By: Lindsey Loving Date: 11/11/09
November is American Diabetes Month, and since nutrition plays an important role for people with diabetes, we thought this would be a great opportunity to blog about nutrition insights and tips for people with diabetes.
Consuming high amounts of carbohydrates can cause unhealthy blood sugar spikes in people with diabetes, and, while this doesn’t mean they should avoid carbohydrates (or carbs), altogether, it is important that they carefully control their carb intake.
Many foods high in sugar are also high in carbs, which may lead people with diabetes to cut out sweets and desserts from their diets. However, experts agree that people with diabetes need not avoid their favorite sweet treats. Rather, they should enjoy them in moderation. And, for those seeking to satisfy a sweet tooth without taxing their total carb allotment, low-calorie sweeteners are a sweet solution.
What Are Low Calorie Sweeteners
Low-calorie sweeteners are added to foods and beverages to provide sweetness without adding calories or carbs. They are hundreds to thousands of times sweeter than sugar, and therefore, they can be used in very small amounts.
In the U.S., the most common and popular low-calorie sweeteners permitted for use in foods and beverages today are:
- acesulfame-potassium (or Ace-K)
- aspartame
- neotame
- saccharin
- stevia sweeteners
- sucralose.
These sweeteners have been studied extensively and have been deemed as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Most low-calorie sweeteners are not metabolized by the body and therefore contribute zero calories to the diet. As a result, they can be used to regulate carb and sugar intake, as well as to help with weight loss. According to our brochure, Sweet Taste, Without the Calories, developed with the Diabetes Care and Education (DCE) Dietetic Practice Group, “A typical 20-ounce carbonated beverage may have 16 teaspoons of sugar. Drinking a diet soda instead of a regular soda can save about 256 calories and 64 grams of carbs.”
And, according to the American Diabetes Association, low-calorie sweeteners “make food taste sweet, and have no calories and do not raise blood glucose levels. They do not count as a carbohydrate, a fat, or any other exchange.”
It is important to remember that a healthful diet for people with diabetes includes many of the same foods that make up a healthful diet for anyone, including foods encouraged by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. However, as with any medical condition, it is important that people with diabetes consult with a registered dietitian and/or health care provider for further guidance on a meal plan that is best for them.