Managing blood sugar

Emily Campbell, RD CDE MScFN Registered Dietitian

Blood sugar management is important after kidney transplant because it helps to protect your new kidney. After transplant, you may be prescribed steroid medications like Prednisone as part of your anti-rejection medications. Those taking prednisone can experience higher blood sugars, this is a concern for those with and without diabetes. One strategy to manage blood sugars is by managing your sugar intake.

Sugar is found in many foods, both naturally or added. Sugar provides energy (calories) but has no nutritional value on its own. Sugar comes in many forms: white sugar, brown sugar, molasses, honey, maple syrup and corn sweeteners. On a food label ingredient list sugar may be listed as: glucose, fructose, dextrose, maltose, sucrose. These sugars are called “free sugars” or “added sugars”. Free sugars are sugars added to food products, and sugar naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and purées.

Some foods that naturally contain sugar, such as grain products (e.g. bread, rice, pasta), vegetables, fruit, and dairy products (e.g. milk, yogurt), are an important part of a healthy diet, because they also contain essential nutrients.

How much sugar should we eat?

The Heart & Stroke Foundation recommends to consume no more than 10% total calories per day from added sugars, and ideally less than 5%. For an individual on an average 2,000 calorie-a-day diet,

5% of calories is about 28 grams (or 6 teaspoons) of added sugars.

To put that into perspective, let’s take a look at some examples:

• One can of pop contains about 85% (or approx. 10 teaspoons) of daily added sugar.

• One cup of juice contains 5 teaspoons of added sugar.

What should I eat?

Foods that naturally contain sugar such as vegetables, fruit and milk should be included in a healthy diet in reasonable quantities. Managing your weight, healthy eating habits, and being active can help you manage your blood sugars. Here are some tips for managing your sugar intake:

Don’t drink your calories. Choose water as your beverage of choice. Add flavoring like strawberries or lemon to change up the taste.

Include whole foods. Enjoy a piece of fruit like a clementine or apple instead of juices. This helps to provide you with vitamins and fibre in addition to quenching your thirst.

Look for lower sugar foods. Read food labels and choose foods with 5% Daily Value or less for sugar.