Sweeteners that are colitis safe?

I am trying to find a sweetener that is colitis safe for my Dad with UC. I was giving him Truvia get his VSL3 down but found out that an ingredient in it (Erythritol) can have a lot of bad gastro side effects which I think my Dad was having. I know he is very sensitive to high fructose corn syrup which will cause his UC to flare. Is pure Stevia safe? What about pure Fructose? Dextrose? Sucrose? Sucrolose? Nutasweet? I need to find something because he won't take his VSL3 without something sweet. He is also craving and eating a lot of JIF peanut butter. He's not eating much so anything he craves I give him.

What about Pedialyte? Gatorade so he doesn't get dehydrated?

sugar

quincy said...
sugar

It's the first thing my Gastrienterologist told me to avoid.

The unsweetened applesauce sounds like a good idea if fruit is no problem for him.
Does he like yogurt? You can buy Greek yogurt in the grocery (thicker and yummy) sweeten it with honey and stir in the VSL#3 which is tasteless.

Peanut butter is very good for him, good protein and fats. Maybe bake a batch of peanut butter cookies with honey (not for VSL of course which doesn't like heat/baking). See how many ways you can get calories/protein in him without him noticing lol. Nuts are a great source.

I also vote for straight sugar, or stevia. I would avoid all the fake sugars. I could go on a lengthy rant about this but I'll spare you.

Sue

Cane sugar, honey, beet sugar, maple syrup, maple sugar. You can usually find Turbinado or raw sugar in the health food store. I prefer this over white sugar but i'll use either.

trader joes has an unsweetened apple sauce. I've bought it before.

I don't see why we would avoid sugar. I only avoid it if I feel like I have a yeast imbalance.

I was going to suggest honey as well.

I agree Fruitgirl but isn't the lure of Stevia that it's low or no calories? I don't know much about it but my mother in law is alway using it to sweeten everything and she's very calorie conscious.

I am not a calorie counter. i've never tried stevia.

Most of these alternatives are worse than the real thing itself. For example: They say margarine is worse than regular butter. Since margarine has more chemical additives in it, it takes the body longer to break it down than regular butter. My thought process is, stick to the real thing but limit the intake as much as possible.

I use Stevia

I have been told not to use Stevia that although it is a plant and would seem more natural the way our body breaks it down actually can cause free radical damage and you are best off to use raw sugar in small amounts. Stevia is more low calorie but as far as healthier, I think it falls in that butter margarine category discussed above. Eat the whole food just in moderation.

there are no safe artifical sweeteners, they are bad for you. I just saw a thing about it on tv, about how the make you gain weight actually, because they fool your brain into thinking you are getting sugar, then you don't so it messes up your metabolism and insulin. They obviously explained it a bit more technically.
honey is a good natural way to sweeten things, and unsweetened apple sauce is very good, i just get the walmart brand and i use like 3/4 unsweetened and 1/4 sweetened.
margarine scares me, because i accidentally left a bar out one day, and it was out for like 24 hours, and it was a HOT day, and it didnt melt at all! thats not good
Random facts for a minute, butter can be saved for at least 600 years and still eaten, if kept cold, some was found in some peat moss thing in england a few years back. And honey will stay good forever if kept in a glass jar, they have found honey from ancient egypt that is still safe to eat.