Newbie Question

[Charliewatch]

Is it ok to have Peanut Butter with no added sugar?

 

[LeeLee]

What's more important than whether it's got sugar is the total carb count (all carbs ARE sugar once eaten). Compare labels, make your choice and then weigh your portions to work out how many carbs you're eating.

I can't keep peanut butter in the house (either with or without sugar) because I can't resist the stuff once the jar is open!

 

[yorksman]

(all carbs ARE sugar once eaten)

That's not true unless you are a ruminant and humans haven't been able to digest cellulose based carbohydrates since our leaf eating days. We used to call this type of carbohydrate roughage and it is still an important part of our dietary fibre. There are many carbohydrate types and the group known as oligosaccharides are not digested by any enzymes that we produce but merely broken down by bacteria in the intestine, the reason why beans and pulses can cause flatulence. I don't know about peanut butter but about 1/3rd of the carbohydrate content of peanuts is dietary fibre with high contents of cellulose and hemicellulose based carbs. It's probably a contributory factor to peanuts only having a GI of 16.

However most foods refine peanuts, mashing, roasting, dry roasting etc and the heat processes invariably result in a degree of caramelisation. As with many industrial processes, chemical changes occur which alter the structure of the more comples saccharides and reduce them to less complex saccharide types which are more easily digested.

Carbs on their own are not necessarily your enemy. You can eat a whole tree and it will not raise your BG levels, I promise you. In fact, flour made from tree bark to make bread is a common famine food. However, whilst it fills the belly, I provides precious little nutrition.

 

[am64]

i have a slice of wholemeal or grainy /seeded toast and whole earth peanut butter which had no added sugar, in the morning...its the fat content in peanut butter that folk worry about... however 1 slice suits me fine till lunch as its a slow release ...

 

[HelenHanfe]

i have a slice of wholemeal or grainy /seeded toast and whole earth peanut butter which had no added sugar, in the morning...its the fat content in peanut butter that folk worry about... however 1 slice suits me fine till lunch as its a slow release ...

I'm the same - whole earth PB. I find the no sugar variety quite awful, so just have less (but enough) of 'proper' PB.

HelenHanfe

 

[zuludog]

I eat peanut butter now and again, but I'm not so keen on it, so I don't have a jar in at the moment, and can't have a look at the composition and nutritional breakdown; but here are some comments

I would think there won't be that much difference in the carbohydrate and sugar levels between added and no sugar types. Then consider how much peanut butter you actually eat, even if you eat more than average. My guess is that compared to your overall food consumption, the extra sugar would be negligible. so you might just as well eat the one you like, probably the added sugar version.

However, there is another problem with peanut butter; it has high levels of fat and salt. This won't have much effect on your sugar level, but diabetics are more susceptible to cardiovascular problems, and the increased consumption of fat and salt will have a bearing on those.

Here are a couple of suggestions:-

Try to reduce consumption, and change to low fat and sugar versions

Go to a health food shop, and try vegetable or yeast pate. Not the same as peanut butter, but it has the same sort of texture, you might just take to it

For the nut taste, get plain (raw) untreated nuts, ie no added salt or flavourings. They can be a bit pricey but browse around the various bargain & saver shops. There are lots of nuts in the shops at the moment; they should be reduced after Christmas. Remember that you are not buying huge quantities of sweets & chocolate, and peanuts are cheap anyway

Where I live there is a large Asian community. The ethnic food shops sell large bags of almonds and cashews fairly cheaply

 

[am64]

whole earth no added sugar = Carbohydrate 7.4g of which sugars 3.8g

sunpat peanut butter = Carbohydrate 15.2g of which sugars 5.1g

as for Quote

"Remember that you are not buying huge quantities of sweets & chocolate, and peanuts are cheap anyway "

the assumption is that all T2 did/do is eat sugar ....i have never brought huge quantities of these !!

 

[Pine Marten]

I'm another fan of Whole Earth - the crunchy variety, which I have on toast just now and again. I was forbidden it when I was first diagnosed, but thanks to this forum I ignore such silly advice! 🙂

 

[DeusXM]

The answer is the same as for any food - test before eating, eat it, and test two hours afterwards. If the two readings are broadly similar, it's probably safe for you (as in you in particular) to eat.

Personally I find the fat content in peanut butter slows down the absorption of carbs. I can eat peanut butter out of the jar without any problems. But if I spread it on bread, that requires a lot more thought and planning.