 It is usually thought that people with diabetes should forgo all forms of sugar. The majority of people with diabetes can eat foods containing sugar as long as the total amount of carbohydrate for that meal or snack is steady. Many research studies have shown that meals which contain sugar do not make the blood sugar go up higher than meals of equal carbohydrate levels which do not contain sugar. On the other hand, if the sugar-containing meal contains more carb, the blood sugar levels will rise.
Does This Mean I Can Eat Cake and not Worry About it?
A piece of white cake with chocolate icing (1/12 of a cake or 80 gram weight) will give you about 300 calories, 45 grams of carb and 12 grams of fat. That is three starch portions and over 2 fat portions. Before you have a piece of cake, ask yourself the following questions: Will that small piece of cake be satisfying or will I still be starving? How it will fit into my meal plan? Do I have 300 calories to "spend" on this? Are there other alternatives I could make which would add less fat? A 1/12 slice of angel food cake has less than 1 gram of fat and only 30 carb. This may be a better choice.
Controlling all Carbohydrates
It is essential to understand that sugar is not the only carbohydrate that you have to "control". The body will exchange all carbohydrates to glucose - so eating extra servings of rice, pasta, bread, fruit or other carbohydrate foods will make the blood sugar go up. Just because something doesn't have sugar in it doesn't mean you can eat to the degree that you want. Your meal table is designed so that the carbohydrate content of your meals remains as consistent as possible from day to day.
A Word of Caution:
Although sugar does not cause the blood sugar to rise any higher than other carbohydrates, it should be eaten together with other healthy foods. If you decide to drink a 12 ounce can of a sugar-sweetened soft drink, which would use up about 45 grams carb - and you wouldn't have gotten any nutrition: protein, vitamins or minerals. High sugar foods are more concentrated in carb. Consequently the volume would be smaller than a low sugar food. High sugar foods might not be a good option if they will just appeal you to eating more. If you would rather eat larger portions, decide on low sugar choices. Take a look at the differences in portion size you get for equal amounts of carbohydrate in these cereals.
Additionally, many sugar-containing foods also hold a lot of fat. Foods such as cookies, pastries, ice cream and cakes should be avoided mostly because of the fat content and for the reason that they don't add much nutritional value. If you do want a "sweet" - make a low-fat choice, such as low-fat frozen yogurt, gingersnaps, fig bars or graham crackers and substitute it for another carbohydrates on your meal plan.
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