When grocery shopping, you probably notice the many health claims that appear on the labels of foods in the store. These health claims are regulated by the FDA, but the real objective behind them is to make you buy these foods. Sugar-free foods can have varying GI values. If you follow a low glycemic index diet, you need to select sugar-free foods with a low glycemic index and avoid those with a high glycemic index.
Sugar-free Foods
Food labels can display a variety of claims, including sugar-free. The requirements for a food to be sugar-free is that it contains less than 0.5 g of sugar per serving. This quantity excludes sugar alcohols, such as maltitol, xylitol and sorbitol, according to the FDA "Definitions of Nutrient Content Claims." None of the ingredients of a sugar-free foods can be sugar. This claim should not be confused with "no added sugar" or "without added sugar," which do not contain added sugar but may still contain naturally occurring sugar. The same is true for foods labeled as "unsweetened" or "no added sweeteners."
Glycemic Index
The glycemic index, or GI, is used to categorize foods containing carbohydrates according to the degree to which they can raise your blood sugar levels. Low glycemic index foods have a GI value of 55 or below and result in a slow, steady and small increase in your blood sugar concentrations. On the opposite, high glycemic index foods have a GI value of 70 and above and result in a sharp and large rise in your blood sugar levels. Foods with a GI between 56 and 69 have a moderate influence over your blood sugar levels.
Factors Influencing the Glycemic Index
The glycemic index is not only influence by the sugar content of a food but also by the type of starch it contains, the size of the particles in a food, how it was cooked, its acidity, the viscosity of its fiber and its fat and protein content. Because there are so many factors influencing the GI value of a food, some sugar-free foods have a low glycemic index while others have high glycemic index.
Sugar-free Foods With a Low Glycemic Index
Most of foods labeled sugar-free would have a lower glycemic index compared to the original version. For example, sugar-free chocolate bars and diet soft drinks have a lower GI value compared to regular chocolate bars and regular soft drinks. However, the glycemic index of most of these foods have not been measured. Some foods are practically carbohydrate-free in addition to being sugar-free, and it is not possible to measure their glycemic index.
Sugarless Foods With a Low Glycemic Index
If you are looking for foods that do not contain sugar but are low on the glycemic index to include in your diet, try non-starchy vegetables, plain steel-cut oats or old-fashioned oatmeal, sourdough bread, whole-grain pasta, brown Basmati rice, barley, quinoa, fresh temperate climate fruits, milk and plain yogurt. Although these foods cannot be labeled as being sugar-free, they are natural, whole and unprocessed foods that do not contain any added sugar and have a low glycemic index. Choose these healthy foods as part of your low-glycemic diet.
References
- FDA: Guidance for Industry: A Food Labeling Guide -- Appendix A: Definitions of Nutrient Content Claims
- University of Sydney: The Glycemic Index
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; International Table of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Value; Kaye Foster-Powell et al; 2002
- "Practical Use of the GI"; Johanna Burani; 2006
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