Diabetes: Can people with diabetes eat sugar?

Can people with diabetes eat sugar? In the past, people with diabetes were warned to completely avoid sugar. Experts thought that eating sugar would rapidly increase blood glucose, resulting in levels that were too high. Some people even thought that eating sugar caused diabetes, an idea that we now know isn't true.

Research has shown that the total amount of carbohydrate affects blood glucose levels the most. But, the type of carbohydrate (e.g. sugar vs. starch) can also affect blood glucose levels. Learn more about the types of carbohydrate and the glycemic index.

Now experts agree that you can eat foods with sugar as long as you work them into your meal plan as you would for other carbohydrate- containing food. The new recommendations are good news. But there are still reasons to limit the amount of sugar you eat. Sugary foods are often foods without much nutrition. They have calories, but lack the vitamins, minerals and fiber that are important to your health. Foods made with a lot of sugar are often also high in calories and fat.