Tasty Treats for Diabetics

[karen1976]

Thought I'd share some tasty treats, perfect for the summertime!

1. Fruit: One of the best sweet treats invented! Fruit is fine for people with diabetes. In fact, the ADA recommends two to three servings daily, depending upon your calorie needs. Some "superfruit" (extra high in antioxidants and vitamins) include all berries (especially blueberries), cantaloupe, kiwi, mango and citrus. Whole fruit is a fine source of fiber, which is important to decrease risk for stroke and heart disease.

2. Yogurt: Nonfat, sugar-free yogurt makes a tasty snack or dessert. Enjoy it right out of the container for a snack or as a dip with vegetables. For dessert, serve peach-flavored sugar-free yogurt drizzled on grapefruit and orange sections.

3. Frozen Fruit Slush: Try this recipe from the National Cancer Institute's Eat 5 to 9 a Day program. Makes four servings.

Using a blender, process the following:
3 cups frozen fruit (such as frozen strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or melon)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup fat-free milk or nonfat plain yogurt

Sweeten to taste. One packet of sweetener equals about 2 teaspoons of sugar.

4. Sugar-Free Hot Chocolate: Choose calcium-fortified, sugar-free hot chocolate and satisfy your sweet tooth with the added bonus of the bone-strengthening mineral. Read the label: calories range from 25 per serving to 60; some contain zero trans-fat and others contain one to two grams. Some hot-chocolate mixes are sweetened with NutraSweet and others with Splenda. As for carbs, some have three grams or less; others contain more.

5. Angel Food Cake: This fat-free cake is nutritious served topped with a one-half cup of sliced, fresh strawberries and a dollop of sugar-free nondairy topping. A small piece counts as one serving of bread plus a half serving of fruit.

6. Jell-O: Prepare sugar-free Jell-O in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator. Eat all you want without worry. Jell-O doesn't have calories or carbohydrates. Mix with fruit cocktail for a special treat. A half cup of fruit cocktail packed in water (not syrup) counts as one serving of fruit.

7. Hard Candies: Sugar-free hard candies are a personal favorite of mine. I often hanker for a sweet after meals, and sugar-free candies (usually sweetened with sorbital) have about 35 to 50 calories per three to four pieces.

8. Ice Cream: Your local grocery store stocks a wide variety of sugar-free, fat-free ice cream, ice milk and frozen yogurt. Read the labels and choose your favorite sugar-free and fat-free version for the fewest number of calories per serving. I usually opt for portion-controlled fudge pops or frozen fruit bars, also available in sugar-free and fat-free versions.

9. Frozen Fresh Fruit: Wrap small, ripe bananas in plastic. Freeze, then peel and eat like a frozen fruit bar (one per serving). Seedless grapes are wonderful frozen treats (12 to 15 grapes count as one serving of fruit).

10. Chocolate: Sometimes you just want a taste of the "real thing." Dark chocolate, with more antioxidants and less saturated fat, is the best. Hershey's, among other manufacturers, offers dark chocolate in both sugar-free and regular varieties with only a 40-calorie difference per serving. Both have the same amount of fat and cholesterol; sugar-free has 170 calories and zero grams of sugar per serving vs. 210 and 20 grams of sugar for the regular. The fine print on the label tells consumers that sugar-free chocolate is not calorie-free, and that the sweetener in sugar-free chocolate, lactitol, can have a laxative effect when eaten in excess.

[Blair]

Hmmmmmmm great Karen B) Just to read it makes my mouth water !
Thank you so much.

You know what I wondered if the 80% and 90% cacoa chocolate has sugar in it.... (perhaps I better look it up on google instead of nudging you about it :blush: )

[karen1976]

Hiya Blair!

I know, I actually went and made a frozen fruit slush after I posted... so good on a hot day like today!

As for your question, there are the regular Dark Chocolates and the Sugar-Free Dark Chocolates ... you just have to look for whichever kind you want. For me, I can have a small piece of the real deal and not take any insulin ... a once-in-awhile-treat that I usually have around Hallowe'en. In weather like this, though, I am happy for a cold piece of Watermelon, chilled blueberries or a smoothie... mmmmm....

[Blair]

Yes, me too I guess we are having the same heat - (and humidity in the air)

Thank you Karen, I didn't know that. I always thought dark (80+ % ) chocolate contained a lot less sugar than the rest of the chocolates.

[karen1976]

Hi Blair,
Sorry, didn't answer your question... yup, I do believe that dark chocolate contains more cocoa and less sugar than milk chocolate (I'm not an expert on it though) I know, out this way, you can find brands that are "sugar free" and still tasty.
Mmm...

[Blair]

Well, I have started to like the sugar-free "sweets" - including chocolate (my sweet tooth has disappeared) so I can very well imagine they must be tasty. (Gotta try them out one time :blush: )

[amirulhakimi]

www.madukini.blogspot.com

Your information on diabetes solution

[Vytautas]

Hm... how did i miss this one?!? Snacks and i didn't read it? That's weird :laugh:

Personally knew about the #1, 2, 7, 8 and 10 but the other half is pretty new to me.

I really like eating sweets and fruit (don't we all? :laugh: ) Though the past two years i've been eating prety much any type of sweet. Be it sugar-free or regular.

@amirulhakimi: mmmm... honey... that's one thing i haven't had for a long time. heard it's good for cleansing the body from acetone and has fast carbs that can be well absorbed... good stuff

[Blair]

Honey is good for the body since it is seen as a 'natural anti-biotic' here -

I don't know in how far this is true of course :P

[Stacey88]

I’ve found tasty snacks at http://www.lowglycemicrecipes.net They have some good snack ideas and they’re always adding new ones. They list carb amount,GI, calories, fat, fiber content, etc