Sugar, Sweeteners And Their Effect On Diabetes

With the new sugar tax being introduced on soft drinks all throughout the UK, sugar and sweeteners have become one of the issues on the forefront of efforts into improving both health and wellbeing throughout the country. It’s safe to say that sugar and sweeteners are hard to avoid in today’s world as they can be found in just about everything from soft drinks to fruit juices, processed and packaged foods, and more. With all the media hype surrounding this topic, it’s common to find yourself asking how you can better control your diabetes. Also, how can you still enjoy your morning cup of coffee or evening tea without ruining your blood sugar levels?

Read the Labels

In an effort to make foods sweeter, tastier, and more appealing, sugar and sweeteners are added to just about everything on the shelf. That’s why it’s important to always know what you’re getting with what you eat. Always check and compare labels to make sure that you are going with the best option when it comes to what you eat. Avoid choosing snacks or meals that are especially high in added sugars, syrups, and artificial sweeteners. Substitute items with too many sugary additives with more natural options such as fruit or less-processed alternatives.

Everything in Moderation

We’ve all heard this before as advice on how to live a balanced life, so why should it be any different with sweeteners in your food? It’s important to make sure that you are managing your diabetes by eating a balanced and varied diet so that you can have the energy your body needs! Take control of your diet by planning ahead and preparing meals beforehand. By planning ahead, you can make sure that you have control over the amount of sugars and sweeteners in your food. Likewise, this will prevent you from having to make a run to your local fast-food restaurant and minimize the impact of these sugars on your diabetes.

Limit Added Sugars

Nothing provides that ‘boost’ needed to keep you going like a cup of coffee in the morning or tea during work, but these seemingly harmless daily essentials can contain a dangerously high amount of sugar. As per standard recommendations, a typical diet should contain no more than about 37.5-50 grams of sugar a day. A single sugar packet contains 10 grams of sugar alone. That means that the 2 sugar packets in this morning’s cup of coffee could have potentially contained more than 50% of your daily sugar intake, not to mention the impact of what these added sugars can do to blood sugar levels! Keep a close eye and give careful consideration to the amount of added sugars you consume daily so that you can enjoy your daily routine with balanced glucose levels.

Be sure to keep a close eye on your blood sugar levels by following these steps and being proactive to make sure your body has what it needs when it needs it. However, just because you should watch your sugar levels doesn’t mean you should stop enjoying the simple things in life!