A Diabetic's Guide To Desserts

As a diabetic, it can be hard to constantly say no to the desserts that you may love. Perhaps prior to becoming diabetic, you had a real sweet tooth. And then since finding out, you’ve probably done an excellent job gaining control over that sweet tooth.

But the cravings still persist. Some days they may be so strong that you might feel disappointed that you can’t just indulge and eat what you want.

The fact is, though, that some desserts are better than others. There’s nothing that says you can’t eat desserts, but you will definitely want to practice moderation and choose wisely. If you can opt for desserts that contain less sugar than the traditional ones, this will go a long way toward keeping you on track.

So, which desserts should you avoid, and which should you treat yourself to or perhaps share with a friend or family member?

Let’s take a closer look.

Ice Cream

Ice cream is not a bad option if you get a plain variety of ice cream without a lot of added sugary syrups, candy pieces, or likewise. Ice cream definitely contains a good dose of sugar, but with that is also fat to help balance things out. It could be worse.

You can also find some lower-sugar varieties of ice cream now in the grocers freezer, so if you are having dessert at home, you might opt for one of those.

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate cake is one that, sadly, you should avoid. While there will be a balanced mix of carbs and fat in this one as well, it leans heavy on the sugar. Not only do you have the cake itself to contend with, but you’ll also have the icing that’s on top of the cake and quite possibly between the layers as well. This makes for an all-around poor selection.

Squares/Brownies

Also on the hit list are squares and brownies because they are simply too calorie dense to have in your diet. Almost everyone should avoid these entirely because just one tiny square can pack in hundreds of calories.

If you can make your own at home using wholesome ingredients, then good for you and you should do that. However, most people will be purchasing desserts that are commercially prepared, or worse, prepared in a restaurant or dessert store.

Mousse

On the flip side, mousse is typically an okay choice to be considering. Mousse is often lighter than ice cream and definitely much lighter than fudge or brownies, so this can be permissible in smaller portion sizes.

Do keep in mind, though, that not all mousses are created equal. So, if you are making this at home to serve yourself, look for one that is on the lighter side. You can often get away with substituting lighter ingredients to make it (lower-fat milk, and so forth) without really noticing a big change in the taste.

Cookies

Are you a cookie lover at heart? If so, you’ll want to be careful about this one because cookies can also be very high in calories along with fat and sugar.

This being said, it all depends on what you’re having. You can buy some store-bought cookies, and if you eat just one, it may only contain 50-80 calories per cookie. These are completely reasonable to have on your menu.

Others, however, if baked fresh in the bakery and are quite a large size, could easily tip the scales at 300 calories or more. Be more careful with those.

Use your own judgment. Packaged cookies (from the store aisles) are typically lighter than bakery cookies, but you will sacrifice that freshly baked taste. For this reason, eating half of a freshly baked cookie may help satisfy your cravings more.

So, there you have a closer look at a few desserts that you should avoid and a few that you may be okay to treat yourself to. Desserts are tricky because there are often so many ways to prepare them, and some variations will be a lot higher in calories than others.

Use your own judgment and always, always share. That will instantly cut the calories and sugar in half.