- Sugar substitutes like Sweet & Low are designed to be used in place of regular sugar to help reduce caloric intake. Lowering the amount of calories you consume will help you to lose unwanted weight which plays a role in managing your diabetes. Sweet & Low is made from Saccharin. Saccharin unlike regular sugar does not raise or lower blood sugar levels. However, you do need to monitor you intake. The Food and Drug Administration has established safe daily levels of consumption of many artificial sweeteners. For Sweet and Low, the recommend daily limit is five mg per kg of body weight or roughly nine to twelve packets of sweetener.
- Eating foods with sugar substitutes that are calorie free can be counted as free foods for diabetics. According to the American Diabetic Association, a free food is one with less than twenty calories and five grams of carbohydrate per serving.
- Even if you are eating a food that is made with Sweet and Low and labeled as sugar free, it may contain carbohydrates and other ingredients that can raise your blood sugar levels. They are not all calorie free either. You need to really read labels and know all of the ingredients in the foods you eat.
