Sugar free house guests

I have coeliac disease, and still find lots of people have problems with a gluten-free diet. It is a necessity, not a fad, as some think it! They are the ones who so kindly 'forget'. I have now been Alcohol-free for over two years. Still eat chocolate tho'!

As long as you make your hosts aware before you go, there shouldn't be a problem. You could always say that you have been told by your GP to avoid it all , then you should hopefully not get the "Go on, one slice/drink etc won't hurt!"

I agree with many of the posts on here. I have done the blood sugar diet too and it’s changed the way I eat and drink, I feel better for it. I do think you should let them know in advance, just good manners really. Taking some non alcoholic alternatives is a good idea.
Good luck and enjoy your weekend.

I warn people and will sometimes bring anything particular I can eat so people don't feel uncomfortable about eating when I am not. As a diabetic I don't expect people to be offended if I choose not to eat in the way they do and even if it is a low carb, high fat diet I am doing, it is for my health. I don't expect to be catered for, I do expect people to respect my choices whether they agree with them or not. They would get the same courtesy.

I would mind if I had spent ages making a pud and choosing wines so tell them NOW! Then, no problem

Mel - definitely tell them as I'd want to make some sort of treat - even if it was a nicer cheeseboard for example. I'd want there to be things we all can eat.

PaperMonster

notspaghetti I avoid both of those veg because of the sugar content! Used to love parsnips too.

Yes. It was so long ago!
And I'd not thought about, say, diabetes then.
Obvious really.

I always make a point of asking my guests beforehand if there is anything they don’t like or can’t eat.
As a hostess I would nt mind at all if I knew in advance it’s easier to plan something special for everyone then .

I would always let my host know if I had any special requirements - and this includes non requirements, like no sugar or alcohol. It would be no different from telling someone you were now a vegetarian or vegan.

Nothing is more irritating than going to some effort to plan to entertain someone then finding out they will not eat or drink something on your menu or cannot do something you planned to do and they had done in the past.

I’d appreciate being warned beforehand. Refusing a cake -can always be eaten by someone else but if I’d catered a 6 portion dessert and someone suddenly didn’t want it, I might say nothing, but I would be miffed.

It wouldn't bother me at all. I'd let your friends know before hand though so they know not to buy too much food or drink and have to throw it away.
They may not mind getting some sugar free stuff and eating it themselves.
Well done.

Wouldn’t mind as long as I was given notice. We only really have puddings and cake when we have visitors so it might be irritating to be left with uneaten treats.

I wouldn’t mind at all, but I would like to be told in advance, as otherwise I would probably feel obliged to bake a cake or make a pudding.

Please tell your hosts in advance, I host and cook for a lot of large events. I always send out an email asking people to tell me what they do or do not eat, wether allergies or dislikes.
One young lady did not reply and announced that she was 'disgusted' that I had not catered for her allergy.
when I pointed out that she had not told me and there were plenty of foods on the very large table which she could eat, all of which were clearly labelled her comment was that all the food should have been suitable for HER. She got short shrift and huffed all afternoon.
I have had some right Divas in my long catering career.

notspaghetti I avoid both of those veg because of the sugar content! Used to love parsnips too.

Depends on how far you are takin* it.
I did it for diabetes and was massively strict, nothing more than 10g in 100g carbs. If you are going this far I would contact them and say that you wer3 being particularly fussy currently and to avoid causing any inconvenience to them could you organise your own eating or chat about it to save any misunderstandings or embarrassment.

Maybe I didn't explain myself properly. It's about how far the no sugar goes.

I cooked for someone on a keto diet recently and they do eat sugars of all sorts (maple, coconut etc) but not refined or processed ones.

Dates have sugar in them, so does fruit juice and even vegetables. Someone I met some years ago avoided carrots and parsnips because they were too sugary (!) I don't expect this is what the OP meant but we do eat a lot of hidden sugars - in all sorts of things if we don't cook everything ourselves: samosas, tomato based dishes (such as lasagna) and sauces, bread etc.

I just want to know where sugars start and end for this person.
Then I would happily cook for them - and also make a pudding for them, but one that we all could enjoy together.

Regarding alcohol, this isn't a problem. No one would think that these days. I'd ask what the OP prefers to drink instead and have that
available.

I think it depends on who you are visiting and if you have to ask I fear it might be the sort of people who would be offended. I have friends who I would just warn in advance and they would accept that (possibly with a bit of ribbing during the visit), but there would be others (less close) where I would just keep quiet and take a small piece of something and eat a little of it. Partly I think because my mother drilled into me that a guest must cause as little trouble as possible for their host.

I would absolutely have no problem with that, you could perhaps take along some sugar and alcohol free alternatives so that you can join in, perhaps some fruit and soda water with lemon or lime juice.
Good on you, sounds extremely healthy. ☺️

I agree with the others above; lots of sensible advice. It's not as though you're a picky eater. I have often catered for vegetarians and quite honestly, I wouldn't notice if someone drank alcohol or not.

Perhaps you could take something you would eat, such as a suitable loaf or rice dish (I have no idea what a sugar-free diet entails although a colleague at work did have to come off fructose which was extremely limiting ).

Just give your hosts plenty of warning, as everyone has said.

I am the same as you. I follow the Ketogenic way of eating so lots of things I don’t have bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, grains and pulses, sugar, carbohydrates and alcohol. I would t mind if someone visiting declined any foodI have offered and I also don’t mind if people don’t have alcohol, in fact I prefer it if they don’t!

No issue. I’ve not eaten cakes and desserts for years. Just not bothered. I’ll have fruit or cheese. Alcohol I do like but it’s very common now for people not to have it. Let them know tho just in case they’re big on that kind of stuff - just so they don’t waste time or money.

Wouldn`t bother me one bit.

Not meant as an attack on vegetarians, just an example.

There is nothing wrong at all as long as you warn the hosts
in advance, and don't lecture anyone about your choices, as some vegetarians are prone to do.
It used to be really difficult to refuse alcohol because hosts took it as an implied criticism of their drinking habits but now it is simply accepted that sometimes guests prefer water.
Likewise if they offer you an alternative to pudding such as fruit and cheese, accept it; nothing worse than a guest sitting with an empty plate whilst everyone else is eating.