How many times have you tried to stay away from full of sugar full of gluten products. Do you even know what words scream out sugar or gluten? If not you are like most of us who are trying to get by off of the knowledge we were given in home economics in school or from shopping with our mom back in the 70's and 80's as children....even so we do have the bests tools to us and that is a mouth for questions and eyes for reading.
So as I do all of the time I am reading on the internet and I decide to find out what those illusive words are that mean Sugar to us and Gluten to us Diabetics.
The first thing I looked up is how to figure out if something had gluten's in it. I came across an article by a woman who was a nutritional expert. She began by saying that there are 6 key words we should look for when searching to see if a product that doesn't say its gluten free has in it. Those 6 words are below.
- Wheat
- Rye
- Barley
- Oats
- Malt & Brewers Yeast
If any of the contents of a package or you find any of these words within a label then you will know they are not gluten free products.
Oats however are not gluten products unless they have been contaminated by wheat, barley, or rye products. If a product does contain wheat but only 20 parts per million it may be labeled gluten free. Even with food products regulated by the USDA, there are very few ingredients that should cause you any concern. Modified food starch, dextrin, and starch (in USDA-regulated foods “starch” may mean corn starch or wheat starch) may give you pause if their source is not named. You may want to find another product that does not contain these ingredients or contact the manufacturer to verify gluten-free status.
Source: http://www.glutenfreedietitian.com/newsletter/dietcom-blog-how-to-tell-if-a-food-is-gluten-free/
So here is a list of the added sugars you may find on a package label. Remember that this does not tell you how much of these have been added and the only way to figure that out is by scanning the label to read the amounts.
- Agave nectar
- Brown sugar
- Cane crystals
- Cane sugar
- Corn sweetener
- Corn syrup
- Crystalline fructose
- Dextrose
- Evaporated cane juice
- Fructose
- Fruit juice concentrates
- Glucose
- High-fructose corn syrup
- Honey
- Invert sugar
- Lactose
- Maltose
- Malt syrup
- Molasses
- Raw sugar
- Sucrose
- Sugar
- Syrup
As you begin to understand labels better shopping for Sugar free and Gluten Free products will become easier.
Going even further there are websites that help us understand what we are reading on the labels of our food and food products. If you have a bit of difficulty I hope this article will be of some assistance. Consumers need to understand the labels and what they are eating. The more information the better off you are but only if you understand the labels.
Consumers using Nurtrition Facts when making food choices a healthier option.
Source: http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm267499.htm
My blog today isn't tremendously long, but one thing that we gain from this one is how easy it is for us to learn for ourselves what is healthier for us to put into our bodies. If you cant remember all of the names of things then take time make a list that you can carry with you at all times with a list to remind you what you can and cannot have on your diet. Living healthier comes from knowledge and in most cases knowledge is free. Take time to stay informed and information is key so share it.
If you wish to contact me for any reason regarding a blog or question or just a chat then connect with me here at diabetic.day2013@gmail.com We are a community so lets create our health together.
