One of the questions that people with diabetes often ask is whether they can eat sweet foods. Well, the answer is YES. Simply controlling their blood glucose with safe artificial sweetener is what they need to do. Besides diabetes management, choosing the right food is necessary for balancing the blood sugar level.
Many theories claim that sugar substitutes can cause blood glucose levels to increase. While this may be true because of their capacity to sweeten the food, they are harmless to consume because they have zero calories. They only bring the right sweetness to beverages or foods but with no added calories.
Here are the different types of sugar substitutes you can use.
- Aspartame
- Saccharin
- Advantame
- Sucralose
- Neotame
- Acesulfame Potassium
Some of these sweeteners are perfect for baking and cooking. They are mixed in different beverages, candies, jellies, processed foods, cakes, gums, coffee, soft drinks, and syrup. Moreover, some sweeteners may not be good for pregnant women, especially Saccharin. So, if you are pregnant, avoid this type of sugar substitute.
These sweeteners are usually not harmful for individuals living with diabetes if consumed in moderation. This is because, even if the product is labelled as zero sugar, its source may have a certain amount of sugar. It is always necessary to read the nutritional value or label of any product you intend to buy.
Lastly, non-nutritive sweeteners are not bad to use. Since these artificial sweeteners have zero calories, they will not affect your blood glucose. However, make sure you do not abuse your consumption of artificial sweeteners. Even if it does not significantly impact your blood glucose, it can still yield other health concerns if taken excessively.
