War with Wegmans!

Well, my dad is a newly diagnosed diabetic, and is doing his best to avoid taking insulin. He of course is having to learn all sorts of new food "rules" and is trying to increase his exercise, to keep his blood sugar levels steady.

As anyone could imagine, this is quite a lot of effort. For instance, red potatoes are a little more waxy than white ones, and so their carbs break down more slowly. This makes them a pretty good choice for a diabetic, vis-a-vis regular potatoes, BUT you still have to be really careful about your portion size, and what you eat WITH those potatoes!

And pasta and bread pretty much always need to be whole-grain, again so that the carbohydrates don't break down too quickly and give you a massive rush of blood sugar.

In addition, things like tomato sauce and ketchup are just packed with added sugars, so it's important to make sure that you buy ones that have no added sugar, or use a sugar substitute.

Now THAT raises a whole other question -- what sugar substitutes are SAFE? Well, it is generally agreed that Aspartame (NutraSweet and the like) is not a great choice. Saccharine is OK, but it breaks down under heat. The American Diabetes Association, as well as many other sites, think that Sucralose (Splenda et al) is a really good choice, for health and also because it can be used in cooking and baking. I am partial to Stevia, as it seems the most natural alternative out there, and can also survive the heat.

Then there is fruit... Oh, fruit! How I love thee! And that is where Wegmans comes in to the picture....

On the Wegmans website, they have a section for diabetics. It gives you advice about what foods are GREAT choices, which are GOOD choices, and doesn't even have a third category for the so-so things... Hmmmm, if I were them, I think I'd be a little worried about a liability issue.

Well, anyway, Wegmans is in the business of selling food, regardless of who you are and what your particular needs are. And I would guess that the biggest spoilage loss for any grocer, is fresh fruits and vegetables. They can get bruised in shipment, damaged in the store by careless shoppers, and if not sold quickly enough, will go bad. So is it any wonder that the Wegmans website says, and I quote:

"All fresh fruits and vegetables are a great choice."

They do go on a little lower down, to say that you have to be careful with certain veggies like "potatoes and corn".... But that is it for their advice. ALL fresh fruits and vegetables are a GREAT choice.

Now, this concerned me. If one was newly diabetic, like my father, this really makes it sound like you can eat any and all fresh fruits and vegetables without a care in the World. Am I mistaken here??? But the reality is, many fresh fruits especially, are just so-so choices for a diabetic. And if you ate several fresh fruits and vegetables at the same sitting, it could actually lead to a dangerous blood sugar level!

Different sources tell you different things, but generally a glycemic index of under 50 is considered low, from 50 to 70 is considered medium, and over 70 is considered high. Glycemic index is not in any way a new or radical way to keep track of the food you eat, and most diabetics are very familiar with these measures of how much and how quickly your blood sugar is raised when eating certain foods.

A banana has a glycemic index of about 54. This varies with the size of the fruit of course, but also with how ripe it is... the actual glycemic index can vary +/- 5 points or so. The glycemic index of raisins or pineapple (with no added sugars), around 65. But the glycemic index of a serving of watermelon is high, at about 72. Blueberries, grapes, mangos and pears are all relatively high in their glycemic index as well.

So, I ask you... What if someone eats a fruit salad that includes watermelon, blueberries, pineapple, and grapes? What if they are out somewhere -- a restaurant or a picnic -- and aren't really paying attention to their portion size?

Well, I can tell you that for a diabetic NOT taking insulin, this could well result in a dangerous blood sugar spike. Personally, I would be in favor of calling any fruit with a LOW glycemic index (apples, strawberries, cherries, grapefruit) a GREAT choice, calling those with a medium index plain old "good", and calling those with a high GI just so-so.

So I decided of course to pop and email off to Wegmans to ask about this, and tell them that I really DO NOT think ALL fresh fruits and veggies are GREAT choices. Here is the response I received:

Hi, Susan,

We received your e-mail. We are sorry that you disagree with the information we provide on our Diabetes section ofwegmans.com. The information on these pages is maintained by our Corporate Nutrition team, all of whom are registered dietitians. Our message “All fresh fruits and vegetables are a great choice. Watch portions on fruits and starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn” is consistent with guidelines provided by the American Diabetes Association which states:

Eat lots of vegetables and fruits<http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/fruits.html>. Try picking from the rainbow of colors available to maximize variety. Eat non-starchy vegetables<http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/non-starchy-vegetables.html> such as spinach, carrots, broccoli or green beans with meals.

To see the full list logon to
http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/making-healthy-food-choices.html

Research continues to show the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables in managing and preventing diabetes. Like all foods on a diabetic diet, it is important to factor the portion size, total number of carbohydrates, overall meal composition and timing of meals. But all fresh fruits and vegetables can be part of the a healthy, balanced diabetic diet.

We appreciate your comments and hope this information will be helpful to you. Please let us know if we may be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

Kim
Wegmans Consumer Services Specialist

OK, Kim, thank you soooo much for that canned response, and for taking great liberties with the one tiny statement culled from the vast ADA website... As if I did not do my homework before writing you! Your registered dietitians are clearly not up to speed here, and thanks for skirting the fruit issue, my main concern here, by not even mentioning watermelon or bananas along with your potatoes and corn.

So, this means war! I am now boycotting Wegmans until they mitigate this offensive and potentially dangerous material from their site, and I encourage you to do the same.

If you want to weigh in with THEM, you can send an email to comments@wegmans.com and if you want to see the offending material, the link is:

http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10052&partNumber=UNIVERSAL_3068

Be sure to scroll down, the "Produce" information is almost at the bottom, just above the (also misleading) information about "Bakery" items! And be sure to share the blog post AND comment on here! THANKS!