Active Low-Carber Forums - View Single Post - Nutrition Labels and Sugars?

Hi Atlee:

Aha! Here's some info I found.

http://www.starch.dk/isi/starch/ricesyrup.htm

Quote:

Brown rice syrup is an extremely versatile and relatively healthy sweetener which is derived by culturing rice with enzymes to break down the starches, then straining off the liquid and cooking it until the desired consistency is reached. The final product is roughly 50% soluble complex carbohydrates, 45% maltose, and 3% glucose. The glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream immediately, the maltose takes up to one and a half hours to be digested, and the complex carbohydrates take from two to three hours, providing a steady supply of energy. Rice syrup has a shelf life of about a year, and once opened, should be stored in a cool, dry place.

BUT, I also found this:
http://www.lundberg.com/faqs/syrup.html

Quote:

I heard rice syrup is safe for diabetics, is that true? Please note that rice syrup is a nutritive sweetener, unlike non-nutritive sweeteners such as saccharin and aspartame that are considered "free" for diabetics. Rice syrup is composed mainly of maltose and maltotriose, a sugar in the same group as sucrose (table sugar) and lactose (milk sugar). Rice syrup is therefore NOT considered a "free" sugar. Diabetic patients must count it in their daily carbohydrate allowance recommended by the doctor and/or dietitian.

Each gram of any sugar contains 4 calories. One teaspoon of sugar contains 5 grams of carbohydrate. One teaspoon of any of the following can be considered equivalent in sucrose content to one teaspoon of white sugar : brown sugar, molasses, corn syrup, maple syrup, honey, jam, jelly, candy, rice syrup .

It looks like there may be some labelling discrepancies.