Diabetes "Brain Buster"

Good afternoon my fanatical followers,

As you know I have started as a nutrition editor for a diabetes resource website, http://www.foodpicker.org/
We get weekly questions from anonymous readers every week to pick our brains of diabetes goodness. Here's the latest...

What is the best sugar substitute to use for baking and daily use for diabetics?



Answer:

There are several types of artificial sweeteners in today’s market; Sweet and Low, Equal, Splenda, Stevia and Truvia to name a few. These sweeteners have been approved by the FDA and are available in local markets and grocery stores. These sweeteners are low in calories but still may contain some carbohydrate. In recent research I have found that saccharine (better known as Sweet and Low) is an artificial sweetener that is 200 to 700 times sweeter than sugar. It can be used in baked goods. The conversion for baking would be using only half of the sweetener in place of the sugar in the recipe; for instance, 6 packets for each ¼ cup of sugar.

Most artificial sweeteners are sufficient for use by diabetics because they don’t raise the blood sugar like regular sugars do however; there is insufficient amounts of research to signify which is ultimately best for diabetics in day-to-day use. I would recommend using any kind of artificial sweetener in moderation and with caution; I would think of it as something like salt- use to taste!

**This was the perfect post for today, as I have just finished team-teaching a diabetes self-management training program with the Health Dept's Dietitian for the past 6 hours :)

Your thoughts on this topic?