Food products for low sugar diets

[Sally71]

And cheese and eggs Loads of supermarket aisles to go at!

I forgot to mention before, I once saw a "sugar free" Easter egg, out of curiosity I had a look at the nutritional information on the back and compared it with a "normal" Easter egg of the same size and brand. The total carbohydrate count was identical! And Tesco's "reduced sugar" strawberry jam actually contains MORE carbs in total than the sugary version! This is why foods aren't allowed to be labelled "diabetic" any more, because most of them aren't actually any better for you, and it is a very misleading label. Which is probably also why supermarkets don't have a special aisle for them. (Even Frank's diabetic ice cream has been relabelled now, can't remember what they've changed it to but I was quite amused)

There isn't much point asking for a low sugar cake, when cake is made predominantly from flour which will make your blood sugar go up anyway. If you're going to allow yourself a treat then you might as well just have a little bit of the sugary stuff. If you're on insulin you can count it and inject accordingly. If not, you have to just weigh up whether the effect it will have on you is worth it once in a while, and avoid it the rest of the time.

 

[HOBIE]

I'd love to see the day when cafes, wholefood shops and supermarket shop shelves cater for people on zero/low sugar diets in the same way that people who are gluten free, dairy free, and vegan currently are. Is this just me?

But even though I live in a pretty innovative, foody city - such foods are still non existent.

Or cafes are selling so called "sugar free foods" that are sweetened with things like honey, or maple syrup that in fact aren't low in sugars at all.

I always ask for low sugar cakes when I go to a cafe, knowing what the answer will be, just to hopefully set a seed in someone's mind. I'm sometimes told that there is no demand for foods that are suitable for people following low sugar diets.

Am I the only person out there asking for it?

I keep out of the way of coffee shops etc. Good luck & I do not like cakes etc 😉

 

[Madeline]

I’m finding Belvita helpful if I get a sweet ‘carb’ craving. Just about to do the 2 hour test, so please pray for me that my BG isn’t through the roof, cos I’ll cry if I have to give them up.

 

[Madeline]

10.9mmols. That’s not great, is it?

 

[AdeV]

Madeline - what was it before you ate? If it went from somewhere in the 5s to basically 11... then no, not good; but if it was already 8-9, then it's a much smaller rise & the experiment would bear repeating from a lower starting level. (In my very-much-not-an-expert opinion!)

 

[Madeline]

It was 5.9

 

[AdeV]

Bummer that's not ideal. Mind you.... that's my normal reaction to a Chinese takeaway meal.... so you could always have one of those instead (that's not advice either BTW...)

Are you able to cook? Maybe some of these paleo breads might be an answer.

 

[Madeline]

I just did 2 hour post dinner test (wholewheat spaghetti (frozen and reheated) with a quorn ragu...

7.5 YAAAY!

 

[Madeline]

Oh Ade, if you knew just how much I was craving a pork fried rice

 

[AdeV]

Oh Ade, if you knew just how much I was craving a pork fried rice

Yeah, I know the feeling...

If it’s any consolation, my tea tonight was a corned beef sandwich and a smoked salmon sandwich (whole meal bread, which helps), went from 4.8 to 8.1 after 1hr, 7.8 after 2 hours. Damn you bread, why do you have to be so tasty!

 

[DaveB]

I used to tick the diabetes box for dietary requirement when going to work events or magistrate training, but stopped doing it for the reason you give, Carol. You do need some carbs to keep your brain going. Tired lettuce doesn’t do it for me.

Actually you don't need any carbs eaten to keep the brain going. It can obtain all the glucose it needs from the proteins and fats you eat.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Actually you don't need any carbs eaten to keep the brain going. It can obtain all the glucose it needs from the proteins and fats you eat.

I've seen that claimed before now as well.
But never met anyone that has survived on zero percent carb long term.

 

[Madeline]

I tried Atkins about 20 years ago. It trashed my kidneys. I appreciate it’s different, Atkins was far more strict, but I still don’t feel comfortable going completely carbless

 

[Northerner]

Actually you don't need any carbs eaten to keep the brain going. It can obtain all the glucose it needs from the proteins and fats you eat.

Whilst at least some carb is preferable, the brain can still function without it. When I was very ill a few years back I couldn't eat anything for almost 3 weeks but my brain continued to function using the ketone bodies from my stored fat and muscle tissue. The drawback is that the blood ketones need insulin to help clear them from the body, and in undiagnosed Type 1 (or any insulin insufficiency, whether a Type 2 who injects or deliberate restriction e.g. diabulimia, or illness which may elevate blood glucose levels) this can lead to a build up of ketones and DKA. When I was ill I had to keep injecting insulin to make sure my ketones did not rise too high, but also had to avoid too much insulin as I was unable to treat a hypo (I couldn't drink either 😱).

So the statement is technically correct, but not something someone should attempt deliberately if they are on any type of medication or have medical conditions we cannot know about - medical advice should be sought 🙂

 

[HOBIE]

Doing regular exercise help a lot. Once you stop moving its bad for the body 😉

 

[Rosieposie]

I'd love to see the day when cafes, wholefood shops and supermarket shop shelves cater for people on zero/low sugar diets in the same way that people who are gluten free, dairy free, and vegan currently are. Is this just me?

But even though I live in a pretty innovative, foody city - such foods are still non existent.

Or cafes are selling so called "sugar free foods" that are sweetened with things like honey, or maple syrup that in fact aren't low in sugars at all.

I always ask for low sugar cakes when I go to a cafe, knowing what the answer will be, just to hopefully set a seed in someone's mind. I'm sometimes told that there is no demand for foods that are suitable for people following low sugar diets.

Am I the only person out there asking for it?

I live in a small village in Cornwall. My nearest shop is a mile away. When I walk into the shop I'm met with a wall of chocolate, sweets and high sugar foods. They take up at least one third of the whole shop. There is every sugary item you can imagine including large amounts of fizzy drinks. There's enough cake to sink a battleship. Last weekend there was a freezer that was totally empty when it should have contained normal food. The other freezer was full to overflowing with ice cream. I feel as if we are being force fed sugar all the time. I would love to find somewhere that provides some low sugar alternatives. When I go to my favourite cafe there is no option for a low calorie, low sugar snack of any sort. It's a cup of tea and cake or a complete lunch.

 

[Leadinglights]

I live in a small village in Cornwall. My nearest shop is a mile away. When I walk into the shop I'm met with a wall of chocolate, sweets and high sugar foods. They take up at least one third of the whole shop. There is every sugary item you can imagine including large amounts of fizzy drinks. There's enough cake to sink a battleship. Last weekend there was a freezer that was totally empty when it should have contained normal food. The other freezer was full to overflowing with ice cream. I feel as if we are being force fed sugar all the time. I would love to find somewhere that provides some low sugar alternatives. When I go to my favourite cafe there is no option for a low calorie, low sugar snack of any sort. It's a cup of tea and cake or a complete lunch.

It is easy just to focus on 'sugary' things and yes those are really big hitters when it comes to managing blood glucose but it is all carbohydrates that convert to glucose so those foods which have been pushed as being 'healthy' options are not so if Type 2 diabetic so potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, pastry, breakfast cereals, tropical fruits are all big hitters for carbs. Cafes are probably more difficult than pubs, etc where it is usually possible to find low carb meals.
Have a look at this link as it has good explanation and some do's and don'ts if it does turn out you are diagnosed as prediabetic or Type 2 but even if you aren't it may have something useful for losing weight. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

 

[Rosieposie]

It is easy just to focus on 'sugary' things and yes those are really big hitters when it comes to managing blood glucose but it is all carbohydrates that convert to glucose so those foods which have been pushed as being 'healthy' options are not so if Type 2 diabetic so potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, pastry, breakfast cereals, tropical fruits are all big hitters for carbs. Cafes are probably more difficult than pubs, etc where it is usually possible to find low carb meals.
Have a look at this link as it has good explanation and some do's and don'ts if it does turn out you are diagnosed as prediabetic or Type 2 but even if you aren't it may have something useful for losing weight. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

The point is that people can become sugarholics and that's not good in anyone's diet. It can't be good for a small local shop serving a large community not to stock real food and to concentrate on the worst kind of diet. To give them their due, when they first bought the shop they tried to stock healthy foods but people didn't want them. The whole country needs a big rethink on eating. Why do they ban adverts for cigarettes but not junk food? The problem for me is that my body doesn't process fat very well. It never has. I can't eat red meats, only poultry and fish. Fruit is difficult as I have cystitis and the doctor doesn't know what's causing it. I have to keep away from fruit drinks and a lot of other fruit. I don't know if I have diabetes yet as I have no symptoms apart from frequent going to the loo.

 

[Leadinglights]

The point is that people can become sugarholics and that's not good in anyone's diet. It can't be good for a small local shop serving a large community not to stock real food and to concentrate on the worst kind of diet. To give them their due, when they first bought the shop they tried to stock healthy foods but people didn't want them. The whole country needs a big rethink on eating. Why do they ban adverts for cigarettes but not junk food? The problem for me is that my body doesn't process fat very well. It never has. I can't eat red meats, only poultry and fish. Fruit is difficult as I have cystitis and the doctor doesn't know what's causing it. I have to keep away from fruit drinks and a lot of other fruit. I don't know if I have diabetes yet as I have no symptoms apart from frequent going to the loo.

That is a common symptom of cystitis, cranberry is supposed to be good, capsules not juice.

 

[Rosieposie]

Unfortunately there's no evidence that cranberry is helpful for cystitis. A study was done recently on the subject and i think it was on the news. Cranberry juice actually made me worse.