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The text on this page
is an extract taken from the Web site of Diabetes UK stating
their position on the issue of "Diabetic
foods. While we at Daily Bread Co-operative believe in providing
foodstuffs to help in special diets we find it difficult to
think in terms of 'Diabetic foods'. We have no dieticians on
our staff and are thus dependent on such bodies as Diabetes
UK for guidance in these matters.
While we are able to declare that a product is Gluten Free,
Dairy Free, Fat Free etc, it is not so easy to get suppliers
to certify a product as 'Safe for Diabetics' so we will not
make a declaration about this for any product. However the
vast majority of products on sale within our store are safe
for Diabetics. But! our advice is to take notice of the medical
advice, which you will receive, from medical professionals.
Our co-operate view is that if a person is diagnosed as diabetic
they are in many ways their own physicians, in that it is up
to the individual to learn to control their condition. By wisely
following a doctors or dieticians advice a diabetic can expect
to lead quite a normal lifestyle.
Position statement
'Diabetic' foods
Diabetes UK does not recommend the use of so called 'diabetic'
foods.
To understand why, it is necessary to appreciate the extent
to which the dietary management of diabetes has changed in
recent years. 'Diabetic' foods had their hey day in the 1960s
when the focus of dietary education was on sugar free, low
carbohydrate diets. In practice, this meant a diet, which was
very restrictive, eliminating ordinary confectionery, biscuits,
cakes, preserves and soft drinks. The idea of so-called sugar-free
foods sweetened with sorbitol and fructose instead of sucrose
was very appealing. Even though the nutritive sweetening agents
found in 'diabetic' foods still contain calories and still
behave as sugars, food manufacturers understandably jumped
on the bandwagon when they saw that there was such an obvious
market to exploit.
By the 1980s scientific studies had shown that carbohydrate
restriction was not beneficial to diabetes control and that
the associated high fat content of such a diet was likely to
exacerbate the long-term complications of diabetes, particularly
heart disease. The UK and many other countries issued national
guidelines recommending that fat restriction and energy regulation
should be the primary dietary objectives. Within these constraints
consumption of fibre-rich carbohydrate was encouraged. Consequently,
the value of 'diabetic' foods was brought into question. Many
of them contained more fat and energy than their conventional
counterparts and in 1984 new legislation was introduced to
provide compositional criteria for 'diabetic' foods.
Products carrying a 'diabetic' claim were no longer permitted
to contain more fat and energy than comparable foods and any
product not offering a 50 per cent reduction in energy content
had to carry a warning 'not suitable for the overweight'. On
1 March 1995, the European directive and the compositional
rules on 'diabetic' foods were removed. Although the Directive
on 'diabetic' foods was removed in 1995, 'diabetic' foods still
exist under the terms of a 1989 Framework Directive on foodstuffs,
intended for particular nutritional uses (PARNUTS). There is
still debate about the case for, registration, on foods for
people with diabetes. Now the question of whether a manufacturer
can label a food 'diabetic' or 'suitable for diabetics' may
be referred to the local trading standards officer who may
then refer to Diabetes UK for an informed opinion. Diabetes
UK was instrumental in providing information to remove the
European directive, which provided the compositional rules
on 'diabetic' foods, because the concept of 'diabetic' foods
or a 'diabetic' diet has long since been replaced by guidelines
on healthy food choices and individualised advice on eating
habits for each person with diabetes.
Like the rest of the population, people with diabetes are
encouraged to eat a diet low in fat, sugar and salt, with plenty
of fruit and vegetables and meals based on starchy carbohydrate
foods like bread and potatoes. There is no single food, which
must be excluded from the diet of people with diabetes. Total
avoidance of sugar is now considered unnecessary. Consequently,
the idea of legitimising so called 'diabetic' foods has also
been outmoded. Diabetic' foods are simply a range of confectionery
items, cakes, biscuits, chocolates and jams which are sweetened
with nutritive sweetening agents like sorbitol and fructose
as opposed to ordinary sucrose. Fundamentally, it is anomalous
that products containing sorbitol and fructose are marketed
to consumers as being particularly 'suitable for diabetics'
when the focus of dietary education is on balancing food choices
and maintaining a healthy weight. Nowadays, ordinary cakes
and biscuits can be consumed as part of a balanced diet and
without being detrimental to diabetes control.
The continued existence of special 'diabetic' foods creates
a number of problems. Labelling a product 'diabetic' gives
it a stamp of approval, which many people with diabetes find
hard to ignore. People assume that if the label says 'diabetic'
that the contents may be beneficial or even essential. Since
'diabetic' foods tend to cost more than conventional counterparts
or sugar-free, reduced sugar versions this is really conning
people with diabetes. The main concern is that promoting a
range of confectionery foods as 'diabetic' completely undermines
dietary education in diabetes care. Consequently, instead of
supporting legislation to legitimise the range of so called
'diabetic' foods, Diabetes UK wants to see their removal from
the shelves.
August 2000 Extract from:
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/infocentre/state/diabetic_foods.htm
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