Diabetes is a disease that affects approximately 16 million Americans. Diabetes is currently increasing in the American population. Of the approximately 16 million US Citizens with diabetes, about one-third of them don't even know they have it. Every year, 800,000 more Americans are diagnosed with diabetes. Health care costs for diabetes in America are estimated to be close to $100 billion per year in the US.

People with diabetes are unable to breakdown the glucose in food and turn it into energy. The glucose accumulates in the bloodstream, where it can damage the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves. Left untreated, diabetes can develop devastating complications. It is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States.


Sugar Free Foods:

You might be surprised to learn that "sugar-free" does not necessarily mean carbohydrate-free or calorie-free. Many, but not all, sugar substitute add calories or carbohydrates. And it is the carbohydrate that has the greatest effect on blood sugars.

Diabetics do not need to cut all "sugary" foods out of their diet. Diabetics are able to eat sugar-containing foods as part of their overall meal plan, as long as you account for the carbohydrate and caloric intake as part of your overall meal plan. Similarly, if you eat lots of so-called "sugar-free" foods, they may have replaced sucrose (sugar) with sweet tasting substances like sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, isomalt and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates. These are all "sugar alcohols," which are technically not "sugar" but are high in carbohydrates. Others may be sweetened with fructose, polydextrose, maltodextrin, which also contain calories and carbohydrates. These foods will affect your blood sugar just as a sugar-containing food would, in proportion to the grams of carbohydrate in each serving of the food. In addition, foods containing these sugar alcohols can cause stomach discomfort and diarrhea if eaten in large quantities.

Other foods may be sweetened with aspartame or other non-caloric sweeteners like saccharin, acesulfame potassium or sucralose. These sweeteners contain no carbohydrate. But again, you need to check the food label to see how many grams of carbohydrate are in each serving, because "sugar-free" does not mean "carbohydrate-free." Some of the foods sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners (like aspartame-sweetened sodas) may indeed have no carbohydrate, and will have no effect on your blood sugar. Others, like an aspartame-sweetened yogurt, still contain carbohydrate (from the fruit or milk products in the yogurt) which must be calculated in your meal plan. These foods contain caloric sweeteners in combination with non-caloric sweeteners.

Work with your dietitian, nutritionist or health care professional to create a diet that works with your diabetic condition. Many health care professionals and diabetic dietitians will offer to use carbohydrate counting as a way to plan meals to manage your blood sugars. When a diabetic uses the carbohydrate counting method, they will learn how many grams of carbohydrate can be consumed at each meal or snack. Then they will read food labels and nutritional facts and use carbohydrate gram counting food lists to figure out how you can "spend" the grams of carbohydrate allocated for a particular meal. You devise your meals based on how many grams of carbohydrate you can eat and how many grams of carbohydrate are in the various foods that comprise a given meal.


Diabetic Diets and Dieting:

Attempting to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet is not an easy task. For more understanding read these tips from the American Dietetic Association: Eat more starches such as bread, cereal, and starchy vegetables. Aim for six servings a day or more. For example, have cold cereal with nonfat milk or a bagel with a teaspoon of jelly for breakfast. Another starch-adding strategy is to add cooked black beans, corn or garbanzo beans to salads or casseroles.

Eat five fruits and vegetables every day. Have a piece of fruit or two as a snack, or add vegetables to chili, stir-fried dishes or stews. You can also pack raw vegetables for lunch or snacks.

Eat sugars and sweets in moderation. Include your favorite sweets in your diet once or twice a week at most. Split a dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth while reducing the sugar, fat and calories.

Soluble fibers are found mainly in fruits, vegetables and some seeds, and are especially good for people with diabetes because they help to slow down or reduce the absorption of glucose from the intestines. Legumes, such as cooked kidney beans, are among the highest soluble fiber foods. Other fiber-containing foods, such as carrots, also have a positive effect on blood sugar levels. Insoluble fibers, found in bran, whole grains and nuts, act as intestinal scrubbers by cleaning out the lower gastrointestinal tract.


Extra Tips for Diabetics:

A “free” food is one with less than 20 calories and 5 grams carbohydrate per serving. Examples include diet soft drinks, sugar-free gelatin dessert, sugar-free ice pops, sugarless gum, and sugar-free syrup.

Compare the total carbohydrate content of a sugar-free food with that of the standard product. If there is a big difference in carbohydrate content between the two foods, you may want to buy the sugar-free food. If there is little difference in the total grams of carbohydrate between the two foods, choose the one you want based on price and taste. Make sure to read the nutritional facts carefully to make the best choice.

“No sugar added” foods do not have any form of sugar added during processing or packaging, and do not contain high-sugar ingredients. But remember, they may still be high in carbohydrate, so you have to check the label.

Fat-free foods can be higher in carbohydrate and contain almost the same calories as the foods they replace. One good example of this are fat-free cookies. Fat-free foods are not necessarily a better choice than the standard product, so read your labels carefully.