DIABETIC FOODS

[phoenix]

There are studies that have shown that people who consume diet sodas increase weight, for example here in the elderly. There are several such studies
http://www.theheart.org/article/1245493.do
Why should this be.
There are also rodent studies that suggest the mechanism by which this happens.

the present research showed that intake of non-caloric sweeteners reduces the effectiveness of learned associations between sweet tastes and postingestive caloric outcomes (Experiment 1) and that interfering with this association may impair the ability of rats to regulate their intake of sweet, but not nonsweet, highfat and high-calorie food (Experiment 2). The results support the hypothesis that consuming noncaloric sweeteners may promote excessive intake and body weight gain by weakening apredictive relationship between sweet taste and the caloric consequences of eating

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article ... 373389.pdf
Researchers have also discovered sweet taste receptors in the gastrointestinal tract. There are those that consider these have an important role in the control of food intake and this is disrupted by non calorific sweeteners.

SO far there are only a few human studies and the results are inconsistent

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3319034/

it is something being actively investigated at the moment.
eg:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01200940
When I was first diagnosed 8 years ago, I did try to substitute sugar in desserts and on fruits with sweetener.
Somewhere along the line I realised it wasn't necessary or good for me and stopped.
I now never have to add sweetener to things like berries (well maybe gooseberries) . If I eat anything sweet it needs to be very subtle as in very dark chocolate or the occasional 'cake' like macaroons made with almonds and a small amount of sugar. Anything too sweet now tastes quite horrible.

 

[Sid Bonkers]

If you make a decision due to false data, is it still your fault or that of the person who gave you the data?

What decision exactly are you referring to Fergus?

I'll assume you are referring to the "eat low fat false data" which is not incorrect at all but seems to be interpreted wrongly by some to mean eat as much as you like as long as you dont eat fat which is as ridiculous as some low carbers who say that you can eat as much as you like as long as you dont eat carbs....Wrong, fat has 9 calories per gram and carbs have something like 4 calories per gram so eat as much fat as you like and you will put on weight just as you will if you eat as many carbs as you like.

We all have do decide what we will eat and if someone chooses to go to McDonalds and eat a double humungus cheese burger with exrtra large fries and a gallon of coke every day then they shouldnt be surprised if they become overweight.

I ate to much food and became obese, I dieted by eating far fewer calories and I have ;lost that weight, who can I blame for my over eating? me of course, yes it was me and no one else who was responsible for my overeating and it has been me who has stuck to a diet that sustains my weight loss.

No one has ever said that it is good eat low fat and high carb except a few obsessive low carbers. what every health care professional will tell you is to eat a balanced diet and dont over eat. There is absolutely no problem with low fat food, chicken is a low fat food which I eat lots of, what you are talking about is processed food and no one has ever said that processed foods are a healthy option and it goes straight back to personal choice if you choose to eat processed foods thats your choice but you will be hard pressed to show me any medical advice that says to eat excessive amounts of processed foods.

 

[barbara65]

Would you know why i am not losing weight i am low carb but i am on laslin lantis i have a lot of weight to losses

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[Thundercat]

Well said Sid. In the age we live in it is nigh near impossible not to be aware of what is good and bad for us. If I see a high calorie/high fat food advertised and go ahead and buy it I may be electing to ignore what I know but it is still an informed decision. Of course food manufacturers etc want us to buy the **** but that doesn't mean we have to. We all have free will and freedom of choice even when it is difficult to resist the pull of tempting but trashy food

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[hanadr]

Diabetes UK campaigned agains "Diabetic foods" they don't believe we need them.[ there were a few and they died out after that.]
I certainly don't. I eat mainly meat, fish, eggs, cheese and vegetables. I have a little fruit, but not much. I've had half an apple today.
I'm a low carber, so very little bread or other baked goods, pasta, rice or potatoes. I snack rarely and then I have nuts
I can get everything i need very simply in the normal shops. I don't need anything special, although Iwould like more low carb foods to be available for special occasions. There is an oldfashioned style sweetshop in Reading that sells sugar free sweets, which I do indulge myself with just occasionally. I have a small piece of dark nut chocolate every evening
The best diabetic foods are those with which you can manage your blood sugar level to your chosen target
Hana

 

[eggplant]

Agree with the others... although I know what you seem to be getting at viz diabetic foods, truth is, at the end of the day it comes down to us, ourselves and the choices we make about what we eat... you have to learn to pay attention to the things that matter (for anyone but especially for diabetics) - like carbs, etc. and reading food labels helps.

People who, like me, try to manage/control their diabetes by focusing more carefully on what they eat can (and do) take a variety of routes and there are plenty of debates as to which is the best, etc. but in the end only you can know what works best for you (taking into account your starting point, your general life commitments, etc.) but still there are common elements that are pretty much the same for all of us... understand carbs (mainly because these are what make the most difference to blood sugar levels) and test to see how much/how little your body can tolerate.

It's a pain to start with, it's hard work... but it can become a habit and as you learn, you will soon get a repertoire of things you can eat/drink, etc. I use recipe cards to help me learn and to help me remember what works for me. I'm sharing these online - so feel free to take a look. They might give you some ideas but... key thing to remember is that what works for me might not work for you - you just have to test and learn. I'm able to tolerate quite a high level of carbs but that's not the case for everyone.

http://www.facebook.com/DiabeticBeat
http://twitter.com/DiabeticBeat

Cheers and good luck with it all. And keep making use of the forum - there's a great deal of good advice and great support - that's how I learned and I still enjoy coming here for the banter and to just be able to share how you feel about your day-to-day battles with diabetes. It's kind of comforting.

 

[controller]

Sorry for my belated response but the web site threw a wobbler.

What I have maintained all along is giving more choices of foods [sugar free foods] for diabetics.

There are very few choices in supermarkets, food shops and restaurants for diabetics. For example I like apple pie but there are no sugar free ones available.

 

[controller]

A good start would be sugar free diabetic foods. Diabetics do need the intrinsic goodness of foods, e.g. proteins but we do not need added sugar to foods.

I ask the question again, why are manufacturers and retailers not making sugar free foods?

Incidentally, we are protected by labelling regulations so that if any supplier thinks that they can try and fool consumers; they ahd better think again.

 

[Sid Bonkers]

Hi Controller you seem to be locked into this thinking that diabetics cant eat sugar when in fact it is all carbohydrates we have trouble with not just pure sugar, so anything made with flour, cereals, fruits and most veg to a greater or lesser degree,,,,, in fact carbs are everywhere. That doesnt leave a lot to put in a diabetic food now does it?

But the truth is that most diabetics do not completely avoid carbs in fact that would be impossible as I said earlier carbs are everywhere, some diabetics limit their carbs but to what level is a personal thing, would I buy a low carb meal? Probably not as I am well controlled eating normal every day foods.

What you seem to be suggesting is to replace the processed muck thats full of sugar with processed muck thats not full of sugar but it will still be processed muck and I still would not buy it.

There are as many diabetic diets as there are diabetics, so who do suggest that the food processors cater for, me? Or the next man/woman, we all eat different foods.

 

[carty]

There are loads of sugar free foods out there some of them not too good for diabetics like rice, pasta, flour also some good for diabetics like green veg, meat, dairy products but if you want someone else to plan all your meals for you and just pick up things labeled "for diabetics" I am sure if you pay enough and care even less about what you eat there will be someone out there to take your money off you and lots of it Just google diabetic foods
CAROL

 

[phoenix]

For example I like apple pie but there are no sugar free ones available.

Not so hard to make your own without sugar (just use a sweeter apple than a bramley and you could use ready made pastry but however it's made a traditional apple pie is never going to be very low in carbohydrates. There will be natural sugars in the apple and carbohydrates in the pastry (and some types of pastry may be very high fat)

Have you looked at the ingredients of some 'sugar free' foods ? Here's the ingredients of Tastykake Cream Filled Coffee Cupcakes from an online specialist store. It was the first I looked at, not specifically selected. It demonstrates to me why I would avoid such foods. ( it's maybe low in carb and sugar but high in chemicals and in this case seems to contain the very worst type of fats)

BLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE-B1, RIBOFLAVIN-B2, FOLIC ACID), VEGETABLE SHORTENING (SOYBEAN OIL, PALM OIL, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, COTTONSEED OIL, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL AND/OR HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL WITH TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID ADDED TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS), WATER, MALTITOL, EGGS, POLYDEXTROSE, MALTITOL SYRUP, MAY CONTAIN 2% OR LESS OF: WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE (MILK), LEAVENING (SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, BAKING SODA, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), FOOD STARCH - MODIFIED, CINNAMON, GLYCERINE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL MONOSTEARATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, ISOLATED SOY PROTEIN, SKIM MILK, WHEAT GLUTEN, WHEY (MILK), CORNSTARCH, SALT, BUTTER, CELLULOSE GUM, GUM ARABIC, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, GUAR GUM, SODIUM PROPIONATE (TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS), SUCRALOSE, SORBIC ACID (TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS), XANTHAN GUM, COCONUT OIL,CORN FLOUR, POLYSORBATE 60, NUTMEG, MONO & DIGLYCERIDES, SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE, SOY LECITHIN, POTASSIUM SORBATE (TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS), PROPYLENE GLYCOL MONOESTER. Warning: MANUFACTURED IN A FACILITY THAT USES PEANUTS. Certifications: kosher This product contains glycerine which is not a carbohydrate but has 4.32 calories per gram. This product may contain traces of nuts. Excess consumption may cause a laxative effect

 

[kevinf1967]

mature cheddar has hardly any sugar in it at all as does most cheeses unless you get the low fat variant. You don' treally need to have special diabetic food you just need to know what you can and can't eat.. check the carb content .

 

[carty]

How much are the coffee cupcakes Pheonix as I think this proves my point
CAROL

 

[Finzi]

Phoenix: that sounds absolutely disgusting! I can't believe people would willingly eat something like that

I sort of do and don't agree about supermarkets selling more "diabetic" foods. I wish there were more low carb versions of "normal" food available (eg if somebody could come up with a decent low carb bread, or breakfast cereal). More than that, I wish it was easier to get low carb lunches when you're out - so many cafes sell sandwiches, baguettes, baked potatoes, pies, and cakes. Restaurants are not so bad, but cheap cafe lunches are harder. And, I hang my head in shame when I admit that I am eternally grateful for Thorntons diabetic chocolate, which I enjoy in very small quantities (not because it causes me digestive problems, but because I know polypols can still raise your blood sugar. Although I seem to get away with two per day, one after lunch and one after dinner).

My best and favourite diabetic foodstuff that I have bought online is without a doubt da Vinci sugar free syrups, and I wish you could get those more easily in supermarkets.


Type 2 on Metformin, diagnosed Jan 2013, ultra low carber, Hba1C at diagnosis 8% (64), average BS now between 5 and 6 mmol.

 

[Slesser1]

Theres a good website, sugarfreemegastore.com, for treats. Theres a carb free selection too. Snacks, sweets and drinks. They also sell the da vinci syrups in different flavours. Great with quark mousse!

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[Finzi]

it would take me hours to get food if i had to read all the labels , i would be embarrased to be standing there with glasses on trying to read labels , shopping would take forever ..................

I know what you mean, shopping does take a lot longer! But really , I very much doubt anyone else is going to be watching you and noting how long it takes you to read labels. So don't let that stop you Just allow plenty of time for your shopping!


Type 2 on Metformin, diagnosed Jan 2013, ultra low carber, Hba1C at diagnosis 8% (64), average BS now between 5 and 6 mmol.

 

[controller]

I am not a cook.

You have underscored what I am saying about choices. If there was more choice of diabetic foods then suppliers would soon know if their produce meets muster.

The comment from another respondent of something being "full of chemicals" is tosh. Do you know that you are a walking Laboratory and if the chemicals in your body were not working correctly, you would soon know about it? When you go to your GP for an aliment he / she would prescribe - yes you are absolutely right - CHEMICALS to sort out your difficulty. I have made asprin [among other things] in the laboratory from constituent chemicals.

All foods without exception are made up of chemicals and this is how chemical scientists have discovered that sugar is not good for diabetics.

 

[phoenix]

I don't know of any naturally occurring food that contains partially hydrogenated oil nor ingredients like malitol (hydrogenated maltose made from corn ) I consider them pseudo foods and more likely to create problems than the less processed foods they replace ( trans fats have well recorded problems and the malitol is one of the ingredients that forces the laxative warning)

The chemical/medicine argument is just an Aunt Sally . I certainly wouldn't eat salicylic acid in any quantity either.
If you can make aspirin then I would have thought that you could cook, just a matter of following a recipe.


As you say it's your choice whether you wish to eat these types of products . You asked why Supermarket's don't stock many of these products; maybe people don't want to buy them and ultimately market forces will prevail.
Good luck to you.
I don't know how you are controlling your diabetes but honestly I'd look at more than the sugar content of my food.
At that I shall bow out of this thread.

 

[MCMLXXIII]

To controller:
Yes but there is an acute difference between man made chemicals and those that occur naturally in the body.
Its like when someone says aromatherapy is **** to which i say, then how come sniffing glue can kill you?


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[controller]

There is no "acute difference" between "man-made chemicals" and those that "occur naturally in the body."

If there were differences between the two, you would have expired a long time ago.

Any chemical can be broken down and remade into its constituent elements. Therefore, for example, salt is salt whether it is found in your body or as "table salt". No difference whatsoever.

Could you explain the "acute difference" between any chemical that is in your body and the same chemical outside your body?