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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – In the past, people with diabetes were told they could not eat sugar because it would make their blood sugar to go up too high, In fact, there is a long-standing myth that eating too much sugar causes diabetes. It’s not true.
Research has shown that sugar has the same effect on blood sugar as any other carbs you eat. Calorie for calorie, sugar raises blood sugar about the same amount as bread, pasta, or potatoes. You can eat sugar and foods with sugar as long as you count them in your total carb budget for the day.
As you chose different sweets, you need to know how each affects your carb budget for the day. Let’s start with the simplest sugars and sweeteners.
Sugars include table sugar, honey, brown sugar, molasses, fructose, corn syrup, raw sugar, and powdered sugar. Each contains carb and you need to count the carb as part of your daily carb budget.
For more information: The Nutrition Experts
You Should Know: Sugar counts –1 teaspoon sugar = 4 grams carb
Reduced calorie sweeteners are often found in low calorie and low sugar foods like chewing gum, candy, cookies, and desserts. They appear on labels as Sorbitol, Mannitol, Xylitol, Isomalt, Lactitol, Maltitol and Trehalose. These sugar substitutes, called sugar alcohols, are absorbed slowly by the body, so they have less impact on blood sugar levels. But, they still contain carbs and calories, about half the calories in sugar. If you regularly eat foods with sugar alcohols you need to count them in your carb budget for the day.
You Should Know: How to carb count sugar alcohols listed on the nutrition label. Subtract half the sugar alcohol from the total carbohydrate. Count the answer in your carb budget for the day. For example if 1 energy bar has 15 grams of carb and 6 grams of sugar alcohol, half the sugar alcohol = 3 grams (15 – 3 = 12). Count 12 grams of carb in your daily carb budget when you eat this energy bar for a snack.
No calorie sweeteners or artificial sweeteners don’t contain calories or carbs and they don’t affect your blood sugar. They are often referred to as a “free foods” and you can use them as often as you wish. Brand names you may be familiar with are Sweet & Low, Sweet Twin, Equal, Sugar Twin, Sunette, Sweet One, and Splenda.
You Should Know: Color counts – tabletop sweetener comes in different colored packages: no calories sweeteners are package in pink, blue or yellow wrappers; sugar is in a white packet; and raw sugar is in a tan wrapper.
Everyone loves desserts. Just because you have diabetes does not mean you have to give up desserts. Instead of “give-it-up,” think “down-size and negotiate.” Eat a smaller portion or trade dessert for a meal carb. Many desserts like custard, rice pudding, or fruit-based sweets are good for you and can be part of a healthy meal. Purely indulgent choices are not off-limits either; in those cases just think small. Instead of a large candy bar, have a snack size. Try mini-cupcakes. With a little creative planning there is a way to fit in your favorites.
Small amounts of dried fruit can satisfy a sweet tooth.
Eat smaller amounts of your favorites – a ½ cup of ice cream instead of a soup bowl full.
When you eat out, split dessert with someone, or better yet share with the whole table.
Try lower calorie, lower sugar recipes.
Buy lower sugar versions of favorites but remember low sugar doesn’t always equal low calorie.
Use diet soda, sugar free drinks, and no calorie sweeteners in coffee and tea.
You should know: It is always better to select foods with natural sugar like fruits and cereals, than foods with added sugar like jelly, candy, cake and soda.
For more information on healthy eating and managing diabetes look for The Diabetes Carbohydrate and Calorie Counter, 3rd edition, Pocket Books.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with 12 current titles and sales in excess of 7.5 million books. The books are widely available at your local or on-line bookseller.
Current titles include:
The Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2009
The Fat Counter, 7th ed., 2009
The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008
The Cholesterol Counter, 7th Ed., 2008
The Diabetes Carbohydrate and Calorie Counter, 3rd Ed., 2007
The Calorie Counter, 4th Ed., 2007
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to www.TheNutritionExperts.com.
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