Sweet Freedom

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Caroline

Senior Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Have seen a new product advertised called Sweet Freedom It is supposed to be better for us than sugar and is not loaded with carbs, and only acts like sugar in the respect it makes things sweeter. I'll post the website here and also put on the links message board.

www.sweetfreedom.co.uk
 
Looks fairly chemical free -

IMPORTANT: - Unlike other so called ?natural' sweeteners SWEET FREEDOM is extracted from fruit (apples, grapes and carob) using with no chemicals or enzymes. It is not bleached or chemically adulterated and is made in the UK.

Anythings gotta be better than that nasty aspartame stuff :s Although for some reason liquid sugar disturbs me. I know thats silly but I like my sugar to come in granular form. Looks a great product for people who are less weird than me!
 
OK, I've read the website now rather than just shooting from the hip!

According to the website it has 25% less calories than sugar, but as far as I can tell it is still a carbohydrate and will still have an effect on bg (just less of one).

I can't say that I'm that impressed.

I also find the website unclear. It claims to be low GL, but mentions nothing about its GI (I suspect that it is high? If it isn't why don't they say so? Or have I missed it?). Quote :-

"Can diabetics use it?
As it has a low GL (Glycaemic Load) it can help to keep sugary highs and lows at bay and so is a good choice for diabetics as part of a healthy balanced diet."


Sounds a bit vague to me. After all, I can eat sugar "as part of a healthy balanced diet", if I wanted to.
 
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It is another option and I think people will look and decide to use or not to use. The main thing is we are able to make an informed decision. I probably wont use it as I'd want so much of it it would rather defeat the object as I like sweet things!
 
Andy HB said:
OK, I've read the website now rather than just shooting from the hip!

According to the website it has 25% less calories than sugar, but as far as I can tell it is still a carbohydrate and will still have an effect on bg (just less of one).

I can't say that I'm that impressed.

I also find the website unclear. It claims to be low GL, but mentions nothing about its GI (I suspect that it is high? If it isn't why don't they say so? Or have I missed it?).
Click to expand...

GL is more important and effective measure in these matters than GI, especially for Diabetics. GL tells you what an actual portion of "x" will actually have on you rather how "x" theoretically compares to 100 g of glucose.
 
Extracts from the FAQ:-
How much should I use when replacing sugar?
You can reduce the amount used weight for weight by approx 25% (i.e. if recipe calls for 100g of sugar try 75g).

Is it like the crystalline fructose you can buy?
No, that is 100% fructose and although it says ?fruit sugar' on the box it's actually made from sugar beet! Sweet Freedom has approx 24 grams of fructose per 100g and so is relatively low in fructose, lower than honey and many other syrups. It contains only the naturally occurring sugars in the three fruits used; apples, grapes and carob.

So, I suppose it all depends on what they mean by low GL? It is certainly lower than sugar, so I suppose if you want something sweet and not use sweeteners, it is a better option.

I also suppose it's a candidate for a bit of personal testing!
 
Andy HB said:
So, I suppose it all depends on what they mean by low GL?
Click to expand...

Low GL is defined as under 10.
the doyenne of the Gi / Gl movement is Prof. Jenny Brand Miller of Sydney university and they have a searchable database online of GI and Gl values - just pop in the name of the food.

A great guide to GI and Gl is David Mendosa ( an American Type 2 Diabetes guru - his site is a must have Favourite) ......
http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm
 
Thanks for that Peter.

It's good to be cynical! People give me lots of useful info to put me right.

Andy
 
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