Living with diabetes can make it challenging to eat dessert on a regular basis, and overindulging in chocolate and sweets can lead to some dangerous consequences–well beyond extra inches on that waistline! Diabetics need to pay extra attention to their diet, eating balanced meals that prevent rapid rises in blood sugar. Eliminating dessert completely can be a depressing thought, but there are some ways to bake up some tasty desserts with your diabetic needs in mind–and you don’t even need expensive ingredients. Here are some tips on making dessert if you need to monitor your blood sugar:
Lower the fat without losing the flavor: Diabetic diets are often required to follow a low-fat plan since this can make it easier to manage blood sugar levels. However, fat also enhances the flavor of most baked goods and sweets, but there are a few alternatives available. A few diabetic-friendly substitutions include:
-Sugar-free applesauce
-Organic or all-natural prune puree
-Natural fruit purees
-Mashed bananas (a convenient choice for banana bread lovers)
-Pumpkin puree
-Unsweetened cocoa powder + oil for chocolate
-Buttermilk
-Butter Buds (in limited quantities)
-All-natural peanut butter
Reducing the sugar: When it comes to replacing sugar, there is conflicting research on the value of Splenda (an artificial sweetener) and other non caloric sweeteners on the market. Aspartame (i.e. Equal and Nutrasweet) has proven to be a harmful toxin and should be eliminated from the diet as often as possible. To keep up the sugar content and flavoring of your favorite treats, you can also substitute with:
-Sugar-free pudding mix made with Splenda
-Sugar-free jams and jellies
-All natural fruit jam and jellies in limited quantities
-Pure honey
-Pure molasses
-Chopped dates or other dried fruit
Making dessert healthier: There are a few other ways to make your baked goods and desserts sweeter and healthier, simply by using:
-Vanilla flavored soymilk
-Sugar-free chocolate syrup made with Splenda
-Carob chips
-Oatmeal instead of flour
Another simple trick when you just can’t help yourself to that full-sugar piece of fudge or decadent chocolate cake? Eat something very high in protein (e.g. a piece of natural cheese, a few slices of tofu, a small spoon of natural peanut butter) to help balance out the oncoming sugar rush. Protein helps the brain release a substance that makes carbohydrates release much more slowly into the bloodstream. This makes it much easier to manage and stabilize blood sugar in the body, and will lead to a steady increase of energy.
Pure sugar in the form of basic table sugar and even some sweeteners can wreak havoc on a diabetic diet. However, baking desserts with sugar and fat substitutes is easier with the help of online recipes and diabetic communities on the web. With just a few substitutions and a little creativity, dessert can once again be your favorite meal!
