Why Do Your Recipes Use Sugar?

Q: I'm disappointed that many of your recipes contain sugar. I have diabetes and can't eat sugar.

A: Actually, you can eat sugar even if you have diabetes. According to the Nutrition Recommendations published by the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes can consume sugar or sucrose, as long as they count it as part of the total carbohydrates in their meal plan. Usually you will need to substitute the carbohydrate grams from the sugar for the carbohydrate grams from fruit, milk, or starches you normally eat at the meal. Or if you decide to eat more carbohydrates at that meal, you will need increase your insulin dose or adjust your other diabetes medication to keep your blood glucose in your target range. A registered dietitian or certified diabetes educator can teach you to do this properly.

In addition, you'll note that while we list sugar as the first option in our recipes, we also test our recipes with sugar substitutes and, whenever possible, offer them as an alternative ingredient, along with the adjusted calorie and carbohydrate content.

Jeannette Jordan, M.S., R.D., CDE, is the American Dietetic Association's national spokesperson for African-American nutrition issues and oversees nutrition education at the Medical University of South Carolina.