Desserts for Diabetics

Just because you’re a diabetic doesn’t mean you have to give up desserts. In fact, there are lots of desserts for diabetics... you just need to know which ones are good for you. Cutting out all your favorite foods once you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes can flop, sending the deprived diabetic onto a sugar binge. That’s definitely not a good thing. The solution is not to restrict, but to find the right desserts for diabetics. Like Goldilocks, diabetics need to find the “just right” recipes to satisfy their sweet tooth, but keep blood sugars in check.

Fortunately, there are many diabetic dessert recipes to choose from so it’s never an either/or option. Whether you’re whipping up your own dessert or buying it from the bakery, the hardest part will be deciding which dessert to choose first.

If you’re looking for a low or no sugar dessert, then you’re in luck. You can find everything from pies and cakes, to cookies and ice cream. The key in most cases is the use of artificial sweeteners. Splenda seems to get the most kudos for a good tasting diabetic dessert, like Crispy-Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies or Classic Carrot Cake.

Another sweetener that’s picking up steam is stevia. This is an all-natural product originating from South America. It’s has up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar and no calories.

The big problem with most baked low or no sugar desserts is that they still contain flour. That may not be a problem for the diabetic who can control their blood sugars through medication or exercise. For the rest of us, baked desserts may be an occasional treat. The rest of the time our low and no sugar desserts option will need to revolve around flourless desserts. But don’t worry, there’s plenty to choose from like puddings, frozen desserts and candies.

Many diabetics stick to a low-carb diet, but they can still enjoy desserts. Classics like cheesecake and pumpkin pie are possible with no sugar sweeteners and other non-carbohydrate foods like cream cheese and eggs.  If you’re going this route, make sure to substitute (at least partially) fat-free products to lower the cholesterol levels.

Fruit seems like it should be a natural as a diabetic dessert. But no all fruits are created equally for a diabetic. Some fruits are very high sugar, like pear, grapes and any dried fruits. If you plan to eat fruit for dessert, stick to low-glycemic fruits. Berries are you first choice, like raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. Other low-glycemic fruits to consider include:

• Apples
• Apricots
• Cranberries
• Grapefruits
• Kiwis
• Peaches
• Oranges

Whipping up a quick and healthy dessert for diabetics is no problem with these idea.

• Sugar-free Jello with low or no sugar whipped cream
• Sugar free popsicles
•  Shakes (make with milk, cream, soy milk and a favorite fruit – add a little flax meal for fiber)
• Yogurt Dip with fruit (use a sugar-free yogurt with low-glycemic fruits like berries)
• Fruit with low or no sugar shipped cream
• Sugar-free ice cream
• Sugar-free hot chocolate (okay, add a dollop of sugar-free whipped cream)

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Katherine Koch (aka Netlexis) is a freelance writer providing copywriting services online and offline. When she's not writing for clients, she enjoys creating hubs here at HubPages, as well as for her own sites and at Squidoo.

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