Be Picky About Sugar-Free Foods

Not all substitutes are the same. Read your labels.

Some foods labeled "sugar-free" or "no sugar added" may actually raise your blood sugar nearly as much as the regular version.

That's because some sugar-free cookies, cakes, or other sweet treats may contain nearly as many carbohydrates as the real, sugar-laden thing. Adding insult to injury, they may also pack nearly as many calories.

The fact is, not all sugar substitutes are the same--yet another reason to scrutinize a food's Nutrition Facts panel. Here's what you should know about them.

Sugar alcohols

Many sugar-free foods contain sugar alcohols like sorbitol or mannitol. These carbohydrate-based ingredients contain about half the calories of regular carbs, about 2 per gram. By law, they don't have to be counted as sugars on the Nutrition Facts panels, but they still add to the bottom-line carb count.

Verdict: Many diabetes experts say these foods aren't of much benefit for diabetes control. You're better off with a small portion of the real thing.

Sugar substitutes

FDA-approved sugar substitutes such as acesulfame-K (Sweet One), aspartame (Nutrasweet), and sucralose (Splenda) contain no calories or carbohydrates. Foods sweetened with them may contain no calories (like diet soda), or they may contain some calories and carbohydrates from other ingredients (like hot cocoa mix).Of all the artificial sweeteners, Splenda has drawn the least amount of controversy over its safety. It's one of the most-tested sugar substitutes, showing no harmful effects in more than 100 studies on humans and animals. And unlike some sugar substitutes, you can bake with Splenda, which is made from sugar but has no calories.

Verdict: Check the carb content of any food.

stolen from: The Sugar Solution Online (sugarsolutiononline.com)