Healthy Desserts for Diabetics
You might think a diabetes medical diagnosis indicates you’ll need to avoid dessert forever. Not so! With a little planning, you can please your craving for sweets while keeping your blood glucose under control.
But just how do you do that? There are numerous methods.
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Swap Other Carbs for Dessert
Everyone concentrates on the sugar, however what’s really essential is the total carbs.
If you ‘d like to have a little piece of pie for dessert, skip the starchy veggie during dinner.
But she’s quick to mention that this isn’t really something you need to do regularly.
Desserts and sugary foods don’t have the nutritional value that other foods do, so it’s best to save them for unique celebrations.
Think Small
In addition to restricting how typically you have dessert, you’ll also need to restrict how much you eat — which can be an obstacle.
Sugar triggers fireworks in your brain, making you yearn for more. Fighting the desire to overdo it takes a lot of effort. However there are ways to make it a little easier.
Set yourself up for success by purchasing desserts that are packaged as a single serving, like a sugar-free fudge pop or a small square of dark chocolate.
And be practical.
If you cannot have cake in your house without eating the whole thing, do not purchase a cake.
When you head out, check the menu for miniature desserts. Many dining establishments now use treats served in little dishes or shot glasses.
If that’s not an alternative, order one dessert for the table so that everyone gets a few bites.
Do It Yourself
Unless dietary information is listed on the menu, you can never make sure what you’ll get when you order dessert from a restaurant. When you make it yourself, you know precisely what goes into it — and what’s overlooked.
Instead of following dishes to a T, sub in items like applesauce for oil or artificial sweeteners for sugar.
No surprise, portion control is also a big offer when it comes to home-baked treats. So follow the restaurant trend and serve your goodies in small meals with small spoons.
Fruity Treats
Make fruit a part of your dessert menu as much as possible, whether it is the dessert itself or is part of a recipe.
Although fruit is high in carbohydrates, it’s also packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. If you long for something more than, attempt including it to sugar-free gelatin or mixing up one of the following quick and easy fruit salads.
See also: 5 Best Diabetic Cookie Recipes
Melon Salad
In a medium bowl, combine 3 cups of cubed cantaloupe and 3 cups of cubed honeydew melon.
Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves and 1 tablespoon honey. Toss gently to coat.
Exchanges: 1 fruit (makes 6 servings, 70 calories per serving)
Fruit Salad With Yogurt Dressing
- 2 cups sliced strawberries
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 cups green grapes
- 1/2 cup plain, fat-free yogurt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a medium bowl, toss together the strawberries, blueberries, and grapes.
In a little bowl, blend together the yogurt, honey, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
Pour this dressing over fruit and toss carefully.
Exchanges: 1 1/2 fruit (makes 5 servings, 95 calories per serving)
If you’re trying to find a fruity dessert to serve at an event, try this:
Banana Split Cake
- 6 1/2 graham cracker sheets (two 1 1/2- inch squares per sheet)
- 1 ounce sugar-free, instantaneous vanilla pudding mix
- 2 cups fat-free milk
- 8 ounces light cream cheese
- 10 ounces canned, crushed pineapple crammed in juice, drained pipes
- 4 medium bananas, sliced
- 8-ounce container light whipped topping
- 3 tablespoons pecans, sliced
Cover the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan with graham cracker sheets.
In a medium bowl, prepare pudding with the milk according to package instructions. Add the cream cheese to the pudding and whip together. Spread out the pudding mix over the graham crackers.
Spread out the crushed pineapple over the pudding layer and top with bananas, then spread out whipped topping. Sprinkle pecans on top.
Exchanges: 1 fat, 1 1/2 carb (makes 16 servings, 156 calories per piece)
While fruity desserts tend to be more healthy, for some people, dessert simply isn’t dessert without chocolate. If that includes you, this is the treat for you:
Chocolate Mousse Pie
- 1 9-inch packaged pie crust
- 1 1.4-ounce package of sugar-free, fat-free chocolate pudding mix
- 1 2/3 cups fat-free milk
- 1 8-ounce container of fat-free whipped topping, divided
- 2 tablespoons small semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake pie crust according to package directions. Eliminate from oven and cool completely.
In a medium bowl, whisk the pudding mix and the milk. Fold half (4 ounces) of whipped topping into pudding mix and fold till totally mixed.
Spread pudding mix into pie crust and top with remaining whipped topping. Sprinkle top with chocolate chips.
Exchanges: 1 fat, 2 carbohydrate (makes 8 portions, 194 calories per piece)
Also read: Best Smoothie Recipes for Diabetics
I have the tendency to eat what I want to, however chocolate is SO my weak point. I WILL no question have at least a little slice of Chocolate Pie for dessert, but most of the year I am a little much healthier. As long as your blood glucose ready and your insulin is covering the food then you are doing well.