Ask The Expert
Eating Well

Years ago people with diabetes were advised to restrict foods containing sugar because it was thought that these foods would have a greater effect on blood glucose levels. Numerous research studies have since shown that sugar has a similar effect on blood glucose levels compared to other types of carbohydrate. Nutrition guidelines from the American Diabetes Association now state that foods containing sugar do not need to be restricted due to their effect on blood glucose levels.

There are a number of factors that affect how much and how quickly your blood glucose levels increase after you eat a meal or snack. The most important factor in determining your blood glucose response to a meal or snack is the total amount of carbohydrate, which includes both sugars and starches. If you eat a meal with more carbohydrate than usual, regardless of whether you're eating foods containing starch or a dessert made with sugar, you'll likely see a greater rise in your blood glucose level after the meal unless you adjust your insulin accordingly.

If the total carbohydrate in a recipe contributes too much carbohydrate to your meal based on your meal plan, you have the following choices:

• Use a sugar-substitute for part or all of the recipe to reduce the total carbohydrate of the recipe, or
• Eat a smaller portion of the dessert to keep the total carbohydrate within your usual range, or
• Adjust your rapid-acting insulin dose to cover the extra carbohydrate you plan to consume if you’ve been taught how to do this by your diabetes team. Keep in mind that you will also be getting extra calories that can contribute to weight gain.

Here are some tips for reducing the sugar content in a recipe.

• Choose desserts that do not contain a large amount of sugar such as pumpkin pie compared to pecan pie or chocolate fudge which are composed primarily of sugar.
• Reducing the sugar in a recipe will result in less carbohydrate per serving and consequently less effect on blood glucose levels.
• Many desserts can be made with less sugar or a combination of sugar and low- calorie sweeteners without affecting quality.
• Sugar is important for volume, texture, moistness, and browning in baked products, so it's recommended that you use special recipes specifically designed for sugar substitutes when replacing sugar in baked foods such as cakes and cookies.
• Low-calorie sweeteners can be used to sweeten fruit fillings, sauces, puddings, and custards without affecting the quality since sugar is used primarily for the sweet taste in these foods. A thickening agent may need to be added because sugar lends a viscous quality.

Source:

American Diabetes Association. Nutrition Recommendations and Interventions for Diabetes (Position Statement). Diabetes Care 30: S48-S65, 2007.