It Says "'Sugar Free"

Some sugar substitutes will raise blood sugar!  Read the label on your sweetener packet.  Not the part that sells the product.  All you will read is what you want to hear.  Packaging is design to get people to believe they are buying what they want.  Read the part of the label that lists nutritive information and ingredients.  That will tell you what you need to know. 

Here's how to use the information:

1.  No calories, no carbohydrates, no rise in blood sugar.  Simple.

2.  Ingredients lists a word ending in  ...itol, like sorbitol or erythritol.  These are sugar alcohols, not the booze-type alcohol, but a sweet tasting compound having a molecular structure that chemists named, "alcohol."  Sugar alcohols have a carbohydrate count.  They raise blood sugar more slowly than sucrose (table sugar), fructose (the sugar in fruit), or carbohydrates from starch.  To calculate the actual carb impact on your blood sugar, The American Diabetes Association recommends dividing the carb contribution of the sugar alcohol in half, then subtracting that from the total carb count.  That way you can track your carbs and know what to expect to happen to your blood sugar.

3.  Lactose, sugar in dairy products, is the sugar in "Sugar-Free" or "No Sugar Added" ice cream.  As tempting as it is to believe you can eat all you want, sadly, it is not so.  Read the label, you will see.  Sorry for the bad news.