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People often believe that sugar is off-limits for people with diabetes, or that eating too much sugar can cause diabetes. This isn't true. The American Diabetes Association explains that sugar has the same effect on blood glucose levels as other carbohydrates such as bread or potatoes. Calorie for calorie, sugar raises blood glucose about the same amount as other carbohydrate.

The truth about sugar, however, is that it doesn't give you much return on your investment. Meaning you get little nutritional value: no vitamins, minerals or fiber, plus--depending on the sugar--can also be high in fat and calories. If you are focusing on portion control, you can eat larger sizes of healthier foods in comparison to sugary foods (think one cookie versus a whole sandwich).

For blood glucose control, what matters is the number of carbohydrates in a food item. Any food, in moderation, can be part of a balanced meal plan. You can eat foods with sugar as long as you work them into your meal plan as you would for other carbohydrate-containing food.

• There are two categories of sugar substitutes--those with calories, or caloric substitutes, and those without calories, or non-caloric substitutes.
  
• Caloric substitutes--such as fructose, sorbitol, and mannitol--may or may not cause as rapid a rise in blood sugar levels as table sugar. They contain the same number of calories as regular sugar, however.
  
• For those people with diabetes trying to lose weight, products with caloric sugar substitutes are not recommended, at least not in large quantities, and should not be counted into meal plans.
  
• Non-caloric sweeteners include sucralose (Splenda® Brand Sweetener), aspartame (NutraSweet®) and saccharine. These products do not generally contribute calories or raise blood sugar levels.
  
• Remember, an artificially sweetened product does not always mean it is calorie-free. In fact, it could include carbohydrates, fats, proteins - which impact blood glucose levels.
  
• Be aware that "diet" products (fat free, low fat, etc.) sometimes have high sugar content or special carbohydrates used as additives and may not be healthier choices compared to their non-diet counterpart.