Label Reading Tips for Diabetics

Diabetics are required to stick to a solid diet plan since it's crucial for their treatment process. Paying attention to the kind of foods you eat is one thing but how about to other details? These details include those that make up the labels such as ingredients and nutritional facts. They may go unnoticed by some people, but these are important considering that they're the key players when it comes to knowing the nutrition you get from them.

Start with the list of ingredients

The ingredients used to create the product is the first thing you should look at. These ingredients are responsible for whatever nutrition you're going to get.

• You should take a look if the ingredients are healthy for your heart. To give you an idea, heart-healthy ingredients include soy, oats, and whole-wheat flour. You can also consider monosaturated fats like canola, olive, or peanut oils because they promote heart health too.
• Make sure to stay away from unhealthy ingredients like hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil.

These are all the things you need to watch out for when taking a look at the ingredients. But other than that, there are other factors that you need to consider as well.

Consider the carbs

Since your meal plan takes carb counting into consideration, looking at food labels should also be included in that.

• Apart from sugar, you need to also count the carbs that you consume. You should evaluate the total carbohydrates you take which may include fiber, added sugars, and complex carbohydrates. If you are too focused on the sugar content, you might miss out nutritious foods that are high in sugar like fruits and milk. And there's a chance that you might overeat foods that has no added or natural sugar, but they are high in carbohydrates. This small mistake is sure to compromise your diet plan.
• It's important to eat foods that are rich in fiber. You should consider foods that contains 3 or more grams of fiber because it's essential to include such nutrient into your diet.

Sugar-free products are another thing

• If the label says it's "sugar-free", it doesn't mean that it's carbohydrates-free as well. Sugar-free foods can be beneficial for diabetics, but carbohydrates could also mean the same thing. A sugar-free label would normally indicate that it only has less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving. If you're making a comparison between standard products and their sugar-free counterparts, take a closer look at their labels. There are sugar-free products that also has fewer carbohydrates which means that it's a healthier choice. But if there's not enough difference in carbohydrate content between the two products, then you should let your taste buds decide on it.
• Even if the food has no sugar, it doesn't mean that the carbohydrates aren't also there. These foods are actually made without any sugar content, yet the same thing can't be said on their carbohydrates. So make sure to keep your eyes peeled when foods are being advertised like this.
• Sugar alcohols have calories and carbohydrates. They may seem like a healthy sweetener, but they still have those two key components.

Do the math

Once you have noticed the possible ingredients and nutrients that are in the product, it's time to let math do the work. This one will ensure how much of the prohibited stuffs that are in there.

• The serving sizes should be the basis of the contents. These serving sizes may differ from the food labels and your meal plan. If you eat twice the amount of serving size that's in the label, it means that you're also getting double the number of calories, carbohydrates, fat, protein, sodium, and the other ingredients that's listed. So make sure to watch out for your portions.
• Set your daily calorie goals. You can use the Daily Value section of food labels are your basis. The percentage listed is based on a 2000-calorie/day diet so this will give you an idea of how much the specific nutrient is included in one serving. If it's 5% or below, it's low and 20% or more is actually high. Look for foods that have cholesterol, fats, and sodium on the Daily Value's low end while keeping the fiber, vitamins, and minerals on the high end.

So the key thing to keep in mind is that what you eat is entirely up to you. With the help of food labels, you will know how to approach and achieve your healthy-eating goals.

Call our team at Absolute Integrative Physical Medicine in Vacaville today!