There seems to be a plethora of products out there geared towards low-carb dieters and diabetics that contain sugar alcohols. That is great, but I have heard that not everyone can tolerate sugar alcohols. Being new to all of this and never having consumed these products in the past, I don't how if I will be able to tolerate the sugar alcohols. For which potential symptoms should I be lookin? Thanks.

To be perfectly blunt: gas, bloating, and diarrhea are among the most common.

Seems like everybody's a little different. I can tolerate 1 pc of "sugar-free" candy a day, so I usually have a piece of gum. That's my limit.

Sugar alcohols still raise your blood sugar, just not as rapidly. Personally, except for my piece of gum I'd much rather have the real thing and just inject enough insulin to cover it. (but I'm T1, so that's not the case for everyone) That sugar-free junk just don't taste right to me.

Some sugar alcohols are worse than others. I have some chocolate bars with erythritol, which is supposed to cause fewer problems. Why can't they just use Splenda?

My son gets terrible stomachaches, I avoid products w/sugar alcohols at all cost.

Sugar alcohols = Diarrhea, definitely, for me at least. Even a little bit of Splenda gives me gas and runs, so I don't buy any products with it any more. Am concerned because the manufacturers of some of the products I liked that had aspertame have switched to Splenda and I can't buy them any more. I even e-mailed to Kroger about the change in their non-fat yogurt.

If there are ingredients that I can't pronounce in the product I stay away from them, even before I was diagnosed. In some cases can berries like blueberries, straw or blackberries work as a substitute for a sweet craving?

For me, sugar alcohols, increase my PMS symptoms when added to other ingredients in the chocolate covered coated vanilla--ice cream bars. Other than that, I tolerate sugar alcohols rather well... If a serving contains 8 or 9
sugar alcohols, I hesitate. I do very well also when I eliminate the sugar free cookies altogether, but tolerate the sugar free chocolates very well.
It's all confusing, but learning what works for your own bod! :cool: