“Sugar-free food” is really sugar-free?

  The key to sugar-free food is in the definition of “sugar”. According to the national standard “pre-packaged special dietary food labeling general rules”, the requirement of “sugar-free” refers to solid or liquid food containing no more than 0.5% (i.e. 0.5 grams) of sugar per 100 grams or 100 milliliters.  The biggest selling point of sugar-free food is the two benefits of low calories and slow blood sugar rise. The main consumer group of sugar-free food is the increasing number of patients with diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity and so on.  In fact, there is no real “sugar-free” food on the market. “The term “sugar-free food” is inappropriate and can easily cause misunderstanding. The term “sugar-free” is inappropriate. Diabetics may think that “if it does not contain sugar, they can eat more” In terms of sugar content, refined rice and pasta, like the ones we eat every day, contain about 75% sugar and contain starchy (polysaccharide) ingredients that quickly raise blood sugar. Skimmed “powdered milk without added sugar” contains 52% sugar, and non-skimmed contains more than 35% sugar. Due to the addition of fats, “sugar-free” cookies and pastries are not only no less sugary than regular foods, but they are also high in calories. The absence of sucrose does not mean that a food is good for you. Even highly effective sweeteners that do not raise blood sugar nor turn into calories have been found to stimulate appetite and promote obesity. In fact, these “sugar-free foods” are essentially ordinary foods as far as the ingredients used are concerned.  Diabetics should not eat sugar at will because the easily absorbed sugar can cause a rapid rise in blood sugar, overwhelming the damaged pancreatic B cells and aggravating the condition. So, the market sugar-free and low-sugar foods came into being, some diabetic patients in order to make up for the dietary restrictions, as long as the food labeled “sugar-free”, you can boldly eat, do not know that if sugar-free food is not consumed properly or consumed in excess, not only can not lower blood sugar, but also raise blood sugar.  Professionals call for “sugar-free food” can not be eaten at will, diabetics must be like abstaining from ordinary food to eat in moderation, especially “sugar-free pastry” added more fat, calories than ordinary refined rice and noodles to be much higher, can only be a temporary craving for food. They should not be eaten as a staple food to avoid health hazards.