Having a sweet tooth as a type 1 diabetic is...lets say a challenge! Not only do I crave the most sugary foods all the time, I usually don't say no to them either! Theres only so much Sweetex and Canderel bitterness I can take in my tea and coffee! Now don't get me wrong, I am grateful there is an alternative to sugar as I would be in a bit of a pickle wouldn't i! However I am known to drink half a cup of tea and leave the rest to go cold because of the unpleasant aftertaste. My Dad doesn't even ask me if I want a cuppa anymore because he's just assumed I don't like them... Nice one Dad.

Anyway, I have discovered this little tube of joy in Sainsbury's. Agave Nectar £2.59.
Thoroughly researching the internet, diabetic websites/blogs and shops after realising that most sweeteners have 'aspartame' in which is just as harmful as sugar to your body especially a diabetics body! I NEEDED to find a replacement.
Yes it is a small bottle and yes it doesn't really last as long as sweetener tablets do, think my pack of Sweetex was purchased wayyyyyy back in 2012 ha. However it really does tick all the boxes in terms of sweetness and making my drinks or food much more enjoyable.

Why is it different?

It's an organic plant called 'Tequilana' found in Mexico and its 1.4 to 1.6 times sweeter than sugar and honey. Suitable for Vegans incase y'all feel sly on the bees.

Positives.

• It tastes 10x better than sweetener, sugar or honey!
• It never really affects my blood sugars as I only ever use a small amount.
• It hasn't got killer side effects the way aspartame has in normal sweetener.

Unfortunately the only downside is...the syrup is primarily made up of glucose and fructose and I can't use it constantly as it does still have 3.58g of carbohydrates per tsp but because it is 1.4 times sweeter than sugar I near enough use half the amount. For example, If I have a cup of tea I would usually put 2 sweeteners in (2 sugars in my dreams) whereas I only put in about 3/4 of 1 tsp in now!

I also use this in my porridge, some cereal and natural yoghurt as it really does take away that evil craving for sugar I have daily.
You can get it in different colours depending on what you use it for, I get the amber colour as its got a mild caramel taste to it.

Obviously the correct product to use as a diabetic is sweetener but my terrible habits and addictive nature can sometimes be overpowering and I will choose to have sugar. So this for me, is a way of keeping off sugar all together and using less and less each time so I can train myself out of this Sweet Tooth Syndrome (Just made that up).