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'Diabetic' food is becoming a thing of the past... should it now be better regulated? What do you think...
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Should 'diabetic' food be better regulated?
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Hobs
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As somebody who does not specifically buy 'diabetic' foods, I think that ALL food should be better regulated and far better labeled in terms that everyone understands. Also of a size where I do not need to carry a magnifying glass with me when I go shopping.
Sid Bonkers
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I think you are spot on there Hobs, I have to take my reading glasses every time I go shopping.
Just the other day I forgot my glasses and saw a coconut bar and thought it might be low carb and an ideal snack, It was impossible to read the nutritional info even my wife couldnt read it, in the end I asked a shop assisant to read it and she couldnt either, I didnt buy it but on returning to same shop (Tesco) with my glasses I was shocked to find it read 56g carbs per 100g it was a 50g bar :shock:
Why cant they, whoever they are include the carbs in the picture info instead of just:
Calories - Sugars - Fat - Saturates - Salt
It would make life so much easier not just for carb counting diabetics but for anyone wanting to watch carbs
Edit...Oh, and no, I dont eat white bread, this is the family loaf
Just the other day I forgot my glasses and saw a coconut bar and thought it might be low carb and an ideal snack, It was impossible to read the nutritional info even my wife couldnt read it, in the end I asked a shop assisant to read it and she couldnt either, I didnt buy it but on returning to same shop (Tesco) with my glasses I was shocked to find it read 56g carbs per 100g it was a 50g bar :shock:
Why cant they, whoever they are include the carbs in the picture info instead of just:
Calories - Sugars - Fat - Saturates - Salt
It would make life so much easier not just for carb counting diabetics but for anyone wanting to watch carbs
Edit...Oh, and no, I dont eat white bread, this is the family loaf
Celtic.Piskie
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Problem is, there's a lot of diets that need to have specific information.
Kidney disease, protein. Chronic pancreatitus, fats. Anyone on Dialysis, Potassium.
That's just a tiny list. They need to have it small because there's just so many conditions that need so much information. All the possible allergens that it may contain or come in contact with, all the animal or animal derived ingredients, what would you have on it in big pront, and where would you put it all on small items like bars?
I'd rather see more information smaller, than only certain items larger.
I don't know about more regulation... everyone's diet is different. What would you require it to be when labelled as such?
Low / no carb? Low / no fat? Lower in sugar / fat than similar products?
I thinkt hey should just get rid of the label all together, and encourage people to eat healthily and become more knowledgable about hteir diabetes, themselves, and the food.
Kidney disease, protein. Chronic pancreatitus, fats. Anyone on Dialysis, Potassium.
That's just a tiny list. They need to have it small because there's just so many conditions that need so much information. All the possible allergens that it may contain or come in contact with, all the animal or animal derived ingredients, what would you have on it in big pront, and where would you put it all on small items like bars?
I'd rather see more information smaller, than only certain items larger.
I don't know about more regulation... everyone's diet is different. What would you require it to be when labelled as such?
Low / no carb? Low / no fat? Lower in sugar / fat than similar products?
I thinkt hey should just get rid of the label all together, and encourage people to eat healthily and become more knowledgable about hteir diabetes, themselves, and the food.
hanadr
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We already have some of the best food labelling laws in the world. I wear glasses all the time and have to take them off to read small print, but I always do so
The only foods without labels, are the "fresh ingredients" which I use pretty much all the time.
The info on them is easily found on-line.
All we need is to ensure that foods which should be labelled ARE. I have only very rarely bought something called a "diabetic food". I know to expect that there is a sugar alcohol, in these sweets.
Low sugar jams are also often labelled as suitable for diabetics.
T1 husband has poor eyesight and I bought him an illuminated credit card sized magnifyer. It fits in a wallet.
Hana
The only foods without labels, are the "fresh ingredients" which I use pretty much all the time.
The info on them is easily found on-line.
All we need is to ensure that foods which should be labelled ARE. I have only very rarely bought something called a "diabetic food". I know to expect that there is a sugar alcohol, in these sweets.
Low sugar jams are also often labelled as suitable for diabetics.
T1 husband has poor eyesight and I bought him an illuminated credit card sized magnifyer. It fits in a wallet.
Hana
This is a difficult one, but what annoys me is food which is portrayed as being healthy ie. 'be good to you' ranges, which are not really good for you at all! I also get annoyed about things called diabetic icecream, when in fact the carb value is actually a lot higher than many other brands which are not described as 'diabetic'. So many foods are also sold on the basis that they are 'reduced fat', but they are normally laidened with sugar and salt to make them taste nice - so you really do need to read the labels so you fully understand what is in the food.
john.in.france
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I think the development of "diabetic" foodstuffs harks back to the same game as "low fat". By playing with a "bogey man" - in one case fat, in this case sugar, the food manufacturers can charge premium prices for sub standard goods.
I'm just waiting to find my first sample of "99% sugar free (insert food of choice here)" in the supermarket.
Quite a few years ago, before I was diabetic, I decided that I needed to cut back on my sugar in coffee, so I bought one of the higher priced sugar substitutes on the market. A few weeks later, I had my first migraine. The doctor asked me what | had changed recently. I told him and he suggested that perhaps that was the problem. I stopped using the substitute and, surprise, surprise the migraines stopped. However the damage had been done. If by accident I happened to eat something that contained the artifical sweetner in question, bang! migraine. :evil:
I'm sorry to say that I think our food industry and our chemical industry are tied together much too intimately. They get us coming and going. The foodstuffs contain more chemicals than they do natural foods - You need a microscope to read the ingredients list and a degree in chemistry to understand the chemicals involved. That's after you spend some time on the internet decrypting the E numbers.
After you've poisoned yourself, the Chemical / sorry Pharmaceutical arm get their pound of flesh by allowing you to spend more money on their drugs to counteract what their food industry subsiduary caused.
Maybe I'm paranoid as well as diabetic, but I don't think so.
John
I'm just waiting to find my first sample of "99% sugar free (insert food of choice here)" in the supermarket.
Quite a few years ago, before I was diabetic, I decided that I needed to cut back on my sugar in coffee, so I bought one of the higher priced sugar substitutes on the market. A few weeks later, I had my first migraine. The doctor asked me what | had changed recently. I told him and he suggested that perhaps that was the problem. I stopped using the substitute and, surprise, surprise the migraines stopped. However the damage had been done. If by accident I happened to eat something that contained the artifical sweetner in question, bang! migraine. :evil:
I'm sorry to say that I think our food industry and our chemical industry are tied together much too intimately. They get us coming and going. The foodstuffs contain more chemicals than they do natural foods - You need a microscope to read the ingredients list and a degree in chemistry to understand the chemicals involved. That's after you spend some time on the internet decrypting the E numbers.
After you've poisoned yourself, the Chemical / sorry Pharmaceutical arm get their pound of flesh by allowing you to spend more money on their drugs to counteract what their food industry subsiduary caused.
Maybe I'm paranoid as well as diabetic, but I don't think so.
John
sugarless sue
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Two things I would like to see happen.
1) The 'Traffic light ' system to include Carbs instead of sugars.
2) HCP's to stop using the word sugar and use the word carbs instead. This way all diabetics would be aware of checking for carbs on packaging, not just sugar which can be very misleading.
1) The 'Traffic light ' system to include Carbs instead of sugars.
2) HCP's to stop using the word sugar and use the word carbs instead. This way all diabetics would be aware of checking for carbs on packaging, not just sugar which can be very misleading.
Etty
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I'd like to see "diabetic foods" regulated out of existence. Diabetics need to know a lot about the nutritional qualities of the foods they buy, and these labels distract them from the real work of choosing foods that are good for them.
john.in.france
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I agree 100% with Etty.
Better lables - yes - but lose the unnecessary and emotive "Specially for Diabetics" nonsense.
John
Better lables - yes - but lose the unnecessary and emotive "Specially for Diabetics" nonsense.
John
I fail to see the importance of "diabetic food". In all the diabetic foods I've encountered the carbohydrate content is not much different, in some instances it is actually higher. Sure the sugar content may be lower, or slightly lower, but it's the carbohydrate content that we look at and base insulin calculations upon. For example I noticed recently that Tesco are selling a diabetic ice cream. On reading the label it actually has a higher carb content per 100g than the non-diabetic ice cream I usually buy. So I have to ask what the benefit of the "diabetic" ice cream is over the regular ice cream?
When my daughter was newly diagnosed and this carb counting was all unknown to me I was fooled into trusting diabetic products. We were on holiday in Spain and found some "diabetic" biscuits. Of course I thought "great" and bought a few packs. I was very puzzled as to why my daughters blood sugars shot through the roof after eating a couple of the biscuits. I made the same mistake with thorntons diabetic chocolate bars. Now of course I know better, but back then I was fooled into believing that these products were okay for her to eat. If she's going to need an injection with a diabetic treat, she may as well have an injection with a regular treat.
I've learnt an important lesson over the past 5 years of living with my daughter's diabetes. Insist that you learn to carb count from the outset of diagnosis and understand how carbohydrates affect blood sugars. It was 3 years into diabetes before our consultant had the brainwave to suggest I do a carb counting course. It was only on that course that I learned it is the carbs we should look at and not only the sugar content of foods. Also insist on seeing a dietician very soon after diagnosis and have the dietician explain how different foods affect blood sugars, even those foods like crisps that are low in sugar (they contain carbs so ultimately do affect blood sugars). I must have been very stupid but nobody told me these things so I didn't know. It's no wonder her readings going up and down and all over the place made no sense to me whatsoever. It was this lack of education/information that caused me to be fooled into buying the diabetic products.
You don't need to buy diabetic foods. Just be sensible and keep treats as treats, not as a regular part of your diet. The only sugar free product we buy is squash, other than that my daughter eats the same as the rest of the family which is a healthy balanced diet. If I saw a "diabetic" food on the shelf I'd in all likelihood walk straight on past it.
When my daughter was newly diagnosed and this carb counting was all unknown to me I was fooled into trusting diabetic products. We were on holiday in Spain and found some "diabetic" biscuits. Of course I thought "great" and bought a few packs. I was very puzzled as to why my daughters blood sugars shot through the roof after eating a couple of the biscuits. I made the same mistake with thorntons diabetic chocolate bars. Now of course I know better, but back then I was fooled into believing that these products were okay for her to eat. If she's going to need an injection with a diabetic treat, she may as well have an injection with a regular treat.
I've learnt an important lesson over the past 5 years of living with my daughter's diabetes. Insist that you learn to carb count from the outset of diagnosis and understand how carbohydrates affect blood sugars. It was 3 years into diabetes before our consultant had the brainwave to suggest I do a carb counting course. It was only on that course that I learned it is the carbs we should look at and not only the sugar content of foods. Also insist on seeing a dietician very soon after diagnosis and have the dietician explain how different foods affect blood sugars, even those foods like crisps that are low in sugar (they contain carbs so ultimately do affect blood sugars). I must have been very stupid but nobody told me these things so I didn't know. It's no wonder her readings going up and down and all over the place made no sense to me whatsoever. It was this lack of education/information that caused me to be fooled into buying the diabetic products.
You don't need to buy diabetic foods. Just be sensible and keep treats as treats, not as a regular part of your diet. The only sugar free product we buy is squash, other than that my daughter eats the same as the rest of the family which is a healthy balanced diet. If I saw a "diabetic" food on the shelf I'd in all likelihood walk straight on past it.
A
Anonymous
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I do have diabetic treats at Christmas mainly, but my 'beef' is the amount of carbs in chocs and biscuits. It can be quite high in some of them, and it sends my sugar up so what's the point to them? Don't the manufactures know anything about diabetes? If they did they would know that carbs turn to sugar when they hit your stomach! I have a problem with drowsiness still after eating, and 2 chocs can send me to sleep!
I do like the jam and marmalade as they have no effect on my sugar.
I do like the jam and marmalade as they have no effect on my sugar.
