Low Concentrated Sweets Diet

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The low concentrated sweets diet helps control blood sugar levels by eliminating most simple sugars (concentrated sweets) in the foods you eat. All carbohydrates break down to sugar as they are eaten and digested. There are two different types of carbohydrate: complex and simple. Most simple sugars are considered concentrated sweets. Simple carbohydrates cause a quick increase in blood sugar.

Your doctor might order a low concentrated sweets diet for you if:

you have diabetes or are at risk for developing diabetes mellitus
you are on medications that can cause high blood sugar
you have diarrhea

The following recommendations should be followed:

Food Group	Foods Allowed/Recommended	Foods to Avoid / Use Sparingly
Breads/Starches	Bread Crackers Dinner rolls Plain muffins Pancakes, waffles, French toast Popcorn Pretzels Cooked cereals Dry cereals (unsweetened) Potatoes (white or sweet) Pasta Rice	Sweetened rolls, pastries, bread Doughnuts, muffins, pastries with frosting Granola bars Caramel or kettle corn Sugar coated or honey glazed cereals Cereals containing sugar coated fruits or marshmallows Glazed sweet potatoes Beans prepared with sugar or molasses Cinnamon sugar pretzels
Fruits	Fresh or frozen fruits without added sugar Canned fruits without sugar or syrup Unsweetened applesauce	Fruit juice Fruit drinks/punch Canned fruit in light or heavy syrup Dried fruit
Vegetables	Fresh, frozen or canned vegetables	Sugar-coated or glazed vegetables
Milk and Yogurt	Whole, low-fat milk (unflavored, no sugar added)	Chocolate/strawberry milk Sweetened milk beverages/milkshakes Yogurt with added sugar
Meat and Substitutes	Lean beef, lam, pork, veal or poultry	Glazed meats Chocolate covered/sweetened nuts
Combination Foods	Soup Foods that do not contain sweetened sauces or glazes	Sugar/sweetened soups Foods that contain sweetened sauces or glazes
Desserts/Sweets	Sugar-free pudding Sugar-free jello Vanilla wafers Graham crackers Angel food cake Sugar-free cookies Sugar-free ice cream Sugar-free candy Diet jelly Diet syrup Splenda®, Equal®, Sweet n Low® Check with your dietitian about other sugar-free foods that are acceptable. Read labels carefully	Pies, cakes, pastries, cookies or other sweetened desserts Candy or candy bars Jello Pudding Ice cream Sugar Honey Molasses Jelly or jam Preserves Syrups Frosting
Beverages	Water Sugar-free Kool-aid Crystal light Diet soda Unsweetened coffee/tea	Regular soda Fruit juices Kool-aid (prepared with sugar) Sports drinks Sweet tea
Fats and Oils	Margarine/butter Salad dressing Vegetable oils Shortening Lard Cream Sour cream	Use fats in moderation
Condiments/ Miscellaneous	Artificial sweeteners Spices Herbs Salt/pepper Diet catsup Mustard Soy sauce Steak sauce Worcestershire sauce Dill pickles	Sweet pickles Relish Catsup (more than 2 tbsp.)

Note: Many sugar-free foods, as well as many other foods listed in the “foods allowed” column, are not necessarily “carbohydrate-free”. Therefore, those foods can still raise your blood sugar.

Disclaimer: This information is not intended to substitute or replace the professional medical advice you receive from your child's physician. The content provided on this page is for informational purposes only, and was not designed to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease. Please consult your child's physician with any questions or concerns you may have regarding a medical condition.

Reviewed: 06/2008