This can be frustrating. But, keep in mind a couple of things. First, it is recommended to read food labels for Total Carbohydrate, and not just sugar. Research tells us that the amount of carbohydrate you eat is more closely tied to the rise in blood sugar than the source of the carbohydrate. So, just because a food has a little sugar listed on the label (like ketchup, low fat salad dressing, yogurt), it doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t have it. Some sugar is allowed for people with diabetes, but controlling your carbohydrate intake is a better strategy than eliminating sugar. 

Also, it’s difficult to find a perfect food that meets all of our guidelines for fat, sodium, and carbohydrate. If we take the fat out of a cookie, the sugar usually is higher because manufacturers want to compensate for the loss of fat without losing flavor. Keep in mind that healthy foods include legumes (black beans, split peas, pinto beans), vegetables (broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, cauliflower), fruit, whole grains, nuts & seeds, lowfat milk and yogurt, fish and lean meats. There is plenty of healthy food available for people with diabetes.

No. It’s true that carbohydrate in the diet in the most likely nutrient to raise blood sugar. But, there are only three nutrients that together provide us with energy in our diets: carbohydrate, fat and protein. So, if we reduce or eliminate one of these, we have to increase another. If we cut out carbohydrates, our diets would be hard to follow because we’d be eliminating milk, yogurt, fruit, bread, cereal, pasta and potatoes. And, if we rely too much on protein and fat there can be other negative health effects that outweigh the benefits. So, the solution seems to be a balance of all three nutrients. 

There is research to suggest that over the long term, high protein or low carbohydrate diets are associated with an increased risk of cancer and heart disease. They also offer little long-term success with weight loss.

You can also make better carbohydrate choices by looking for fiber and minimally processed foods. This means that brown rice, buckwheat pancakes, whole wheat toast and rye crackers are better for us than white rice, buttermilk pancakes, French bread and saltines. So, it’s a good idea to limit your portions of carbohydrate foods to moderate your intake, but you can also make better carbohydrate choices! And, if you increase your protein intake, it’s best not to overdo with steak, eggs, and cheese. You can get healthy protein from chicken breasts, egg whites or egg substitutes, fish, beans, nuts & seeds, and soy.

This depends on your individual calorie level and nutrition needs. A general guideline is to limit yourself to 45-60 g of carbohydrate per meal. So, if the label you’re reading is for just one part of your whole meal (like a rice pilaf), it might be best to have an upper limit of 20 g. But, if you’re reading a label on a frozen dinner that will be your entire meal, you could safely go up to 60 g.

Sugar is a little bit harder to set a limit on. It’s actually a part of the total carbohydrate listed on the label. So, if you’re limited carbohydrate, you’re automatically limiting sugar. Also, don’t be discouraged if you see sugar listed on things like canned fruit or yogurt or cereal with dried fruit in it. If the list of ingredients doesn’t have things included like high fructose corn syrup, brown sugar, etc., then the grams of sugar on the label are likely naturally found in the food like lactose or fructose. These are perfectly healthy sources of carbohydrate.