Refined sugar alternatives and question about citrucel

I like Stevia myself, I started using it years ago when it first came about and I ordered it online from Puritans Pride.

To find out about the fruits and veggies that are lower in sugar you might want to google the low FODMAP diet and see the list of foods (fruits and veggies) that are lower in sugar content and easier on the gut (my dietitian had me on a low FODMAP no fructose diet)

I love chocolate and could eat it everyday and in fact I did for ages, then when my CD finally went into remission (thanks to Humira) and my GI was able to confirm what he had suspected about 12 years into already having CD, was that I also have IBS issues which for the most part is IBS-C (very rarely D except during monthly hormonal changes for me) and then I found out that chocolate can actually be constipating so I had to cut back on it....dark chocolate is considered to be the healthiest.

It's good you're looking into fiber supplements, I use Metamucil (it has psyllium) caps because I find the powdered fiber supplements tend to have way too many un-necessary additives of artificial sweeteners and other junk so I'd avoid those. It's important to start with a small amount though, and expect there to be some excess gas and bloating, this is normal and can happen to healthy guts as well, it's your system adjusting to it...once your system has adjusted then it's fine to slowly increase the amount if necessary but it's key to increase your daily water intake with fiber supplementing as well...and it's a good idea generally to increase water intake since IBDers can easily become dehydrated.

I stay away from sodas too.. the only carbonated drink I have is LaCroix, that doesn't seem to cause any trouble at all.

And yeah, I actually follow the low fodmap diet ( except for the gluten elimination part) and it seems to work pretty well. Honey sounds like a good alternative but it's high fodmap so I avoid that too.

I think I might try Stevia.. hopefully it won't irritate my amazingly delicate system!

agave is better than sugar because your body metabolizes it more slowly
organic cane sugar is the same thing as regular boring sugar
be very careful when you try stevia as some people get gas/bloating/ Ds from it
good luck and hope you are succesful in reducing your sugar intake

Honey is my go to sweetener with coconut sugar coming in second. I take konsyl for fiber, unsweetened and finely ground. I used to use organic India psyllium but it is very coarse.

I take a generic unflavored Citrucell pill daily and don't think they make an unflavored powder. You could grind it up if you can't take pills. Flavored Citrucell killed me due to extra ingredients.

FWIW my gut hates honey but is fine with white sugar, never tried stevia and generally avoid sugar substitutes.

Dikid, chickpeas are not allowed on low FODMAP, high yes but not low. Quinoa is allowed on low FODMAP.

I did an elimination diet recently through a gym challenge. I have a sweet tooth so I opted to cut it out completely and limit my fruit intake to on piece per day; I was eating 4 pieces per day. Dark chocolate, above 80% was permitted but I stayed away; I have no discipline. After 2 weeks on the elimination plan I could tell the difference of life with no sugar; I was able to get one more hour's worth of sleep and my hot flashes reduced in severity and duration. I have continued to stay off of it although I still crave it.

Sue