Sugar is a carbohydrate, last I checked... Furthermore, beware of the commercially prepared sugar-free products. Most of them contain Sorbitol which is sugar alcohol (but doesn't contain alcohol). It is a carb and a different kind of sugar but still, it is sugar. Everything that ends with -ol is sugar alcohol and a big no-no for the diabetics. Another thing is, lactose-free milk. This thing is good for the lactose-intolerant folks. The process of getting rid of lactose is adding a special enzyme to the regular milk, so that the lactose (milk sugar) is converted into 2 simple sugars, one of them is glucose. Meaning that it's best for the diabetics to avoid lactose-free milk altogether. Someone has posted about a diet with 250 carbs a day for the diabetic; to me it sounds a bit extreme. My carbs a day are as follows: up to 4 carbs a meal and up to 2 carbs a snack. 3 meals and 3 snacks = 18 carbs, give or take. I was told I can have an occasional candy. So far so good.

Equal has added filler such that equal measures of sugar and Equal imparts the same sweetness. One caveat: many sweetener substitutes break down into bitter tasting chemicals when exposed to baking temperatures. That's the reason for special recipes for sweeteners other than sugar. Several of these recipes add the sweetener after the high temperature step, and when this is impractical, only a very few if any, artificial sweeteners can be used. I like "Truvia" in coffee and tea. Its a little more potent than sugar. I believe its about 3/4 teaspoon of Truvia equals 1 teaspoon of sugar. The equivalence is on the label. Truvia is added to a cup of coffee or tea after pouring into the cup. Truvia can be added to a jug of cold tea. I haven't tried or researched if Truvia will withstand the heat in a brewing pot. My recipe for a quick morning cup of coffee: Put into a microwave safe cup: 1 tsp (or more) of instant coffee, about 1/2 tsp or less of Truvia, and a dash of coffee mate. Add cold water preferably from water not run through the water softener. (The local mineral content of your water will affect the taste.) First add a little water and swirl the contents to begin wetting the ingredients, and then fill to within 1/2 to 3/4 inch of the top. Heat in a 1100 watt microwave oven for 1min15sec. Done. Adjust heating time depending on oven wattage and the desired temperature. The contents will expand to near the top of the cup.

I hope you feel better soon Lucille. sisters, the piece you link to is a letter to the editor, not a research report. Even through written with strong conviction, it's an opinion. And even if it were the results of a research project, such things don't get carved into stone until the passage of time and the work of others to prove or disprove reported findings. And even then, stone carvings often get removed when time and further study suggest other answers. I think it's still much too soon for anything more than anecdotal experiences, tendencies and possible trends to be focused on. There has hardly been enough time for rigorous study and analysis.

Sorry I can't help with Bubly flavors. I've had only their unsweetened seltzer. I don't buy any sweetened carbonated waters. We prefer unsweetened, but with various flavors added. I thought Bubly was unsweetened? I do check the ingredients, because 'sparkling water' seems to mean sweetened in some brands, versus 'seltzer' , which is unsweetened. For instance, Aldi's store brand is Belle Vie, and it's labelled 'sparkling water', but it's just carbonated water with natural essences - no sweeteners. I buy mostly that and Walmart's 'Clear American ' sparkling water.