food sugar levels?

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Question:

Hi all Anyone know if there is a web site with a list of sugar levels in common UK foods and drinks? (there are dozens for calories) I know I could go round and read all the labels, but surely someone has done this and made a list? For instance I would like to know which has more/less sugar Kellogs corn flakes or Force? More or less in Pills or Becks beer? Thanks for any leads Andy

Hi Andy, Sugar Levels on there own would be misleading as different types of sugar from foods like fruit (fructose), milk (lactose), table sugar (sucrose) & glucose all are absorbed at different rates into the blood. Also carbohydrates like bread and potato are (at least for raising blood glucose levels) just as bad or worse than some of the sugars. There is a index of foods called the Glycemic Index that’s is a good way to help control bg’s, sorry don’t know a specific UK site for it but here’s a Aussie one – http://www.calvin.biochem.usyd.edu.au/GIDB/searchD3.htm By the way the tables are purely on the effects food has on bg levels and even if they are low GI rated they may be unhealthy in other ways – high in saturated or hydrogenated fat for example. All the Best Pete F Type II on Gliclazide http://www.brist.plus.com/

Response:

It sounds like someone has suggested to you that sugar is bad for diabetics. That’s very old fashioned and out-dated advice. More of an old-wives tale in fact. Sugar is no worse than a lot of carbohydrates and as Pete F said, it’s not as bad as some (potatoes, pudding rice and white bread come to mind, for starters). If you’re a Type 2 diabetic then you should be aiming to reduce your total carbohydrate intake, not just sugar, to a level where your blood glucose is under control at an acceptable level (less than 8 mmol/l, testing 2 hrs after meals, is a good target. Lower, if you can achieve it). Carbohydrate content is given on nearly all food labels in the UK. Glycemic index is a good place to start. Another reference on that, in addition to the one Pete gave you, is Rick Mendosa’s site: http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.zip . Glycemic index tells you how fast a particular carbohydrate is converted into blood glucose. The higher the index value, the faster it digests and the bigger the potential glucose spike. Aim to eat carbohydrates with GI values lower than 50 if you can. Remember though, that quantity is also important. 100 grams of a carb with a GI of 50 will put up your blood glucose the same amount as 50 grams of pure glucose. Also, try and spread your carbohydrate intake over several small meals and snacks during the day, rather than eating a mountain of chips, rice or whatever at one meal. — Chris E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

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