Diabetic Food - Why is it sold?

[thedonkey]

Hello all and apologies if this has been posted elsewhere.

I've been recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes which I'm dealing with in my own stride (tablets & diet), however, after reading several UK sites and endless leaflets I was given (which have good info), I have to ask, why is diabetic food allowed to be sold if we're told not to eat the stuff? Am I being ignorant/ silly, but I don't get why it's available if not recommended?

Anyone out there with an answer to this one?

Any guidance on this would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Dippy3103]

It is sold so the manufacturors can charge top dollar for something we don't need.
I remember when I was a kid my Gran was diabetic and only "allowed" diabetic chocolate.
I was told it is actually higher in fat that ordinary chocolate and therefore worse for more voluptuous diabetics (such as myself). Not sure how much truth there is in that but having tasted diabetic choc once I choose to believe it !

 

[k9kitty]

Hi thedonkey,
no you are not been silly, finding your way around what you can and can't eat is a minefield.

I think diabetic foods are still sold from the old days when it was thought diabetics need to avoid sugar at all costs, hence, finding something sweet with an alternative sweetener in and there is still a market for them or they wouldn't be stocked. I sometimes wonder if the whole health food market taps into our insecurities, it certainly makes its money.

My doc who also runs the diabetic clinic at my surgery, told me, that there is no need to eat special diabetic foods but I could have one as an occasional treat. I prefer two squares of 70% cocoa chocolate over diabetic choc any day. But you know, sometimes when you are out and about and need a treat the local Boots is to hand and they do a reasonable tasting chocolate wafer. Check the fat content of these special diabetic foods though, some are high in saturated fat and other nasties. And do look at the total carb's on label as well. It's easy to go past the limit that suits you personally if you need to have a lower carb intake to keep well.

Hope you are getting on ok with your diet and medication

x

 

[Talos]

There is still a very good market for " diabetic" foods out there, not so much with Diabetics ( who are wiser), but with serial dieters who believe they can loose or control their weight better by eating them :shock:

 

[copepod]

I guess that after one episode of over-doing the diabetes food, resulting in experiencing the laxative effects, means that next time, the eater will eat considerably less! Perhaps that's where the weight control comes in?

 

[Talos]

I guess that after one episode of over-doing the diabetes food, resulting in experiencing the laxative effects, means that next time, the eater will eat considerably less! Perhaps that's where the weight control comes in?

Unfortunately it's the laxative effect that makes them think it's working :shock:

 

[Angeldust]

It's a total sham. I avoid synthetic sugars like the plague. They do a million times more harm than real sugar in moderation. The food industry produces them for next to nothing and the profit margin is huge.
If I feel like a coke I'll take an extra shot to balance it out. Never any harm done. Compared to the what all that aspartame from diet will do....

 

[noblehead]

Diabetic Food-Why is it sold?...............good question, totally unnecessary and a complete waste of money! :roll:

Nigel

 

[witan]

It really is time that the 'Diabetic food' description had some regulatory control or was banned completely. it is open to every manufacturers own interpretation and as has already been said is often not just useless but misleading and bordering on harmful. perhaps we should start a campaign?

It's interesting to note the huge growth in 'special dietary needs' foods in many supermarkets - free from gluten, free from nuts, free from dairy etc, I'm not begrudging those that need these foods but wonder if the lack of a clear message on what Diabetic food should be stops these supermarkets from adding suitable offerings for diabetics.
No sugar in any form and reduced carbs (levels clearly labeled) would be a great start.

On a lighter note what do you do with all those Diabetic food presents that you get from well-meaning friends and relatives...

 

[hismom]

hi,
for my son the maltitol in a lot of these foods cause really high bg. We dont buy diabetic products now.

 

[oobuc5]

yes i have been told its a waste of money ,apart from that it has sugar in it !
its a numbers game because its a big market people who dont know will buy it ,the simple one is dont buy processed foods ,buy fresh :

 

[copelandp]

Why is it sold? - to make a fast buck out of diabetics, of course.

I am type 2, on insulin and eat everything and anything- IN MODERATION.

Ensure you have your 5 a day and ensure that you stick to the "balanced plate concept"

When first diagnosed I had an intense peiod of 3 months when I tested up tyo 5 times a day to identify what different foods and drinks did to me.

Now I no what to restrict, what to avoid and what I can eat safely. I would never touch diabetic foods.

 

[Kathleen Mc]

i find the best solution re fizzy drinks is don't drink so much that the aspartame can do any harm. i have no more than 1 drink of it a day. i tend to drink tea or water instead.

 

[cugila]

The Administrator started a Poll yesterday about this very subject..........

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=17051&start=0

 

[Sivasoruban]

Diabetic food does more damage than it does good. It should have a label Keep away at all cost. It is sold because most of us are ignorant and fall victims to labels, have a very busy life to stop and think and this creates an opportunity for manufactures to make money. We are brain washed to strive on individulity, choice and words and phrases which are conjured to obscure the obvious.


Individuality-Biologically similar to 5 billion other people, share metabolic pathways with many, many, many animals; Should we really express ourself by driving a red coloured car that is driven by half the population of this planet? Does it matter how we address a disability or a condition? Surely, the fact that we are suffering from that condtion should be the key issue and not what we call it?
Diabetic food sends out a message as the food a diabetic should eat. Eg: Just because you are diabetic, you don't have to give up chocolate.

Diabetic food use sweetners but they also contain carbohydrates and fat. Take carbohydrate and fats away from diabetic food and it becomes non-pallatable. Sugars of all form are bad news, but intrinsic sugars (sugars derived from milk and starch) are better than fats as sources of calories. Consume food containing this type of sugar in moderation. Look at food as a fuel rather than as a treat.

Our habits are a receipe for disaster. Evolutionary wise, we should have one main meal a day , preferably in a non social setting. Taking meals in a social settig encourages us to eat more. Add to it Breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, tea, supper and what you have is obesity, diabetes early grave.

Both my parents are type-II diabetics and since this year (49years old) I have been diagnosed as type-II diabetic with an initial BMI of 25. My father managed for 20 years to control his sugar level (6-8mmol) without medication. He was on metfomin for the last 5 years. I am managing the same, achieving 6.3 mmol- Hb1Ac through diet alone. There are basically three key things a diabetic needs to remeber.
Keep away from
1) Sugar (Non Milk Extrinsic Sugars)
2) carbohydrates.
3) Artificial Sweetners

Artificial sweetners are bad on the long run because they can induce craving for sweet things especially when you are feeling peckish and when you are on a diet. Without sweetners, the first few drinks of tea/cofee may be bitter but after one week you will get used to it. Drink fruit juice and water instead. It will help you to stick to a good diet plan.

Diabetes is really a blessing in disguise. It forwarns the suferer that if they continue as they are, their life will be cut short. Diabetes is implicated in almost all life threatening diseases. Add smoking, excessive drinking, and a sedentary life style, then you are surely done for.

 

[Sid Bonkers]

Hi Sivasoruban and welcome to the forum. A good first post although i would respectfully point out that fruit juice is very high in carbohydrate and is in fact a good hypo remedy drink, and therefore best avoided by diabetics or at least drunk only in very, very small quantities. Check the carbs on the carton, they came as a shock to me too

Keep away from
1) Sugar (Non Milk Extrinsic Sugars)
2) carbohydrates.
3) Artificial Sweetners

Drink fruit juice and water instead.

 

[DazG]

Are sweeteners not good then? I take canderel in my tea, 2 tabs at a time, and have 4 or 5 cups a day?

 

[Anonymous]

Diabetes can NEVER be called a blessing in disguise!!

 

[anniep]

Are sweeteners not good then? I take canderel in my tea, 2 tabs at a time, and have 4 or 5 cups a day?

Sweeteners are one of those things that divide people - some people use them and others think they are the devil in disguise.

But you do have to watch as some of them have a laxitive effect and some will still raise BG levels.- I use splenda sometimes with no ill effects.

I think it is a personal decision, make you own informed choice, my mother used them for 40 years and managed OK.

What it does do I found is keep the sweet tooth going, you never get used to doing without sweetness.

 

[hanadr]

Things are only sold if someone buys them. If no-one buys, they disappear.
Hana