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Erythritol can cause digestive discomfort for some [1], which is why I suspect it isn't prevalent. It was an eye opener to me how many packaged goods have suga

Erythritol can cause digestive discomfort for some [1], which is why I suspect it isn't prevalent. It was an eye opener to me how many packaged goods have sugar (HFCS) added, when intuitively it seems there was no good reason for any added sweet flavor to be present. By (mostly) assiduously reading the ingredients (the only source of truth, which is why it is often in the smallest print), I am often able to avoid purchasing rubbish that has no business driving me ever faster to a painful death. There are some goods that are proudly sugar free (on the marketing speak and in the ingredients list) and I make sure to buy these when possible. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythritol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythritol

Retric 9y ago
The shocking thing is if you completely drop sugar from your diet you still notice plenty of sweet things. The only changes is the threshold before you consider something sweet. IMO, we need to have a big fat "This is Candy!" label on anything that's got more than 1 gram of sugar/hfcs/whatever per serving. Yes, that includes Apple Juice and other 'hidden' sweeteners.
- webkike 9y ago
  It's crazy, 20 grams of sugar is pretty much the standard and I wouldn't be able to stand that much sugar in a week!
- mpd 9y ago
  Even peanuts become candy under your definition.
  - Retric 9y ago
    Peanuts are candy. Just look at a snickers/payday/Mr. Goodbar or 50+ others that add peanuts with say caramel/chocolate/etc. They can be fine as part of a larger dish, but really don't make a heathy snack on their own.
    - mpd 9y ago
      I'm not sure why you brought chocolate and caramel into the picture, but I'm going to stick with my opinion that peanuts are not candy. I think you're attempting to redefine a word to fit your narrative, and I'm not having it.
      - Retric 9y ago
        I am not redefining Candy, I am using non food definition of candy to make a point. "Something that is pleasing or pleasurable, usually in a superficial way" Peanuts are frequently used as part of a wide range of sweets for texture. But, they are also sweet enough to not be out of place and in no way make them heathy by proxy. Similarly, eating a full serving of penuts regularly is generally a bad idea.
        leakyabs 9y ago
        > Similarly, eating a full serving of peanuts regularly is generally a bad idea. Why? Nuts are full of healthy fats and a single serving has a decent amount of calories. With the nutrition nuts have, they make a great snack to propel you through part of the day. If I start to dip around 2:00/3:00 PM and get hungry, one of my go-tos is a single serving of mixed nuts (although I also just toasted some walnuts for the same purpose). It keeps me full until dinner. I don’t understand why you hate nuts so much. I mean, obviously you should enjoy them in moderation, but that’s true for a lot of foods.
  - alrs 9y ago
    Compared to macadamia nuts and almonds, peanuts are absolutely candy. I don't eat them, at all.
    - ovao 9y ago
      I don’t quite follow. Peanuts and macadamia nuts have the same amount of sugar per one cup serving, so on what basis are you avoiding peanuts?
      - jacalata 9y ago
        Too mainstream?
      - e9 9y ago
        Peanuts are composed mostly of polyunsaturated fat (mostly omega 6 and very low omega 3) and macademia nuts are mostly monounsaturated fats. If you care about your omega 6 to omega 3 ratio in the diet then macademia nuts are probably better for you.
        bazoiks 9y ago
        > If you care about your omega 6 to omega 3 ratio I'm not sure you're going to find many other humans that do. Seriously - there's more important things to care about.
- KozmoNau7 9y ago
  I agree on this. Added sugar to me means candy or cake, and while I like candy and cake, they are definitely a "small portions, very infrequently" type thing.
- leakyabs 9y ago
  I cut out almost all processed, added sugar a few weeks ago (soda, energy drinks, and sweet coffee drinks (e.g. mochas) were my biggest vice) and the difference is amazing. I have consistent energy throughout the day. My mood has improved, I think (could be unrelated). I actually have normal feelings of hunger at normal times. If I need something sweet, I have some 72% dark chocolate squares, each with 3 g of sugar, that I eat after dinner with some mint tea. Helps the cravings immensely. I’ll also add a serving of agave nectar to yogurt. But what I’ve noticed is that I need less and less sweetener over time. I made a smoothie with yogurt, milk, and some non-sugar-heavy fruit and it was sweet enough on its own. I wasn’t expecting that.
epmaybe 9y ago
I'd imagine it's because erythritol isn't absorbed, so it just sits there in your gut drawing water out osmotically. That will make you feel really uncomfortable really quickly.

Retric 9y ago

The shocking thing is if you completely drop sugar from your diet you still notice plenty of sweet things. The only changes is the threshold before you consider something sweet. IMO, we need to have a big fat "This is Candy!" label on anything that's got more than 1 gram of sugar/hfcs/whatever per serving. Yes, that includes Apple Juice and other 'hidden' sweeteners.

webkike 9y ago
It's crazy, 20 grams of sugar is pretty much the standard and I wouldn't be able to stand that much sugar in a week!
mpd 9y ago
Even peanuts become candy under your definition.
- Retric 9y ago
  Peanuts are candy. Just look at a snickers/payday/Mr. Goodbar or 50+ others that add peanuts with say caramel/chocolate/etc. They can be fine as part of a larger dish, but really don't make a heathy snack on their own.
  - mpd 9y ago
    I'm not sure why you brought chocolate and caramel into the picture, but I'm going to stick with my opinion that peanuts are not candy. I think you're attempting to redefine a word to fit your narrative, and I'm not having it.
    - Retric 9y ago
      I am not redefining Candy, I am using non food definition of candy to make a point. "Something that is pleasing or pleasurable, usually in a superficial way" Peanuts are frequently used as part of a wide range of sweets for texture. But, they are also sweet enough to not be out of place and in no way make them heathy by proxy. Similarly, eating a full serving of penuts regularly is generally a bad idea.
      - leakyabs 9y ago
        > Similarly, eating a full serving of peanuts regularly is generally a bad idea. Why? Nuts are full of healthy fats and a single serving has a decent amount of calories. With the nutrition nuts have, they make a great snack to propel you through part of the day. If I start to dip around 2:00/3:00 PM and get hungry, one of my go-tos is a single serving of mixed nuts (although I also just toasted some walnuts for the same purpose). It keeps me full until dinner. I don’t understand why you hate nuts so much. I mean, obviously you should enjoy them in moderation, but that’s true for a lot of foods.
- alrs 9y ago
  Compared to macadamia nuts and almonds, peanuts are absolutely candy. I don't eat them, at all.
  - ovao 9y ago
    I don’t quite follow. Peanuts and macadamia nuts have the same amount of sugar per one cup serving, so on what basis are you avoiding peanuts?
    - jacalata 9y ago
      Too mainstream?
    - e9 9y ago
      Peanuts are composed mostly of polyunsaturated fat (mostly omega 6 and very low omega 3) and macademia nuts are mostly monounsaturated fats. If you care about your omega 6 to omega 3 ratio in the diet then macademia nuts are probably better for you.
      - bazoiks 9y ago
        > If you care about your omega 6 to omega 3 ratio I'm not sure you're going to find many other humans that do. Seriously - there's more important things to care about.
KozmoNau7 9y ago
I agree on this. Added sugar to me means candy or cake, and while I like candy and cake, they are definitely a "small portions, very infrequently" type thing.
leakyabs 9y ago
I cut out almost all processed, added sugar a few weeks ago (soda, energy drinks, and sweet coffee drinks (e.g. mochas) were my biggest vice) and the difference is amazing. I have consistent energy throughout the day. My mood has improved, I think (could be unrelated). I actually have normal feelings of hunger at normal times. If I need something sweet, I have some 72% dark chocolate squares, each with 3 g of sugar, that I eat after dinner with some mint tea. Helps the cravings immensely. I’ll also add a serving of agave nectar to yogurt. But what I’ve noticed is that I need less and less sweetener over time. I made a smoothie with yogurt, milk, and some non-sugar-heavy fruit and it was sweet enough on its own. I wasn’t expecting that.

epmaybe 9y ago

I'd imagine it's because erythritol isn't absorbed, so it just sits there in your gut drawing water out osmotically. That will make you feel really uncomfortable really quickly.