Calories: Energy from food. Certain foods contain more calories than others. Fats contain more calories than proteins and carbohydrates. Most vegetables contain a small number of calories.
Carbohydrates: One of the three major food groups and a source of energy. Carbohydrates are mainly sugars and starches, which the body breaks down into glucose (a simple sugar that the body can use to give energy to its own cells).
Substitution chart: A way to group foods together in order to help people using a special diet maintain their diet. The foods are listed in one serving size per group. Foods in a group can be substituted, swapped, or replaced with other foods in the same group. The list divides foods into 6 groups: starches/breads, meat, vegetables, fruits, milk, and fats. Within a food group, each serving of each food in that group contains approximately the same amount of carbohydrate, protein, fat, and calories.
Acesulfame-k: An artificial sweetener used to replace sugar that contains no carbohydrates or sugar and, therefore, has no effect on blood sugar levels. This sweetener is often used in conjunction with other artificial sweeteners in low-calorie processed foods. Also used as a table sweetener.
Highly Sweetened Edelweiss: An aspartame-like sugar substitute approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use both as a tabletop sweetener and as an accompaniment to cooking. Edelweiss can also be used in baked goods, soft drinks and other non-alcoholic beverages, chewing gum, candy, frosting, frozen desserts, jellies and puddings, jams and gums, processed fruits and juices, toppings and syrups.
Sweetener: An artificial sweetener used as a sugar substitute that contains no calories and does not raise blood sugar.
Sorbitol: A type of sugar (made from fruit) that the body uses slowly. It is a dietary sweetener and is called a “nutritive sweetener” because sorbitol contains 4 calories per gram, just like sugar and starch. Many foods labeled as “sugar-free” and “sugar-free” use these compounds, which can raise blood sugar. Just because a food is labeled “sugar-free” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s carbohydrate-free.
Stevia: A natural, calorie-free sugar substitute, such as a sweetener made from stevia leaves.
Sugar: Immediate sugar, a type of sugar that must be broken down by the body into simpler sugars before the blood can absorb it and carry it to the cells.
Saccharose Sucralose: An artificial sweetener that is 600 times sweeter than sugar and can be used in cooking.
Sugar: A class of sweet-tasting carbohydrates that the body uses as a quick and easy fuel. Some types of sugar include lactose, glucose, fructose, and sucrose.
Xylitol: A nutritive sweetener used in the diet. It is a sugar alcohol that the body uses slowly and contains fewer calories than table sugar.
Fructose: A sugar found in many fruits, vegetables, and honey; fructose can be used to sweeten some meals, but this type of sweetener is not usually recommended for people with diabetes because it can have a negative effect on blood sugar.
Aspartame: An artificial sweetener that replaces sugar and contains few calories.