BEWARE OF SUGAR IN FRUIT JUICE

Diabetics, especially, must be very careful with fruit juices. There are so many juice beverages today and many are full of extras. Most are no longer 100% juice. While even 100% juice can have a high sugar content, these others are often loaded with added sugars. For example, if the nutrition label on your juice says "fructose" or "high fructose corn syrup", you know you are getting added sugar. Be very careful with juices! You are better off to eat the whole fruit instead of drinking the juice.

BREAD VS SUGAR

When the American Diabetes Association lifted the ban on sugar in 1994, it made a tablespoon of sugar equal to a slice of bread on the diabetic exchange. Each is considered a starch exchange. This is a reminder to be cautious with bread. When you eat a slice of white bread, it is like eating a spoonful of sugar. When you eat bread, it should always be whole-wheat or other whole-grain. Don't even keep white bread (unless it is white whole-wheat) in your house. And read the nutritional label and pay attention to the sugar listed even on whole-grain breads. If you have young children, they should be trained to eat healthy bread. My six-year-old (now 15) granddaughter loves whole-grain breads because that is what she's used to at my house.