"Light" foods
Look out also for some "light" foods that have removed some of the original caloric sweetener (such as sucrose, corn syrup solids, or high fructose corn syrup) and replaced it with a very low calorie sweetener (such as aspartame or asulfame-potassium). There is usually still quite a bit of sugar in that food or beverage. Logic tells us that even if a sweet and tasty food is advertised as: "no sugar added", it must have something going on. If "sugar" is defined only as "sucrose" (table sugar), then food producers can sweeten it with honey, apple sauce, fruit juice concentrate, rice syrup or any of a host of other carbohydrate-rich products that can still affect your blood sugar. Try to look at the label or product information before dining on those.
Sugar alcohols (sugar-like molecules such as sorbitol) will have a negligible effect on your blood sugar but they are quite high in calories. I suppose our eyes see "sugar free" and we want that to mean no sugar, no carbohydrate, no calories and scrumptious taste. Well, maybe one day it will, but not yet.
Proteins
About half of the protein molecules in your food can be turned into glucose in your liver. This means that a 12 oz. portion of chicken or fish at dinner containing about 84 grams of protein (remember the exchange list? 1 oz. of meat has 7 grams of protein) will turn into about 42 grams of glucose by morning. My advice is to cut the protein serving in half (6 oz.) and enjoy 2-3 carbohydrate exchanges. Your kidneys may thank you someday.
The glycemic index
Thanks to studies on the "glycemic index" (the power of a food to raise your blood sugar) of foods, it is now known that some high carbohydrate foods, even pure table sugar (sucrose), have surprisingly little effect on blood sugars. Fortunately these are also filling and nutrient-rich foods. Enjoy an occasional splurge on these: all beans and peas, most vegetables, and nuts. Just remember that these are still carbohydrates, and need to be balanced with exercise or insulin.
