Dana,
I've had an ileostomy for nine years. I too am wary of the high sugar
content and HFCS sweeteners used in so many of the electrolyte
replacements.
I am "pre-diabetic," and ever since my glucose levels started rising last
year, I've used a 'home brew' that I devised from a Mayo Clinic recipe for
electrolyte replacement in short-bowel syndrome patients. I use green
tea,
potassium chloride (salt substitute), salt, baking soda, and stevia leaf
powder (as the sweetener--available at most natural food stores). The
recipe I follow is to boil two quarts of water, and brew with 4 green tea
bags. Then I add .6 tsp of potassium chloride, .5 tsp of salt, .5 tsp of
baking soda, and .5-1 tsp of stevia powder (it's very sweet, although it's
not really a 'sweetener). Then mix it well and put it in the fridge to
cool
it. Each day, I put 8 oz of that stuff into a 24 oz drinking bottle, add
water to fill, and voila!
Also, to vary the replacement, some days I'll put 8 oz of REAL 100% fruit
juice with no sugar added (such as Juicy-Juice) in the bottle and add
water
to fill. 100% fruit juices have potassium, sodium, and fructose, but the
fructose is from the fruit and not an additive. (BTW, I've eliminated all
foods with added sugar or HFCS and refined carbohydrates from my diet.
The
most recent blood tests show my glucose in normal ranges--and as a bonus,
I've even lost some excess weight from that low-residue, low-fiber diet I
stayed on for so long!)
So far, they've done the trick for me. I hope that helps.
Vince
"danajackman" <danajackman@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:1165611152.936474.187970@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> I've had a few set backs (after a brilliant start) in my recovery from
> surgery and adjustment to colon-less life. I returned to the hospitol
> twice due to cramping, reduced ostomy output, and possible blockage.
> I'm not eating peanuts whole or swallowing woody plants, so my docs
> suspect electrolyte imbalance (along with other things).
>
> They have recommended I drink gatorade or pedialyte - both of which are
> loaded with high fructose corn syrup (bad) and/or sugar (not wuite as
> bad). Can anyone suggest a low sugar alternative? I need to avoid the
> excess sugar and calories for a number of reasons. Obesity, diabetes,
> and high blood pressure all run in my family and can (as you know) be
> caused by and exacerbated by high sugar in take. I'm also not able to
> exercise much yet (ostomy is two months old) to combat the caloric
> intake.
>
> I appreciate any help you can provide. Thanks!
>
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