This amount (equal to one carbohydrate serving) is often the magic number that can raise a too-low blood sugar level but not cause a crash. Many fun-size candies contain around 15 grams (g) of carbohydrates per serving. RELATED: 8 Healthy Carbs for People With Type 2 Diabetes The Best Types of Candy for People With Diabetes Doing so will also tell you if you need additional insulin to correct a high blood sugar value if you’re insulin-dependent. And if your blood sugar level is normal, it’s still a good idea to test your level right before eating the candy and again two hours after to determine if the portion size was acceptable. “If the blood sugar level is already higher than recommended, it is not a good idea to eat high-carbohydrate foods, including candy,” cautions Norwood. This insulin resistance is the hallmark of type 2 diabetes, she notes, “so the circulating level of blood sugar remains high, and your cells are starving, in a sense.”Īlthough a fun-size or miniature candy bar here or there is fine for most people with diabetes, you should take your blood sugar level into account. “But the carbohydrates can’t get into the cells where they can be used for energy because you either lack enough insulin or because your cells are resistant to insulin,” says Diane Norwood, RD, CDCES, who is based in Okinawa, Japan. Like everyone, you break down carbs into blood sugar once they get inside your body. When you have diabetes, your body processes carbohydrates a little differently. That’s why small amounts of sugar are so effective at quickly increasing the blood sugar level when it dips too low, which is called hypoglycemia. Learn How Carbs in Candy Affect Blood Sugarįirst off, how does the sugar in candy affect you? “Sugar begins to be digested as soon as it hits the tongue,” says Robinson. Here’s what you need to know about making the best candy choices if you’re managing diabetes. People with diabetes have other considerations - more on those next. So if you’re having 2,000 calories a day, that would be no more than 200 calories from added sugar (about 10 Strawberry Twist Twizzlers). government’s 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting added sugars, the type of sugar present in candy bars, to less than 10 percent of daily calories - and anyone under age 2 should avoid added sugar completely. Just eat the candy in moderation: The U.S. RELATED: The Best Quick and Easy Snacks for People With Diabetes “Our bodies need carbohydrates throughout the day - and candy can be a delicious, festive, enjoyable source of it on occasion,” says Meg Salvia, MS, RDN, CDCES, the owner of Meg Salvia Nutrition in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a doctoral student at Harvard University. We are typically fuller from the meal and therefore eat less candy or sweets than we would have before.”Īnd you don’t necessarily need to reach for a sugar-free version, which can contain tummy-upsetting sugar alcohols such as xylitol and erythritol. “Changing that mentality allows people to think about eating candy in smaller portions. She suggests thinking of candy as a dessert rather than a snack. “I encourage people with diabetes to remember that a diabetes diet is really just a healthier diet,” says Rainie Robinson, RD, CDCES, a director of clinical nutrition at Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham. Candy is not off-limits simply because you have diabetes.
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