Diabetic Dessert Recipes
Sweet holiday news for diabetics
"In the old days, doctors warned diabetics to avoid sugar at all costs, based on the assumption that sugar enters the blood rapidly and aggravates already temperamental blood-sugar levels. However, there has been little scientific evidence to support this recommendation. In fact, studies have found that blood sugar rises no higher in response to sugar than it does to white bread, rice, carrots, potatoes and many other foods. Although various types of foods do cause levels of blood sugar to respond differently, the total amount of carbohydrates consumed is more important than the type.
"Because of these findings, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) loosened its recommendations on sugar. According to the ADA's 1999 recommendations, sugar and sugar-containing foods can be a part of a diabetic diet, but they shouldn't be simply added to the diet. Rather, they should be substituted for other carbohydrates already in the diet. And while the green light may be music to the ears of anyone with diabetes, it is not a license to go overboard. That's especially true during the holidays, when worrying about gaining weight can itself raise blood-sugar levels.
"Almost any holiday dessert recipe can be revised to be healthier without sacrificing taste. Cut the sugar by one-third to one-half in a recipe, and increase the use of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and other sweet-tasting spices and flavoring. Many sweet desserts are also high in fat, so replace fat with pureed fruit, such as applesauce or baby-food prunes, in recipes for chocolate brownies, cakes or cookies. You'll also find you don't need as much sugar, since fruit supplies sweet taste. (You still must keep the portion small, since replacing fat with fruit increases the carbohydrate content, which must be monitored closely.)"
Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D., webmed, Inc.
"As the only authors of diabetic cookbooks to have been bestowed with the coveted James Beard Cookbook Award and a nomination for the also renowned Julia Child Cookbook Award, we are pleased to offer you an ever-growing array of hundreds of delicious, healthy recipes with nutritional analysis and diabetic exchanges."
Dozens of diabetic dessert recipes that include moderate amounts of sugar, instead of artificial sweetners, presented by Frances Towner Giedt and Bonnie Sanders Polin, Ph.D., co-authors of the Joslin Diabetes Gourmet Cookbook.
Diabetic-Lifestyle
