PEDIATRIC DIABETES INFORMATION Sweeteners and Diabetes

Sweeteners (like sugar, Equal®, sorbitol) are added so that foods taste sweeter. Some sweeteners have carbohydrate in them and some do not. Sweeteners that contain carbohydrate will raise blood sugar.

Artificial Sweeteners Sugar Alcohols Sugars (no calories) (have calories) (have calories) • Do NOT have carbohydrate • Have carbohydrate • Have carbohydrate • Do not raise blood sugar • May raise blood • Raise blood sugar sugar

Scientific Name Common Name Hydrogenated starch • Agave nectar hydrolysates: • Corn sweetener Acesulfame K Sweet One®, Sunette® • Isomalt • Corn syrup • Date sugar Aspartame Equal®, Nutrasweet®, • Lactitol NatraTaste® • Maltitol • Dextrose • Mannitol • Evaporated cane ® Saccharine Sugar-Twin , • Sorbitol juice Sweet’n’Low®, • Xylitol • Fructose Sucaryl®, Sweet 10® • Erithritol • Glucose • High fructose corn Sucralose Splenda® May cause gas, syrup Stevia/ diarrhea, and • Honey Rebaudioside Sweet Leaf®, cramping. • Invert sugar Sun Crystals®, Steviva®, • Lactose ® ® Truvia , Purevia • Malt, maltose, malt sugar, malt syrup Neotame None (used as food additive only) • Maple syrup, maple sugar • Molasses • Raw sugar • Rice syrup • Sucrose • Turbinado sugar PEDIATRIC DIABETES INFORMATION Sweeteners and Food Labels Be aware of the total carbohydrate in foods that use sweeteners. Many foods that say “sugar-free” or “no sugar added” have carbohydrates in them. These foods may contain carbohydrate in the form of starch or sugar alcohols and will raise your blood sugar.

Nutrition Facts The ingredients list Serving Size 1 bar will tell you which type of sweetener is Servings Per Container 12 in the food.

Amount Per Serving Ingredients: whole milk, Look at the TOTAL Calories 90 condensed skim milk, CARBOHYDRATE. water, polydextrose, Total carbohydrate Total Fat 1.5g sorbitol, cocoa, milk includes starch, Saturated Fat 1g protein, aspartame, dietary fiber, sugars, Polyunsaturated Fat 0g vanilla and sugar alcohol. Monounsaturated Fat 0.5g Cholesterol 10mg

Sodium 70mg DIETARY FIBER does not Total Carbohydrate 15g raise blood sugar and can Dietary Fiber 0g be subtracted from the total carbohydrate. Sugars 4g Sugar Alcohol 4g SUGARS will raise blood Protein 4g sugar. SUGAR ALCOHOL may raise blood sugar. About half of the amount of sugar alcohol will turn to sugar in Food Label Definitions the blood.

Sugar-Free Less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving

No Sugar No sugar added during food processing Added (may still have natural food sugars)

Reduced Sugar content of the food has been Sugar reduced by at least 25%

CH-diab(b)-13-eng-2013