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January 12, 2002

Meal Planning, Food and Diet

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Question from Venice, Florida, USA:

My 73 year old wife has type�2 diabetes and drinks regular soda pop daily. I was told that regular pop is loaded with sugar. She also loves chocolates. Are diet soda and diet chocolate better for my wife? Must she stop drinking regular soda?

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

Regular soda is loaded with sugar. Just to let you know how much, a 20 ounce soda has 15 teaspoons of added sugar or about 60 grams of carbohydrate. As I tell my patients, no food is forbidden, but you may have to give up more nutritious food than you are willing to give up, in order to work in the soda. If regular soda is a must, either limit the portions (maybe 1/2 can of soda occasionally) or use a 50-50 mixture of regular and diet soda. Either way, your wife will be saving carbohydrates. The same precautions go for chocolate, but fat is involved also. There are some sugar free chocolates that are not too bad — just watch the sugar alcohols. The alcohols, consumed in excess amounts, can cause diarrhea, since they are not as easily absorbed.

JMS