Sweeteners, Sugar, and DS, OH MY!

[DSRIGGS]

Dr. K doesn't want us to use artificial sweetness I use real sugar for food if needed. I drink the SF Hawaiian Punch packets that are made with artificial sweetener. Some time the make me sick sometimes they don't. Hit or miss for me

I had a discussion with Dr K about carb restrictions and sweetness. He thinks artificial sweeteners are bad for anyone not just DS patients, because they basically turn into chlorine (I believe) in our body so they aren't healthy in that regard. That being said I like splenda and not using a cup of sugar to sweeten something (exaggerating but for me it takes a lot of sugar to make coffee sweet at all).

Regarding carb restricting, he doesn't believe it is healthy. He definitely believes in protein first and watching what foods bother your system.

 

[Charris]

@DSRIGGS yes he consistently says protein and fluids first then after that anything you have room for. Knowing good and we'll if we eat like we are supposed to there is no room for anything else.

 

[DSRIGGS]

@DSRIGGS yes he consistently says protein and fluids first then after that anything you have room for. Knowing good and we'll if we eat like we are supposed to there is no room for anything else.

That is only partially true for me @Charris because I can eat a much higher volume of food than most DS'rs. That being said I typically fill up with a pretty balanced meal but with focus on protein.

 

[Charris]

Scott you are a special case all together. I would definitely say a normal DS person should not compare their journey to yours or mines. Lol I think no one would be getting DSs. Lol

 

[DSRIGGS]

Scott you are a special case all together. I would definitely say a normal DS person should not compare their journey to yours or mines. Lol I think no one would be getting DSs. Lol

You are probably right , although I am confident that in a few months I will be all good. I really don't know why I can eat so much other than the "our bodies adapt to what we need" discussion that Rob started in his 7 month thread. I really do believe our bodies know what they need and try to compensate.

The other thing I was thinking about as to why I can eat so much, does my Pylorus release food too quickly? In essence, anti- gastroparesis.

 

[BebeZed]

You might feel differently about sweeteners after surgery, especially RIGHT after surgery. I got extremely nauseous walking down (or even past) the pudding aisle in Wal-mart after surgery for the first 5 or 6 weeks and still don't feel the same about many sweet smelling things. As a diabetic, I try to limit artificial sweeteners as much as possible after reading years ago how they affect the pancreas and cause it to over react when getting regular sugars or even simple carbs (really wish this had been known back in the 80's when I used to drink a few diet Pepsi's a day!) After the surgery, I did as few as possible of the protein shakes because of this and that they tasted really overly sweet to me. Instead, I bought unflavored whey protein and blended it in soups, etc. I was lucky in that food stayed down pretty well and weird things like liverwurst tasted good and stayed down while giving me some protein.

The one thing I still use Splenda for is coffee. I couldn't drink it until a couple of months after surgery, but, can again now. I do use less of the Splenda by adding things like pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon to help flavor the coffee, but, it does not cause any issues for me and only avoid using a lot of it because of the pancreas thing.

I've heard many people say that sweets are just not appealing for them after surgery. It would be fine if that was the case for me - I'm not much into sweets anyway and lately I ate some homemade caramel that has put me off sweets completely (eww, the nausea! yuck!!). I have purchased unflavored whey protein because I'd much rather have savory stuff than sweet and I really think I'll do better blending it into soups and such.

Who knows, I may like tea just as it is after the surgery. I bought some nice herbal teas to help with the nausea - ginger and peppermint varieties. Guess I'll just have to see how I handle things and go from there.

Thanks again for all the advice! I'm as prepared as I can possibly be pre-op so hopefully there won't be any big surprises and everything will go well. Fingers crossed...

 

[DSRIGGS]

I've heard many people say that sweets are just not appealing for them after surgery. It would be fine if that was the case for me - I'm not much into sweets anyway and lately I ate some homemade caramel that has put me off sweets completely (eww, the nausea! yuck!!). I have purchased unflavored whey protein because I'd much rather have savory stuff than sweet and I really think I'll do better blending it into soups and such.

Who knows, I may like tea just as it is after the surgery. I bought some nice herbal teas to help with the nausea - ginger and peppermint varieties. Guess I'll just have to see how I handle things and go from there.

Thanks again for all the advice! I'm as prepared as I can possibly be pre-op so hopefully there won't be any big surprises and everything will go well. Fingers crossed...

Sweets weren't all that appealing to me for 6 months post surgery but they have been ever since. The most important thing you can remember with the DS will be protein first (for a female 100-150 g a day after 3-5 months.. You won't be able to that much early on) then carbs if still hungry.

 

[hilary1617]

I have had no problems with sweets, sugar or sweeteners after DS, with the exception of sugar alcohols (like sorbitol and xylitol).

That said, sugar alcohol, which are the devil and caused severe bloating and gassiness before DS.

Lactose is also the devil. Subsequent to DS I became lactose intolerant, though I can tolerate low lactose dairy items like hard cheeses and heavy cream. Hershey's and other chocolatiers have taken to using added lactose in lieu of other sweeteners/sugar in their milk chocolate recipes. Skim milk powder is a secret, unexpected (and for me, undesired) ingredient in a range of foods.