Food Packaging Is Misleading and Confusing, Carbs are relevant to all Diabetics not 'Sugars'

We are constantly hearing (and being distracted from the real issue) about 'good' and 'bad' sugars. Some forms of carbohydrate are digested more slowly than others and some have the benefit of other nutrients but ALL carbohydrates raise our blood sugar level.

As a T1 diabetic for the past 30 years, I am all too familiar with the back of food packaging but it is what is printed on the front that really shocks.  The ‘Sugars’ value is unnecessary but more than that entirely misleading.  

People are being told to reduce their sugar intake to help prevent or control T2 diabetes but it should be made much clearer that it is carbs they need to count and it should be on the front of ALL packaging.

With few exceptions the products that display the traffic light system on the front of the packaging has a low ‘sugar’ value in green but when you look at the carbs they are at least 5 times that (some 30 times some are 125+ times!).  If there is lots of added sugar then they miss the table off entirely but if the table is there its all white.  Also the difference between ‘Sugars’ and ‘Carbs’ values is vast.  Interestingly where the carbs value is also low the table is not displayed or if it is it is in white.  This system is no accident. 

As an example Tesco Healthy Living Chicken in Tomato Basil Sauce has the traffic light system on the front of the package declaring there are 10.48g ‘Sugars’ in the pack when there are 50.01g of carbohydrate which will have a direct impact on your blood sugar level.

Packets of crisps claim to have 0.1g added sugar per 100g yet potatoes say 1.4 (I have no idea how they came to this conclusion since crisps have been processed and have a huge amount of carbohydrate compared to potatoes.  Biscuits with 76g of carbohydrate per 100g labelled as ‘sugar free’ because none of the carbohydrate comes from actual sugar.

To help prevent and control all types of diabetes, Carbs (per packet/portion) should be displayed in a standardised and easy to read format on all food packaging as it is all forms of carbohydrate that raises our blood sugar not just ones from sugar. 

In theory it is very simple.. if your blood sugars are too high you are consuming too many carbs and should reduce them.  Once you lower your carbs your insulin sensitivity returns to normal and your blood sugar levels will reduce.  

In practice it is much more difficult as there is very little low carb pre prepared food available.  Going low carb is hard work!  It means preparing food as there is nothing low carb available to go with your pre-prepared veg or salad. Walking into a supermarket can be a soul destroying experience when you are trying to lower your carb intake and there is no excuse for this. Every ready meal has rice or pasta or potato (or sugar in one form or another in the sauce).  There are low carb recipes everywhere there is no excuse for this and the low carb movement isn’t restricted to low-carb ‘fanatics’ it is diabetics of all kinds.