January 16, 2002
Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from Illinois, USA:
My 51 year old mother-in-law, diagnosed with type�1 diabetes about five years ago, is a soda pop addict! She drinks four to five cans a day and recently she told me she is taking 3,000 units of insulin daily, but her sugar level is not being controlled. Could this indicate a more serious problem?
Answer:
Are you sure that she is taking 3,000 units per day? That sounds too high.
The issue related to soda pop drinking is a common clinical issue. It would be best to use the pop sweetened with Nutrasweet aspartame. The usual number of calories in a 12 ounce can of soda pop is 240. Therefore, just in soda pop alone, she is taking in up to 1200 calories for five cans. These numbers clearly add up.
JTL
[Editor’s comment: See a related question on this topic.
SS]