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Many people assume a diabetes diagnosis means they must starve their sweet

tooth. But a careful approach to designing your diabetes diet means you don't

have to kiss sweets goodbye.

But to be able to enjoy that cookie or cup of cocoa without guilt while keeping

your blood sugar levels in check, you need to know:

a.. What you are eating

b.. How much you are eating (portion size)

c.. Carbohydrate, sugar, and calorie contents of everything you consume

After that, do the math. Your decision to go with a natural sugar or a sugar

substitute will depend on your overall carbohydrate and calorie counts as well

as your personal taste preference. Carbohydrates are important because they

affect your blood sugar control, and many people with diabetes are watching

calories in order to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.

Natural Sugars

Natural sugars are those that come from plant or animal sources. For example,

sugar comes from sugar cane, beet sugar comes from beet roots, and honey is made

by honeybees. Other types of natural sugars include:

a.. Maple syrup or sugar

b.. Agave

c.. Turbinado sugar

All these sugars contain carbohydrate and calories - and they all can affect

your blood sugar levels. Another sweetener, high-fructose corn syrup, is

classified by some as a " natural " sugar because it is made from corn, but it is

highly processed to give it a longer shelf life.

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Occasionally you will find natural sugars in products, but they may have names

that are unfamiliar to you. If you are reading labels (and you should be!)

sugars often appear in the ingredient list with names ending in -ose. When you

see a list including sucrose or fructose, you know you are looking at added

sugar.

Sugar also occurs naturally in certain foods, such as fruit and even milk. The

key is to know your numbers - count the carbs and calories.

According to Amy Kranick, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator

with the adult diabetes program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in

Nashville, Tenn, there are two sweet treats you should always avoid: fruit juice

(even without added sugars) and regular sodas. These both have too much sugar

per serving. Instead, try a piece of whole fruit or a diet drink.

The only naturally occurring source of sweetness that doesn't contain calories

or carbohydrates is commonly called stevia or rebiana. This is a sweetener from

the leaves of the stevia plant, a plant native to Central and South America. You

may have seen reports suggesting that using stevia as a sweetener could help

blood sugar levels and could have beneficial effects on blood sugar.

But research on stevia has not led to any clear conclusion about its benefit

relative to other sugar substitutes. In fact, a recent three-month study

comparing the blood sugar levels of people with diabetes who used stevia and

those who did not showed no difference between the study groups. However, stevia

does offer a sweet flavor without the calorie and carbohydrate counts of regular

sugar and is an acceptable sugar alternative.

Sugar Substitutes

Many people living with diabetes find that sugar substitutes, man-made

sweeteners with no calories or carbohydrates, give them the sweet flavor they

crave without spiking blood sugar or adding pounds. At the same time, it's easy

to become concerned over the use of sugar substitutes, as they are not " natural "

and therefore could be harmful to someone's health.

Sugar substitutes include sucralose (Splenda), saccharin (Sweet 'n'Low), and

aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal).

You may not need to worry about the long-term impact of consuming a reasonable

amount of sugar substitutes, however.

" Really, with any of the artificial sweeteners, there's no scientific evidence

to say they have a negative effect, " says Kranick. However, she does recommend

moderation in all things, even sugar substitutes, so don't go overboard.

For people with type 2 diabetes, it's important to know that " sugar substitutes

do not elevate your blood sugar, " adds Kranick. That's why people with diabetes

are advised to switch from regular soda to diet soda, for example.

Kranick offers a word of caution for those who use sugar substitutes for baking.

Some sugar substitute products designed for baking are a blend of white or brown

sugar and the sugar substitute. Pay close attention to the product labeling so

you have an accurate assessment of the carbohydrates and calories in the food

you are preparing. Additionally, bakers need to remember that flours also add to

the carbohydrate count.

The bottom line for people with diabetes who would like to keep the sweet in

their diet is this: Do your research so that you know how many carbs are in the

foods you like and experiment a bit to find the flavor of sugar substitute that

you like best. Living with diabetes does not mean giving up the sweetness in

your life.

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'Real tears are not those that fall from your eyes and cover your face,

but that fall from your heart and cover your soul.'

~Be Blessed, Sugar