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Sugar-Free Choices

By Rex Goode

I was recently diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. The nutrionist said I could have the occasional sugary soda as long as I count it as a carbohyhdrate exchange and not exceed my carbohydrate allowance. Well, that doesn’t help much if you go to a a fast food place with friends or to a theatre to catch a movie. Your choices are limited to diet cola and water. Do the cola companies, Coke and Pepsi, have some kind of monopoly going here? My problem with this choice is that the colas have caffeine and I don’t want caffeine.

I work very hard to not use caffeinated beverages. For me, caffeine works well as a stimulant, as long as you want to be stimulated for only a short period immediately after ingesting it. The let-down for me is so profound that the only way to stay awake is to have another.

There are a lot of good diet sodas. I don’t like any of them, actually, but I’m learning to tolerate some of them. So far, my favorite is A&W Diet Creme Soda. Try finding that in a fast food restaurant. You can find other foods that fit a diet in a fast food restaurant, but you are sorely limited in your choice of drinks.

When it comes to theatres, forget even the good food choices. You usually have sodas with sugar, diet cola, candy, ice cream, hot dogs, popcorn, nachos, and big pretzels. I usually get a hot dog. The bun is usually skimpy enough to not be as afraid of the carbohydrates in the bread. The hot dog is meat (sort of).

 

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