Hi Guys,

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I have been reading about low carb diets for years and just starting out myself. I have tried searching for this and can't find anything specific.

I know the ultimate test is to get a blood sugar tester and test it myself, but I would like to learn from other experience. Also, I live in Tokyo, one of the carb capitals of the universe. Japanese recipes almost always include sugar.

Some examples:
Take a pork shoulder and marinate it in soy sauce and sugar and then slow cook it for 2 or 3 hours. The marinade tends to turn black and burn.

Marinate some ribs in a similar sauce and BBQ it.
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Real question:

If it turns black and burns, much of the sugar burns off. So how much am I actually eating?

Also, can I use an alternative like Stevia/Erythritol? Is it ok to BBQ/bake it like this?

Thanks guys

Hi,
I'm afraid you'd need a lab to figure that out and it wouldn't be accurate because of the different amounts of sugar and cuts of meat and cooking method used. Best bet is to not eat any marinated meat. Besides if you eat meat marinated with sugar, it would screw up your carb count and it would turn on sugar cravings.

Sometimes there's just no easy answer. I'd say use an alternative sweetener, that's what I do. I'd probably use a combination of liquid splenda and stevia. Or whatever is on hand. Mixing sweeteners is best because they all have properties that can be diminished if mixed, and they are stronger if mixed too.

Stevia can be quite bitter or taste odd, so be careful with it. I would taste the marinade and adjust it.

However, if you're eating meat that has been marinaded by someone else, scrape off all the marinade/sauce you can. Meat isn't terribly absorbent, so that will help. However sometimes they actually inject the marinade into the meat, then all the scraping in the world won't help.

For cooking, you should be able to just substitute stevia and erythritol for the sugar. If you don't have a problem with it, Splenda (sucralose) also works well. You can add a tiny bit of blackstrap molasses for a brown sugar flavor.

For eating out--as Nancy points out, oftentimes there isn't a huge amount of sugar absorbed in the meat. I think it would be very helpful to invest in a BG meter and strips, and measure how the foods affect your blood sugar. The meter is very inexpensive. Strips are expensive but you don't need a lot for a few measurements here and there. Doing this has been very helpful and informative for me. Otherwise it is very hard to figure out what you can eat that is already prepared, if it doesn't have a label.

Thanks Guys, very helpful.

Last question... if I substitute something like stevia and erythritol for the sugar, what are the cooking properties? Will it get screwed up if I BBQ or Bake it?

Thanks

It depends on the recipe. I've never used stevia in anything but coffee, because I don't like the slightly bitter taste or the liquorice aftertaste. I haven't tried erythritol, but that (and the stevia/erythritol combo) is often used in baked goods. For meat dishes like pulled pork, sweet and sour meats or curries, I use liquid Splenda. Zero carbohydrate and it holds up in cooking. Regular store-bought Splenda works, too, but it has added carb fillers.

If in doubt, I would find tried-and-true recipes online, read the comments, and don't make subs.

Thanks Kristine! And everyone else.

That really helped.

Paul


ps. Now if these sweeteners weren't so damn expensive here in Tokyo. Japanese people generally consider diets like low-carb totally nuts so it's difficult to find certain things.

Warning: Artificial sweeteners will stop weight loss and make you feel like crap. I stopped losing when I increased my sucralose. Best not to use any artificial sweeteners and bite the bullet

That's a rather sweeping statement and not true for everyone. I've had no issues with artificial sweeteners. They're a godsend if it means compliance and excellent health vs giving up and facing the consequences of the SAD.

Most Doctors say not to use artificial sweeteners. I don't agree that my statement was 'sweeping' . You may not think you have any trouble with them but either did my mother who used a lot of Equal and ended up dying from a malignant brain tumor as a result. We searched online and found Aspartame directly linked to brain tumors in mice!.. Plus everyone knows that artificial anything isn't good for people. You believe the FDA? All those 'studies' that say they're safe were bought and manipulated. So go ahead have your sweeteners. Its your life. I know how they affect me.

Wow, didn't expect this thread to turn dark. I was just asking a simple question.

~Mayflowers I am terribly sorry for the loss of your mother. Cancer can be devastating. That is the way my mother died as well so I can relate.

BUT, you must understand the difference between correlation and causation. Just because your mother consumed artificial sweeteners does not mean that was the cause of her cancer. And your statement "Warning: Artificial sweeteners will stop weight loss and make you feel like crap. I stopped losing when I increased my sucralose" is a sweeping statement. Artificial sweeteners can/may cause blood sugar elevations depending on the person.

Also, just like something like milk many people do not have the stomach bacteria necessary to digest it. So if they drink milk they suffer great discomfort and if they keep drinking milk it can cause severe health issues. Same thing for certain sweeteners.

Artificial sweeteners are not all artificial. Each one differs from the next, but just about all of them exist in nature.

The next thing you said was "Most Doctors say not to use artificial sweeteners. " I have asked 9 doctors so far about eating non-sugars. Not one of them said not to use them.

I'm a science geek and I have read about 100 books/articles/etc about artificial sweeteners. Saccharine, Nutrisweet, Aspartame they all have extensive research conducted on them. Some of the research was interesting to me because of the vested interests involved. The sugar lobby in the US is extremely powerful and they have put pressure on artificial sweeteners and funded their own research to dissuade people from using them. Also, some real issues have come to light. For instance, this site:

http://www.ruled.me/keto-diet-plan-...rst-sweeteners/

lists some of the problems associated with the products.

But know this, if there was a causal link was shown for any of these sweeteners the FDA would issue a warning and remove their approval. They have done it many times in the past.

I am sorry for the loss of your mother. I lost mine too, so I know how it feels. Having said that, I do take issue with the accuracy of your posting.


Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. I hadn't realized such a comprehensive survey had been undertaken of "most" doctors. Can you provide a link?


Ah yes, "everyone knows" it therefore it must be true.

Everyone also knows that meat is bad for you grains are healthy.

Everyone knows that ulcers are caused by eating spicy food.

Everyone knows that babies with large thymus glands are at higher risk of dying suddenly (so irradiate them to shrink them).

Everyone knows that gentlemen do not carry diseases. Doctors are gentlemen.

Whenever I hear terms like "most", "everyone knows" my credulity alarm goes off.

I suspect that there are far more instances of brain cancer caused by eating too much sugar than by too much alternative sweeteners. But no one ever talks about the link between sugar and cancer because they don't want to stop eating it.

How to train your mind to think critically

Sure I can provide a few links but here's one from Dr. Oz. http://www.doctoroz.com/artificial-...rbing-new-facts

And here's one by Dr. Mercola

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...r-imagined.aspx

the Dr Oz called before Senate for spreading complete nonsense re: supplements he sells?

"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." Mark Twain

I think this advice fits!

for the record, aspertame is the most studied product on the american market and has never been linked to cancer in huans, just lab rats. you are not a rat.....
but if you want a NON artificial sweetener, stevia is made from a plant. you might also try monk fruit extract.