Ask any dietitian and they’ll tell you: Sugar is a complicated topic. Rid it from your diet completely and life seems a whole lot less…sweet. But eat too much of it and it can be bad for your health. Add diabetes to the conversation and things only get more confusing. Yes dietary sugar can spike your blood sugar. No, deleting it entirely from your diet isn’t necessary.
So how should you approach eating sugar if you have diabetes? Keep reading for everything you need to know.
What sugar does to your body
“Sugar is a type of carbohydrate, and just like other carbs, consuming sugar raises your blood sugar,” says Jill Weisenberger, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, and author of The Beginner’s Guide to What to Eat with Type 2 Diabetes. That rise in blood sugar triggers your pancreas to release insulin, a hormone that moves blood sugar into cells where it can be used for energy. But if you have diabetes, your body can’t use its insulin efficiently (or, for people with type 2 diabetes, doesn’t produce insulin), so the sugar stays in your blood longer.
Other forms of carbs, such as whole grains, beans, lentils, and vegetables, contain fiber, which helps the food get digested more slowly and blunts your blood sugar response. Sugar, on the other hand, has no fiber, so eating or drinking it spikes blood sugar more quickly. “The amount your blood sugar goes up depends on how much sugar you eat,” says Weisenberger. If you have a little sugar (a couple M&Ms), your blood sugar will go up a small amount. If it’s a lot of sugar (a supersized bottle of soda), your blood sugar can easily rise a lot.
How much added sugar is too much?
The guidelines from the U.S.D.A. are the same whether or not you have diabetes: Limit added sugar to less than 10% of your daily calories. For someone eating 2,000 calories a day, that comes out to about no more than 200 calories from added sugar, or 12 teaspoons — much less than the 17 teaspoons the average American consumes daily. (The American Heart Association lowers that recommendation to just 6% of your calories.)
Added sugar is sneaky, showing up where you don’t always expect it. While added sugars are found in obvious places, like sugary drinks, baked goods, and desserts, they also lurk in condiments like ketchup and barbecue sauce, jarred pasta sauce, flavored yogurts, oatmeal, and most breakfast cereals, notes Weisenberger. And even “natural” sweeteners, like honey and maple syrup, count toward your added sugar intake when they’re mixed into your oatmeal, yogurt, or tea.
While research is still ongoing about whether zero-calorie sugar substitutes (like Splenda or Stevia) are healthy, the American Diabetes Association does recommend using them in moderation to replace traditional sugar if it helps. “You can lean on sugar substitutes and swap them in based on your taste preference, like in your morning coffee or when baking,” says Weisenberg. “But keep in mind that if you’re using them in cakes or cookies, those foods will still have calories.”
Prioritize naturally occurring sugar
Unlike added sugar — which is, as the name implies, added to a food during processing — naturally occurring sugar is found in whole foods like fruit and dairy. These foods contain other nutrients that are important for your health, such as fiber, calcium, and vitamin C. In addition, the fiber in fruit or the healthy fat and protein in yogurt, for example, can slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, for a more even blood glucose response.
Knowing your intake
The only way to know for sure how much added sugar you’re eating is to read the nutrition facts panel on your food and look for the “added sugars” line. You can also check added sugar when you look up a food in the WW app by scanning a barcode or typing the food in — it’s right there among other nutritional info.
An even easier way to stay in line with the recommendations is to follow the WeightWatchers Diabetes Program. Each food has a Points value that takes into account its added sugar. By prioritizing foods low in Points, you’ll eat less added sugar. And as long as you track what you eat, you’ll be able to see how much added sugar you’ve eaten in the app.
6 ways to eat less added sugar
Looking for more ways to curb added sugar? Try the below:
- Go DIY: With so many packaged foods containing added sugar, try whipping up your own versions. For instance, you can make a simple salad dressing with olive oil, vinegar, Dijon, and salt and pepper.
- Skip the sweet drinks: Sodas and other sweetened beverages are a major source of added sugars. An easy swap is to sip on naturally flavored sugar-free sparkling water instead.
- Get spice without the sauce: Instead of using bottled barbecue sauce on your chicken or ribs, switch to a dry spice rub that contains no sugar.
- Eat your favorite foods, just less of them: Vowing to never eat a cookie again is a surefire way to obsess over the treat. Instead, go from having three cookies after lunch to one.
- Cut back gradually: If you typically add two teaspoons of sugar to your coffee in the morning, cut back to one teaspoon for a few weeks, then half a teaspoon, says Weisenberger. This allows your tastebuds to adjust to the flavor.
- Compare brands: Looking for a good boxed breakfast cereal? Scan the barcode of a few brands using the WW app and buy the option that’s lower in added sugar and Points.
The bottom line
Everyone should try to eat less added sugar, but it becomes more important if you have diabetes, since too much can cause your glucose levels to spike. The general guideline is to limit added sugar to less than 10% of your total calories, but some experts think you should reduce it even more. To eat less sugar, look at the nutrition label, cut back on sweetened beverages, and eat smaller portions of dessert. Or, to make it easier, follow the WeightWatchers Diabetes Program, which takes added sugar into account when determining a food’s Points value.
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be regarded as a substitute for guidance from your healthcare provider.