Do I really need to cut out sugar to manage diabetes?
Diabetes Digital Podcast by Food Heaven
Wendy Lopez, Jessica Jones
4.9 • 2.4K Ratings
🗓️ 20 August 2025
⏱️ 19 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of the Diabetes Digital Podcast, Jess and Wendy tackle one of the most misunderstood topics in diabetes care: sugar. From the myths about brown vs. white sugar to the belief that sugar must be completely cut out if you have prediabetes, PCOS, or diabetes—this episode breaks it all down with nuance and compassion.
They explore:
- Why diet culture fuels sugar fear
- The difference between added vs. natural sugars
- How restriction can lead to bingeing (plus a surprising study!)
- What to look for on nutrition labels
- Ways to enjoy sweet foods mindfully, including cultural favorites
- Everyday swaps and snacks that don’t feel like punishment
If you're living with diabetes or prediabetes and want personalized support from a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist covered by insurance, visit diabetesdigital.co to connect with our culturally aware and weight-inclusive team. And if you love the show, don't forget to rate and review us on iTunes or Spotify—it makes a huge difference! For additional resources and show notes, head to diabetesdigital.co/podcast.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome back. Welcome back this week. We are going to be talking about sugar. One of the most |
| 0:08.0 | controversial foods, especially in the diabetes space. We hear it all the time that people with |
| 0:14.6 | pre-diabetes, diabetes, PCOS, that they have to cut out all sugar. There's one thing that I've |
| 0:20.3 | heard, which is like very funny is that like you to cut out all sugar. There's one thing that I've heard, which is like very funny, is that like you should |
| 0:23.9 | be having brown sugar instead of white sugar. |
| 0:26.1 | Oh, yeah, that's everything. |
| 0:27.4 | Yeah, I hear that all the time. |
| 0:28.7 | I'm like, it's the same thing. |
| 0:30.5 | And so today we are going to talk about the fear around sugar and talk about sugar. Does it have a place for people that have |
| 0:41.0 | prediabetes, diabetes, PCOS, all types of insulin resistance, and hopefully offer a more |
| 0:45.8 | nuanced approach. As I'm sure you all know, we're not fans of the all or nothing mentality, |
| 0:51.8 | of restriction. We want you to have a sustainable relationship with food. |
| 0:56.4 | And so we're going to talk about sugar. |
| 0:59.9 | Yep. |
| 1:00.6 | Welcome to the Diabetes Digital podcast. |
| 1:03.3 | I'm Wendy. |
| 1:04.1 | And I'm Jess. |
| 1:05.0 | And we're best friends, registered dieticians and diabetes educators. |
| 1:08.5 | Through our telehealth platform, Diabetesdigital.co, we offer accessible and personalized virtual |
| 1:14.4 | nutrition counseling for people with diabetes and prediabetes. |
| 1:17.9 | Visit Diabetesdigital.co, that's CO, to book your first appointment. |
| 1:22.5 | We accept insurance and offer affordable self-pay options. |
... |
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