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The Question
11/19/09 08:26 AM

"How much sugar is a diabetic supposed to have in a day?"
Asked By: maryannm  
Category: Other

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Expert Answers (1)

11/25/09 03:59 PM

Hello,

Thanks for bringing your question to dLife.

Sugar can be naturally occurring as found in fruits, vegetables, and milk. Sugar can also be added to food in the form of table sugar, honey, molasses, and syrup. Foods containing added sugar are cakes, cookies, pies, candy, and sweetened beverages.

People are often surprised to find sugar added to packaged foods, such as canned tomato sauce. Therefore, it is important to carefully read the food labels - both the nutrition facts and ingredient list.

There is no specific amount of sugar required for each person. Added sugar should not generally exceeed 10% of the total recommended calorie intake. If your recommended caloric intake is 1500 calories, then no more than 150 calories be from added sugar. That would be equivalent to about 3 tablespoons of table sugar. Be sure to count the carbohydrates in the entire food or meal, rather than individual ingredients.

Contact a registered dietitian about how many calories you require to achieve and maintain a healthy weight for you.

Take care.

Answered By: Liz Quintana
Accreditations: EdD, RD, LD, CDE
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Community Answers (1)

12/04/09 03:13 PM

By sugar here, I assume you mean refined sugars as the expert listed. My answer to your question is simple: a diabetic should eliminate all refined sugars. You must also restrict natural sugars if your blood sugars are still above normal (65 - 95 mg/dL) on a fasting reading (I am assuming no medications as they can affect fasting readings and would not be a true reflection of your body's ability to metabolize blood glucose). As a general rule, fruits are loaded with sugars as are all grain products (breads, cereals, pasta, and pastries). These should be severely limited for all diabetics. Diabetes is the body's inability to properly metabolize blood glucose. To eat vast quantities of carbohydrates, natural or refined, makes no sense.
Answered By:
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