Blood Sugar vs. Sugar-Free Snacks: I Ran the Tests

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Foods that are high in sugar spike your blood sugar. That is not something you want if you have insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, or trouble losing weight. So what happens when you remove the sugar?

There are sugar-free versions of many high-sugar snacks. But do these foods do what you hope they will do? In other words, can you keep eating candy and treats without the troublesome blood sugar spikes? That is what I set out to discover using my continuous glucose monitor from Levels to collect the facts.

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Disclaimer: Dr. Becky Gillaspy, DC received her Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1991. Her use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to herself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Gillaspy was a licensed chiropractor in Pennsylvania, but she no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, and prescription or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Gillaspy and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Dr Becky Fitness LLC and Dr. Rebecca Gillaspy, D.C. are not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis or any conclusions drawn, services or product you obtain through this video or site.

Leroy Johnson
 

  • JoAnn Hartsfield says:

    Thank you, Dr. Becky for all you do for us! 💜

  • Mary Tradii says:

    I would love to see a test of eurythritol, such as in Lily’s chocolate bars. Thank you.

  • ProphetAndLoss says:

    This is super helpful for those of us doing keto with a sweet tooth!

  • terry williams says:

    Please do the same experiment with the natural sweeteners like stevia, monk fruit etc.

  • Michelle Elle says:

    I just recently started a low carb diet and I have purchased sugar free hard candies and keto protein bars. My stomach is a bloated mess! Now I know why 🤦🏼‍♀️ Thank you for this information

  • Susan Findell says:

    Wow, talk about false advertising! I don’t know how they get away with it. Thank you for doing these kinds of tests, sorry you didn’t feel good. Like I learned from you, when you eat more healthy fats and less refined carbs, you naturally lose your sweet tooth…or most of it 😊

  • Nan Zingrone says:

    As a type 2 diabetic, I use net carbs but I only deduct fiber because as you say — and I love this particularly cautionary tale you’re weaving — except for stevia and monk fruit, sugar substitutes including the sugar alcohols spike my sugar like nobody’s business. Maybe not what real sugar does, but the spikes are scary. I’m testing with a Relion testing kit because it fits my budget and I have lost 92 pounds over the last five years and am still losing a few ounces every week, and have been off Metformin for about 4 months. The info here reinforces the way I ate and gives me talking points to friends and family who have Type 2 and rely on package info. Great video.

  • Kathy Smotryski says:

    Thank you for the substantial information. It helps that I’m just diagnosed as diabetic. Good info for me to know.

  • Sheila Mann says:

    Thankyou Becky for such a clear easy to understand explanation of sugar alcohols. I have learnt a lot about food choices from you.

  • M. Searay says:

    Thanks for trying these and providing these results!

  • CTN Banks says:

    I always wonder about that, the sugar free snacks thanks for the explanation .

  • Cara Ortega says:

    I’m curious about the Adkins drinks, snacks and Saccharine. Thanks for your education and content. It helps!❤

  • Little Potato says:

    I remember when I went on a phase of eating sandwiches with store bought “low carb” bread. I looked at the total carbs and it looked pretty good. It was very tasty, but I started noticing that I started getting hungry a lot more often. And I was eating enough calories. I watched a youtuber test a bunch of these “low carb” breads while using a continuous blood sugar monitor. Holy crap! I know nutritional label numbers can be fudged around with, but this feels like a straight scam. That might be just how I felt at the time because it was really nice to have some tasty sandwiches again. well, I relearned my lesson about store bought food nutritional labels at face value. Since then, I found lots of people working on making bread at home and moved into just making it myself for my sandwiches.

  • Dennis DeVito says:

    I have used the sugar free pecan delights and had no problem with increase glucose levels however I do not eat it on an empty stomach only right after a meal and I never have more than one and most of the time only half.

  • Little Voice says:

    Hope you do a keto protein bar test with some brands available in USA and worldwide too

  • Little Voice says:

    Maybe you could test the protein powders. Many have sucrolose or stevia. Some are plant based low carb, others are animal based.

  • Molly S says:

    Former sugar plum fairy! There’s no free rides and I don’t even looking at those snacks. Better to go cold turkey and healthier too!

  • Jay P says:

    Great content in this video. I’d really like to see the comparisons of mannitol, erythritol and xylitol as found in Atkins products.

  • J. Patrick Moore says:

    My wife picked up some keto bread and it was…. terrible. It always seems to me that just eating different real foods makes more sense than something that is supposed to be like the stuff that you’re not eating. I do like the Lindt 90% chocolate bars, I’ve always liked dark chocolate and they are very good.

  • Nathaniel Craig says:

    Dr Becky, It is such a pleasure you’ve maintained a channel of clarity & well-presented info. It’s also nice to hear a YouTuber not screaming at us. 😅

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