A question about counting carbs for diabetes

[Guest guest]

I am now a diabetic and we will not know how long I will remain a

diabetic for a few months. I would think that having almost 700K

islet cells transplanted would be a definete but every body is

saying it takes a few months. OKee dokee.

They have put me on a regime that I take insulin based on the amount

of carbs I am consuming. They told me I could eat anything I wanted

as long as I covered those carbs with the appropriate insulin. So

here's the question: What about sugar? Can I have sugar? Call me

stupid or dense but I dont know for sure.

I have not had any, and did buy sugar free treats for my sweet tooth

as well as splenda for coffee and such. I should have asked point

blank, but it didn't enter my mind. You think diabetes = no sugar.

But I can hear them saying, " eat whatever you want just count the

carbs " . What do ya'll think?

I hope everybody is doing well and looking forward to the holidays.

Warmly,

Chrissy

[Guest guest]

Chrissy,

Girl, you should have called me!! I'll put my number at the bottom, just pick

up the phone and give me a holler next time.

Sugar is a carb. You should count that just as you would a carb from a potato

or a piece of bread. Use your nutritional labels as a guideline. To confuse

you more, fiber, which is listed beneath the total carbohydrate amount, is

deducted from the carb total. In other words, if it says total carbs of 20,

with 4

grams fiber, it would only be 16 carbs.

Continue to use the sugar substitutes whenever and wherever you can. You

can have sugar, but in limited quantities. So many products have sugar in

them, that it's hard to completely aviod it. Things like crackers, bread,

cereal,

etc., all have sugar.

Refined sugar will give you a faster and higher rise than natural sugar, so

you're better off eating an orange than you are Pepperide Farm Chocolate

Chunk cookie, which have approximately the same amount of carbs, (16), for

example. 9 of the carbs in that cookie are refined sugar.

So to answer your question, yes, you can have sugar, but as I said, in limited

quantities, and it should be considered in your carb count. Use the

sugar-free products as much as possible. You will notice that Hershey's

makes a sugar-free candy bar now, but it still has 20+ carbs, (not sure of the

amount), so you count that toward your total carb amount.

If you like ice cream, there are some great new products by Breyer and some

of the other ice cream maker's that only have 2-5 carbs in them, and they are

made with Splenda. Let me tell you, they taste just like the real thing!!! I

developed a passion for chocolate ice cream, or chocolate anything, as soon

as I got diabetes......go figure! There are also new pastas that only have

about 5 carbs in them, you can find those in practically any grocery now.

I hope that helps, Chrissy. Call me if you have any more questions about any

of that stuff, okay?

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina State Rep.

SE Regional Rep., PAI

http://pancassociation.org/anthology.htm#Heidi

Note: All comments or advice are based on personal experience or opinion,

and should not be substituted for consultation with a medical professional.

Chrissy wrote:

They told me I could eat anything I wanted as long as I covered those carbs

with the appropriate insulin. So here's the question: What about sugar? Can

I have sugar?

[Guest guest]

Hi Chrissy,

We have Diabetes Specialist Nurses in the UK. They are an excellent source of

information.

As for sugar, it isn't possible to avoid sugar, as if you read all food

labels some foods that you wouldn't expect contain sugar, e.g soups etc.

For me personally, i have low calorie sweetners in tea/coffee, because i am

trying to keep my weight down, but i must admit, i do have treats, such as a

small amount of chocolate etc, especially this time of year. I would say that a

small amount of sugar is fine, but, if you have a Diabetes Specialist Nurse

or dietician i would discuss it with them.

Sue (UK)

[Guest guest]

When I recovered from a 4-month hospitalization from acute necrotizing

pancreatitis, my clinic immediately set me up for diabetes classes. Our

clinic (in Wisconsin) has a few certified diabetic educators, and the

classes are going all the time.

I would respectfully take issue with not being able to eat a sugar-free

diet. It is true that some foods have a little sugar in them, but as a

post-op bariatric patient, I cannot eat any sugar, or I need to keep it to

very small amounts. If I consume more than 5 grams/serving I am quite ill.

It is possible to have a nice meal like this I use Splenda as a sweetner,

which works very well, and do not comsume any white starches - bread, pasta,

rice, potatoes. And do not miss them. My health is too important now to

choose to eat poorly. In addition to having the bypassed stomach, reactive

hypoglycemia caused by eating sugar and starches is taxing on the pancreas'

ability to perform, especially after being compromised by pancreatitis.

-shelli kult

Shelli Kult

La Crosse, WI

www.rnylacrosse.com