Pitfals of sugar free treats for diabetics?

[ocean waves]

Hello. Just wondering what patient education any of you are giving to your diabetic patients about eating sugar free candies or cookies? This week I heard a man at the Walgreen Drugs store saying he was buying a lot of sugar free candy and cookies for his father because he is diabetic. Some diabetic patients I have known were under the false impression that "sugar free" also meant these products were calorie free. As we know, there is a potential "pitfall" there for these patients because some of them are also on calorie restricted diets to help lose weight to improve their blood sugar levels. Maybe most diabetics know that "sugar free" does not mean calorie free?

[talaxandra]

I teach my patients how to decode nutrition panels. I focus on looking for the weasel words that really mean 'sugar,' fat grams and whether they're saturated on unsaturated, fibre and sodium content, comparing like with like (eg three different brands of baked beans), and portion size.

That said, I haven't made the point that sugar- or fat-free doesn't mean 'calorie free - eat as much as you like'!