sugar content in shop bought products

[Carina1962]

what is the amount of sugar that is classed as low on shop bought products ie cereal bars, snack bars? is there a recommended amount and would this amount need to be lower for diabetics?

 

[Northerner]

Hi Carina, Diabetes UK do this handy free download all about food labelling.

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/upload/How we help/catalogue/Know your labels 040309.pdf

It says that 'low' sugar is less than 5g per 100g and 'high' is greater than 15g per 100g. The lower the better for diabetics, but don't forget that the total carbohydrate content is the most important consideration for us.

 

[Carina1962]

thanks Northener, as ever you come up with the info one needs, many thanks 🙂

 

[Carina1962]

sorry Northerner, forgot to ask, is there a max total carbs figure for us diabetics to watch out for when buying ready made shop bought products?

 

[Alan S]

sorry Northerner, forgot to ask, is there a max total carbs figure for us diabetics to watch out for when buying ready made shop bought products?

Carina, I'm not Northerner so I hope you don't mind me butting in.

I'm not a believer in the traffic lights system. They are considering introducing it here too. I prefer to read the label details and form my own opinion of the "healthiness" of a food - for me.

Your question has no general answer. As type 2 diabetics we are all slightly different in our blood glucose reactions to the carbs in foods. Not only that, we can vary over the course of a day, so you may have a different tolerance to carbs at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I notice you were diagnosed a while back and your A1c has improved, so please forgive me if you already know all this.

The only way to discover your own personal "max total carbs figure" is to test your blood glucose levels at your peak timing after meals. Do that often enough and you will come to know what the safe carb portion sizes are for you, and you will also learn the appropriate levels on the packets you buy.

This is how I did that (click on it): Test, Review, Adjust.

 

[Carina1962]

thank you Alan S, i wil read your link as soon as i get sufficient time and yes i do agree that carb intake will vary from person to person. I have cut down a lot of my starchy carbs since diagnosis but i cannot give them all up but what i do now is i only tend to eat the low GI foods ie burgen bread or rye bread, sweet potato, basmati rice so have made replacements rather than give them up altogether. I am also trying to lose weight and have quite a long way to go before i get to goal and my portions have got smaller and i am being more conscious of what i eat nowadays than i used to so all round being diagnosed has given me the kick up the backside that i needed years ago.

How are you getting on with 'Living with Diabetes'?

 

[Alan S]

thank you Alan S, i wil read your link as soon as i get sufficient time and yes i do agree that carb intake will vary from person to person. I have cut down a lot of my starchy carbs since diagnosis but i cannot give them all up but what i do now is i only tend to eat the low GI foods ie burgen bread or rye bread, sweet potato, basmati rice so have made replacements rather than give them up altogether. I am also trying to lose weight and have quite a long way to go before i get to goal and my portions have got smaller and i am being more conscious of what i eat nowadays than i used to so all round being diagnosed has given me the kick up the backside that i needed years ago.

How are you getting on with 'Living with Diabetes'?

For weight loss this may also help: Weight Loss

I'm not quite sure of your meaning in that final question.

I've lived with diabetes for nearly nine years now. To be honest, if I had not been diagnosed I would probably be dead now.

I do not recommend it as a way of waking people up to taking care of their health, but it certainly worked for me. I am fitter, healthier (apart from a few incurable diseases) than I was at 55 and I am fairly content with my lot, including my hobbies of helping new people with type 2 and wandering the world.