The scoop on sugar

              ~ The scoop on sugar and other matters~
For years, people with diabetes were warned to avoid sweets. But what researchers understand about diabetes nutrition has changed. Total carbohydrate is what counts. It was once assumed that honey, candy and other sweets would raise your blood sugar level faster and higher than would fruits, vegetables or "starchy" foods such as potatoes, pasta or whole-grain bread. But this isn't true, as long as the sweets are eaten with a meal and balanced with other foods in your meal plan. Although different types of carbohydrates can affect your blood sugar level differently, it's the total amount of carbohydrate that counts the most.  Now I am not promoting candy. Natural foods are much healthier. A good example is honey. It is a carb. However it is healthier than using all those sugar substitute all the time. However because it takes a lot of honey to make something sweet,depending on your taste, you must be careful how much you use.  Too much artificial sweeteners can be bad too, We can talk about that another time.
 Don't overdo empty calories. Of course, it's still best to consider sweets as only a small part of your overall plan for diabetes nutrition. Candy, cookies and other sweets have few vitamins and minerals and are often high in fat and calories. You'll get empty calories — calories without the essential nutrients found in healthier foods.
                               Have your cake and eat it, too
Sweets count as carbohydrates in your meal plan. The trick is substituting small portions of sweets for other carbohydrates - such as bread, tortillas, rice, crackers, cereal, fruit, juice, milk, yogurt or potatoes in your meals. To allow room for sweets as part of a meal, you have two options: · Replace some of the carbohydrates in your meal with a sweet.


Swap a high carb-containing food in your meal for something

with fewer carbohydrates and eat the remaining carbohydrates as a sweet.

Let's say your typical dinner is a grilled chicken breast, a medium potato, a slice of whole-grain bread, a vegetable salad and fresh fruit. If you'd like a frosted cupcake after your meal, look for ways to keep the total carbohydrate count in the meal the same. Trade your slice of bread and the fresh fruit for the cupcake. Or replace the potato with a low-carbohydrate vegetable such as broccoli. Adding the cupcake after this meal keeps the total carbohydrate count the same.


To make sure you're making even trades, read food labels carefully. Look for the total carbohydrate in each food, which tells you how much carbohydrate is in one serving of the food.
     Okay, reading food labels can be a pain,exchange lists are annoying but....
 Reading food labels are very important but for many it can be overwhelming. Many people don't have the patience to really look at the food labels and try to figure them out. Many food companies are deceiving. But if you have the knowledge, you have the tools to understand it. Eating the right foods for your diabetes and or to lose weight is a matter of educating yourself and really wanting to change your lifestyle habits. Nobody wants to feel hungry and its human nature to want to treat yourself a little bit. But there are ways to substitute one food for another that you like without feeling deprived! Food exchanges,labels,shopping for the right foods and plating your food can seem complex and time consuming.
Going to a Dietitian for a consultation is a great place to start. Most people diagnosed with diabetes are not given a real plan or direction. Most doctors hand you a faded copy of  the ADA recommendations. Most people are lost. Going to a Dietitian or nutritionist that specializes in diabetes can help you tremendously! They can really make your life simpler and give you the education you need to help control you diabetes.
 *Find out in the next blog how you can make all of this much simpler for yourself. Your entire family should be eating healthy. For example ,most diet companies and  diet products are all about the words I, me, you.  Have you noticed that?It is selfish to think that you should be eating healthy and living a healthy lifestyle while your kids come home to packaged macaroni and cheese!  We have become a lazy society that would rather pop in a frozen dinner than cook a fresh meal. We are also self-absorbed.  If you are overweight or diabetic the propensity for you children to become obese or diabetic is greater. The earlier you start your kids or grandchildren on a path to a healthy lifestyle, the easier it will be for them as they get older. Be an example to your friends,family and co-workers. We must start thinking about others not just ourselves. Like 'chicken soup' its good for the soul! You can do this.