4 grams of carb, that is a nice treat and would require no insulin coverage for a few beans.
Answer:
You ask a good question. Although there are only 4 grams of sugar in these beans, the 32 grams of sugar alcohols have to be taken into account when using insulin. Although sugar alcohols don’t affect blood sugars as rapidly as sugar, they still have an impact on glucose control. Sorry to put a damper on your celebration, but count the entire carb content, sugar and sugar alcohols.
I’m glad you are aware of the laxative effect associated with overconsumption of sugar alcohols. Some less fortunate people find out the hard way.
JMS
