Diabetes – getting wise to sweet foods

[3 February 2010 - 09h53]

If you are diabetic there’s no reason not to eat occasional sweet things at home. But it’s important to understand how to go about it. And of course this also depends on your diabetes being well balanced.

Ten years ago, diabetics on insulin were not allowed to eat anything sweet because sugar increases glycaemia, ie the level of sugar in the blood. Today it is generally accepted that sweet foods are better tolerated at the end of a meal, especially after vegetables or salad. Sugar in dessert is then buried in the acid mass of the food bolus. If eaten in this way, it will only cause a slight increase in sugar levels. By contrast, eating sweet things on an empty stomach or between meals will cause a dramatic rise.

When calculating quantities, be careful to watch out for hidden sugars. For example, there is sugar in ready meals and in condiments such as mustards and ketchup, and in snacks.

In most dishes and desserts sugar can be replaced by a sweetener … or even with nothing at all! And when you need something to taste sweet, choose your sweetener carefully as not all sweeteners are suitable for use in cooking.

It is also a good idea to choose “diet” drinks and to get the family to change to them too. This one little change in diet won’t harm anyone . And be careful with chocolate! If eaten quickly and some time after a meal it can cause a major increase in blood sugar levels… and this can have potentially serious consequences for people with diabetes.

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