Hi, I've just been told I have gestational diabetes. Should I cut out sugar completely?

Sweet foods have got a bad reputation, but people with diabetes can and do eat sugar. In your body, it becomes glucose, but so do lots of other foods such as sweetcorn, potatoes, milk and fruit. With sugary foods, the rule is moderation. Eat too much, and you'll send your blood glucose levels up higher than you expected; and you'll fill up, but without the nutrients that come with fruit, vegetables and grains. Often sugary foods are also high in fat, like biscuits and cakes. Eat too many of these and you'll gain too much weight.

There are some strategies that will help you resist sugary cravings and help to keep your blood sugars more stable:

1. Remove temptations. Go through your refrigerator and food pantry. Get rid of all the sweet items you can live without, ice cream, biscuits, etc. When you go food shopping, make a conscious effort not to buy sweet items especially fizzy drinks and energy drinks. Shopping when you are hungry can make this much more difficult so go after a meal or take a healthy snack with you.
2. Gargle with an antiseptic mouthwash or brush your teeth after eating or when you fell tempted. The aftertaste doesn't mix well with sweets and you'll probably lose your craving quickly.
3. Substitute fresh or dried fruit for sweets and sugar. The sugars in fruit are digested differently from the empty calories of white sugar that are in most sweets and processed foods. Fruits contain vitamins and minerals, unlike sweets, and the fibre in fruit also slows the absorption of the sugars so you don't get as high a sugar rush.

Remember though moderation is the key and it is preferable to eat small portions of sweet things after a meal rather than as a snack between meals as this will prevent you blood sugars going too high.

See www.diabetes.org.uk for more information.