Is stevia ok on induction?

[Elizellen]

Yes, but stick to the '3 servings' daily maximum (which is a rule for all phases of Atkins).

[Georgiana]

Originally Posted by LauraMG

Second, I must a little slow on the uptake. Are you saying that 1 g is all that is needed to knock the CCLL out of whack

Not exactly. The CCLL is a number that depends on things like your metabolism and on your level of exercise. So, it does not get "knocked out of whack" by eating certain foods, unless you have an intolerance to those foods, in which case you might slow down or stall your weight loss even if you eat below your CCLL.

Originally Posted by LauraMG

or are you saying that the 20 g really count and this is why it messes with the CCLL?

20 grams... you mean, the Induction 20 grams? Most people I've seen on the Board have a CCLL above 20, so they can afford eating, let's say, 35 net carbs and still lose weight. But during Induction, one should stick to the 20-gram upper limit because the charts of metabolic resistance (Ch. 13 in DANDR 2002) assume one has been eating not more than 20 net carbs per day. There is no magic in this number; it's simply the carbohydrate level at which Dr. Atkins noticed almost all his patients were able to lose weight.

What I meant to say when I wrote

Originally Posted by Georgiana

If, on the other hand, one is eating some sweets sweetened with erythritol and a serving size has 7 g of erythritol (so adding to about 20 g for the allowed three servings), then the net carbs could be about 1 g, and that's all that is needed above the CCLL for weight loss to stop.

is that, if you have, let's say, a CCLL of 45, eating 46 net carbs is enough for your weight loss to stop. Eating 2 extra net carbs, from 44 net carbs (below your CCLL; you lose at this level) to 46 net carbs (above your CCLL; you stop losing) will probably not make a big difference in your blood sugar symptoms, unless you have an intolerance to a particular food you ate (there is a blood sugar symptoms test on pp. 150-151 of DANDR... I think... I'm out of town and don't have the book with me). But these same two extra grams will stop your weight loss if your CCLL is 45.

Also, my comment was not referring particularly to erythritol. Any 1 carb above your CCLL will stop your weight loss, whether it comes from lettuce or tea.

Originally Posted by LauraMG

Also, the graph seems to support what I thought about erythritol having the "best" effect on blood sugar than the other sweeteners. So, if the above it true (about the carbs) than something's not adding up.

Yes, the graph shows that mannitol and erythritol are the best in terms of their effect on blood sugar. In fact, the little ups and downs you see in their curves are too small to be considered significant based on the available data, which is why erythritol and mannitol are considered to have no effect on blood sugar.

However, erythritol, in the studies analyzed in the review paper of Livesey, was tested alone, not in combination with other sweeteners (stevia, or stevia and isomaltulose). Even if one fits in the statistics and erythritol does not affect his/her blood glucose level, there is no research I know of that looked at the effect of erythritol in combination with stevia, isomaltulose or both. Certain food combinations can trigger blood sugar symptoms for one, even if the foods in that combination are fine to eat alone. For example, I can eat mascarpone with raspberries or mushrooms, and I can eat strawberries with cream cheese or whipped heavy cream, but eating strawberries with mascarpone gives me blood sugar symptoms. Similarly, one could be perfectly fine consuming erythritol, and be perfectly fine consuming stevia, but the combination of the two might mess up his/her blood sugar and cause some of the symptoms listed in that test that's in DANDR. I am not convinced it does this since erythritol appears to have no effect on blood sugar at doses of 20-65 grams (unlike a food), but I can't say for sure that it doesn't either. Better play safe and see how you react to using Truvia, PureVia, and even erythritol alone.

In my opinion, erythritol and stevia are two of the best sweeteners one can choose. The main reason why I am saying you should see what your reaction is even to erythritol alone is because of a possible cephalic response. This is explained in a sticky in the Atkins Diet FAQs forum. I have a terribly slow internet connection here, so I can't post the link... but, if I recall correctly, the thread name is "Addicted to Sweets? The Cephalic Phase Insulin Response".

Originally Posted by LauraMG

I refuse to use Splenda, so I guess my question is the following:
During induction, can I use erythritol to sweeten my herbal tea and decaf coffee?

In principle, I agree with Elizellen. But there is a note I'd like to make here about serving sizes and packets of sweetener. If I'm wrong, someone please correct me, but I believe the way the rule about sweeteners is phrased in DANDR is, "Limit your sweeteners to three packets a day" (in Ch. 12). Three packets of all sweeteners I know have the sweetness of 6 tsp of sugar and less or at most 1 net carb per packet. So, if anyone is using granular Splenda for example, where a serving size is 1 tsp, the limit is not 3 tsp (i.e. 3 servings), but 6 tsp, which are the equivalent of 3 packets of Splenda in terms of sweetness and carbohydrate content. Similarly, if you are using erythritol, the limit is not 3 servings (if I am not mistaken, 1 serving of erythritol has the sweetness of 1 tsp of sugar), but 6 servings, which are the equivalent of 3 packets of sweetener (like Splenda) and have the sweetness of 6 tsp of sugar.

[LauraMG]

WOW!!! Amazing information and I totally understand you now.

Before, I thought you were trying to say you were counting 20 g of carbs for the erythritol. In that case, I thought, "What's the point of eating it at all-- I might as well eat sugar." But, you clarified it beautifully.

I agree that each body responds differently to different stimuli.

In return for all your hard work, I think I'll entertain you:
I'm chugging along here Still very strict, although I almost fell off the proverbial wagon this morning (unwittingly). Because I haven't had a BM in almost 5 days I took 2 teaspoons of Epsom salt in some water and I wanted to take the taste out of my mouth, so I took a sip of my fiance's Turkish coffee. Luckily, before I swallowed it he yelled out, "I put sugar in it!" I rushed to the sink, spit it out and flushed my mouth with water. It was funny! On another note, I still haven't gone. If it doesn't work in the next hour or so I'm going to try the suppositories I bought. I've never used them in my life... I can just imagine the fun now.

Anyway, thanks again for all the information you've given me-- it really helps!