Product Packaging – a Challenge to Diabetics

Product packaging is something diabetics too should learn. Patients with diabetes should have much know-how; which focus more on proper diet and exercise that contribute to effective management.

Knowing how to read food product packaging to help you aswith your diabetes management is essential since diet is one of the essential tools for diabetes meal planning by which it is important to know what you are eating. Thus, carbohydrate intake can be monitored by reading food labels by which it can help you make the best choices.

Food labels let you know the food content and nutrients of your food choices by which it helps you meet your healthy-eating goals and here are some of the tips to consider:

Know the list of ingredients

Look for food with more heart-healthy ingredients like whole-wheat flour, omega-3, oats and soy.

Avoid unhealthy ingredients like saturated fats, MSG, hydrogenated oil and high sugar or carbohydrates content by which it is not good for diabetes.

Consider the Carbohydrates Content

In scrutinizing food product packaging for diabetics, don’t only focus on calculating the sugar but also the carbohydrates content of the food choices since it contains glucose that is responsible of our blood sugar level. Instead, consider the high-fiber food as part of your diet.

Be cautious of Fat-free products

Remember that fat has doubled more than the calories of carbohydrates or protein per gram. If you're trying to lose weight, fat-free foods sound promising but don’t be fooled by its “fat-free” labels. It can still have carbohydrates so it is better to compare fat free food labels and standard products carefully before buying it.
Remember, there are healthy fats you should see in product packaging labels. These are good for all – diabetics or not. Examples are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that can help lower your cholesterol and protect your heart and unhealthy fats like saturated and Trans fats that will raise your cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease. Thus, it is better to choose healthier fats and limit unhealthy fats.

Nevertheless, it is important to pay attention on our serving sizes because we might forget to calculate or estimate the calories, fat, carbohydrate, protein, sodium and the other contents we consume which is part of our diet. So let us consider our daily calorie goal by knowing the food labels. Enjoy eating.