Dear Lynn:
I have diabetes and control it with diet. Since honey is fructose,
is it okay to eat? Thanks,
Trea
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Dear Trea:
This is a common question. Sweeteners are divided into two
categories: nutritive and nonnutritive.
Nutritive means that the sweetener contains some type of
nutritional value such as carbohydrates, calories or small amounts
of vitamins or minerals.
Nonnutritive means that the sweetener is basically calorie-free and
doesn't contribute to the nutritional value of the diet.
Nonnutritive sweeteners include saccharin (found in Sweet'n Low),
aspartame (found in NutraSweet or Equal), acesulfame-K (found in
Sunett) and sucralose (the newest artificial sweetener on the
market, found in Splenda). These "sugar substitutes" may help
people with diabetes decrease total carbohydrate intake.
Nutritive sweeteners include sugar, corn syrup and other corn
sweeteners, fructose, dextrose, honey, lactose, concentrated fruit
juice, and sugar alcohols (such as sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol;
often found in sugar-free gum or candy). These sweeteners do not
cause blood sugar levels to rise any more than similar amounts of
carbohydrates in complex starches, such as breads, cereal and
pasta. The total amount of carbohydrates in a food is the key, not
the amount of sugar.
Honey and fructose are both nutritive sweeteners; both contain
carbohydrates and calories and can be eaten by people with
diabetes, but, as with any carbohydrate-containing food, larger
amounts may raise blood sugar levels. High levels of fructose have
been known to cause diarrhea and may, in fact, raise the levels of
blood fats.
Since each person reacts differently to foods containing
carbohydrates, your best way of determining the sweetener that's
right for you is to test your blood sugar levels before you eat and
again two hours later. If you notice a significant increase when
you use honey or fructose, try a nonnutritive sweetener instead.
This can be a complicated process, and I encourage you to find a
registered dietitian in your area who specializes in diabetes to
help you plan a diet that meets your individual needs.
Sincerely,
Lynn Grieger, RD, CD, CDE
