Type 2 diabetes: How to cut down on sugar and keep blood glucose healthy

From express.co.uk

TYPE 2 diabetes can mean sufferers of the condition need to watch the amount of sugar they consume, in order to keep blood glucose levels healthy. Follow these tips to cut down on sugar in your diet.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the level of sugar in the blood is too high.
It’s important to control the level of sugar in the blood as if it is consistently too high it can lead to heart disease, strokes, blindness and kidney problems.
Diabetic people don’t have to completely cut sugar from their diet, but should limit the amount they consume.
This can be done by avoiding added and hidden sugars.

The most obvious and easy way to cut down on sugar is to avoid adding it to food and drinks, such as tea and coffee.
However, most of the sugar we consume is hidden in the food we buy, which we don’t always realise.
Sugar is often listed under other names on product ingredients lists.
Sugar can be listed as glucose, sucrose, maltose, honey, molasses, maple syrup, glucose syrup, hydrolysed starch, corn syrup, agave nectar, coconut palm sugar or treacle.
“Most of the sugar we eat is ‘hidden’ as food manufacturers have put it into a lot of the food and drinks we buy,” warned Diabetes UK.

“It’s very easy to be unaware that the amount of sugar you’re consuming is reaching unhealthy levels because it comes in so many forms and in so many products.”
We all know food like cakes, biscuits, chocolates, sweets and fizzy drinks are high in sugar, but it can also be found in food we wouldn’t expect to find it in.
Sauces, ready meals and bread are just three unexpected sources of sugar.
According to Diabetes UK, a 500g jar of pasta sauce can have eight teaspoons of sugar in it.
This is only two teaspoons less than the ten teaspoons of sugar in a standard hot chocolate and cream bought in a coffee shop.

The most obvious way to cut down on sugar is to avoid adding it to food and drinks (Image: Getty Images)

Sugar is found naturally in fruit, vegetables and milk, which are all important for a healthy, balanced diet.
However, this doesn’t mean it’s ok to drink lots of fruit juice, for example, as a 330ml bottle of pure orange juice can have the equivalent of seven teaspoons of sugar in it, according to Diabetes UK.
“It’s better to eat the whole fruit itself because we’re then getting the benefits of eating fibre, and the sugar in the fruit is absorbed more slowly in our bodies,” said Diabetes UK.
Swapping orange juice for the whole fruit will save five cubes of sugar, according to the diabetes charity.

               There is less natural sugar in whole fruits than in fruit juices (Image: Getty Images)

Instead, sugary drinks, including fruit juices and smoothies, should be swapped with water and sugar-free drinks.
Semi-skimmed milk is also a better alternative to flavoured milk, which has a higher sugar content.

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1022937/type-2-diabetes-diet-cut-down-sugar