Now Sugar-Free... Or is it? Effectively Read the Label

When a person with Diabetes sees a food label that states now sugar-free they may want to buy it based on the claim, but what else should they be looking for? On the side of all foods is the nutrition label, it states the good, the bad, and the added, and also a list of ingredients based on the highest amount to the least. Most people know and understand this, but do they know what it all means. The carbohydrate section is the most important for the diabetic to take into consideration. The carbs are the total amount of sugars, sugar alcohols, and starches in the food. So when the amount of carbs is the same amount of sugars it means that all the carbs are from sugar, but when there is 14 carbs, and only 2 grams of sugars that means the rest of the carbs are based on starches. In the body starches are broken down into sugars so the blood sugar can be raised by starches just the same as sugars. Fake sugars and sugar alcohols are added to foods to keep them sweet and keep them sugar-free, but they also break down to starches by the body so although the food is kept sugar-free it is not considered carbohydrate free.

LABEL CLAIM	DEFINITION (per standard serving size)
Fat-free* or sugar-free	Less than 0.5 gram (g) of fat or sugar
Low fat	3 g of fat or less
Reduced fat or reduced sugar	At least 25% less fat or sugar than the regular product.
Cholesterol free	Less than 2 milligrams (mg) cholesterol and 2 g or less of saturated fat
Reduced cholesterol	At least 25% less cholesterol and 2 g or less of saturated fat
Calorie free	Less than 5 calories
Low calorie	40 calories or less
Light or lite	1/3 fewer calories or 50% less fat

Retrieved from WebMD

http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/tc/reading-food-labels-when-you-have-diabetes-

It's not only foods and drinks the label needs to be read. Illnesses are another area of concerns in a diabetic. Of course they are for all people, but some of the medicines used can greatly raise the blood sugar. Cough medicines for a cold are the worst especially cough syrups. Most people do not think to stop and read the label on medicine or look to see if it is diabetic friendly, but it is an important practice to follow. Due to the illness the person is not moving as much so their body is not using as many carbs, so they are already going to see an increase in their levels. When the cough syrup is added it can cause even more issues. A pharmacist can help a person find the right medicine or they can look at the labels for the healthy heart to make the right choice.


http://dtc.ucsf.edu/living-with-diabetes/diet-and-nutrition/understanding-carbohydrates/counting-carbohydrates/learning-to-read-labels/understanding-fiber/

There are many labels to read when controlling diabetes, but it is worth it in the long run. In my next post I will be researching the effects of fake sugars, and are they safe?
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