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Nutrition guidelines do not see sugar as unsafe for diabetics any longer. However, it is counted as part of your allotment of carbohydrates. Many foods with sugar frequently are high in fat content. Those are foods you probably should use only on special occasions.

Artificial sweeteners are "free foods" for diabetics, and therefore do not raise blood glucose levels. You can can add them to a meal plan or in your baking. Now, you can use moderate amounts of sweeteners to make many special things people with diabetes miss eating in their new diet regime.

Saccharin:
Saccharin is 200 to 700 times sweeter than table sugar. You can use saccharin to sweeten hot or cold foods. Pregnant women are cautioned not to use it. Saccharin is purchased under the brand names Sucaryl, Sugar Twin, Sweet Magic, Sweet 'n Low, and Zero-Cal.

Aspartame:
Aspartame is 160 to 220 times sweeter than table sugar. It is not appropriate for recipes that are cooked more than 20 minutes because the chemical compound will break down. Therefore, to use it, you can add it at the end of cooking recipes such as puddings.

People with a rare condition called phenylketonuria (PKU) should avoid aspartame. Otherwise, it is a safe sweetener. The brand names are Equal, Sweetmate, and Spoonfuls.

Acesulfame Potassium:
This sweetener, also known as acesulfame-K, came on the market in 1988. You can use this sweetener in baking and cooking as it will not break down when heated.

Acesulfame potassium is two hundred times sweeter than table sugar. When used with sugar in baking it creates a very palatable texture. The tabletop sweetener is called Sweet One.

Sucralose:
This product is made from sucrose and was approved in 1998. Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than table sugar. It can be used in recipes that require prolonged heating without loosing any sweetness. It has no reported side effects or restrictions on its use by pregnant women. You can purchase sucralose under the brand name Splenda.

Lo-Han Sweet:
Lo Han Kuo is the fruit of Momordica grosvenorii, a plant cultivated in the mountains of southern China. Mogrosides, which are water extracted from the Lo Han fruit, offer a pleasant taste, without an effect on blood sugar. Read more...