Diabetes is diagnosed by finding your blood sugar levels higher than normal. Depending on your condition, you may be prescribed a healthy diet, physical activity, oral medications or insulin to manage your blood sugar levels. Keeping your blood sugar levels in the desirable range will help you prevent, or delay, the long-term complications associated with diabetes, such as cardiovascular disease, stroke and renal failure. A healthy diet should remain one of the cornerstones of your treatment plan and food companies often market sugar-free products to diabetics
Carbohydrate and Diabetes
The most important nutrient in diabetes is carbohydrate. Carbohydrate is found in foods like rice, bread, pasta, sugar and fruits and is the main factor responsible for the variations in your blood sugar levels with diabetes. Carbohydrates comprise starch, sugar and fiber and it is important to understand that both sugar and starch can raise your blood sugar levels to the same extent. Fiber, protein and fat have little direct influence over your diabetes control. This is why it is recommended that you keep your carbohydrate intake between 45 and 60 g per meal.
Controlling Your Carb Intake
The key to successfully managing your diabetes is controlling your carb intake. You will need to consider all carbohydrate-containing foods you include in your diet. For example, one-quarter of a large baked potato, a slice of bread, 1/3 cup of cooked pasta, 1/2 cup of oatmeal and a small piece of fruit each provides 15 g of carbohydrates. Sugar and sugar-containing foods can also make your carb intake exceed your target. For example, 1 tbsp. of jam, syrup, honey or sugar provides 15 g of carbohydrates, as do two small cookies, one-half of a small, homemade, low-fat muffin, one-half of a granola bar or 3 oz. of fruit-flavored yogurt.
Sugar-Free Foods
Manufacturers produce many sugar-free foods, and others labeled "no sugar added." Sugar-free cookies, sugar-free soft drinks, sugar-free energy drinks, sugar-free candies and sugar-free desserts, as well as breakfast cereals, baked goods, ice cream and yogurts with no added sugar are some of the foods you may see when grocery shopping. It is important to note that most sugar-free foods are foods that do not fit in any of the basic food groups that should be part of a healthy diet. Most sugar-free foods are treats that should be consumed in moderation.
Sugar-Free Sweeteners
Most sugar-free foods are sweetened with hypocaloric sweeteners, whether they are artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame or stevia, or sugar-alcohols like sorbitol and mannitol. Artificial sweeteners do not contain any carbohydrates, while sugar-alcohols have about half the carbohydrates, or sugar, contained in regular sweeteners. This means that although a product is labeled as sugar-free, if it is sweetened with sugar-alcohols, it can still affect your blood sugar levels.
Not Carbohydrate-Free
Remember that if you see that a food is labeled sugar-free, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is carbohydrate-free. Starches are another type of carbohydrate that can elevate your blood sugar levels, just like sugar. If you decide to use sugar-free foods, look at the label to determine how many grams of carbohydrates there are per serving and make sure that there is room in your carb budget to include this food in your diet. Consult a registered dietitian for help designing a carbohydrate-controlled meal plan.
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