Can You Have Desserts If You Are Diabetic? Let’s Find Out

Blogs27 Aug 2024

It’s easy to get swayed and miss having a delicious slice of cake or indulge in late-night ice cream. But as a diabetic patient, having a single dessert can shoot up your blood sugar levels drastically and make matters worse. That’s why doctors always advise diabetics to refrain from having desserts and stay away from most sugary items. But is this a hard and fast rule? Can you not have any desserts if you are diabetic? Let’s discuss diabetes, desserts, sugar-free sweets for diabetics and more in this article.

Understanding Diabetes and Sugar

Diabetes is a common and serious chronic metabolic condition that prevents or reduces the body’s ability to use food for energy. Diabetes Mellitus occurs when a body is unable to produce or utilise a hormone called insulin. Insulin is responsible for helping glucose from food enter cells in our body. Without the production or utilisation of insulin, glucose starts increasing in our blood, leading to high blood sugar spikes or hyperglycaemia.

There are two main types of diabetes:

• Type 1: An autoimmune condition in which your body makes very little to no insulin. This is because your immune system attacks pancreatic cells that produce insulin. To survive, most need insulin injections multiple times a day if they have type 1 diabetes.
• Type 2: This is a lifestyle disorder that occurs predominantly in those above 45. In this type of diabetes, cells are unable to use insulin correctly. Being obese or having a family history of diabetes can play a role in having this condition.

In both types, the main concern remains high blood sugar levels. Diabetes can increase the risk of eye, kidney, nerves and heart damage. Managing diabetes through medication and lifestyle changes can help protect against detrimental health conditions like cataracts, foot infections, kidney failure, dialysis, heart attack, stroke, nerve pain, tingling, numbness etc.

What happens if your blood sugar is too high?

When your fasting blood sugar is very high (above 180 mg/dL), you may face tiredness, thirst, blurry vision and frequent urination. If you face high blood sugar levels often, then you must speak with your doctor and make changes in your meal plan, physical activity or medicines.

Two factors to consider While Choosing Foods for Diabetic Patients

1. Glycemic Index: This is an estimate measure of how quickly a food, when ingested, can cause a spike in your blood sugar. The scale ranges from 0 to 100. Foods that have a high GI may be easy and quick to digest but rapidly raise blood sugar levels in the body.
2. Glycemic Load: Glycemic load is a measure that considers the amount of carbohydrate in a portion of food together with how quickly it raises blood glucose levels.

Knowing these two measures can help you choose the right foods for diabetics that cause very few blood sugar spikes and keep you healthy for longer.

Can Diabetics Have Desserts?

Traditional desserts are typically very high in sugar and carbohydrates. Having these can lead to rapid blood sugar spikes for diabetic patients. Since having foods that spike blood sugar levels can be harmful to health, it’s wise to avoid desserts as much as possible.

If you crave desserts often and wish to have them, you must first check with your doctor. They will assess your condition and advise you based on your blood sugar levels and overall health. Depending on how your blood sugar levels are, your doctor may think it’s safe for you to have a small portion of a dessert once in a while, however, it’s best to first confirm with your doctor before putting your health at risk and giving in to cravings

Smart Dessert Choices for Diabetics

All hope is not lost! You can still get your fix for dessert by making some diabetic-friendly desserts at home. Follow these tips and tricks to enjoy some desserts for diabetes in no time:

Sugar Substitutes and Alternatives: There are many alternatives to sugar that you can use to make diabetic sweets at home. Try stevia leaves for a natural, diabetic-friendly alternative in your cakes, cookies and pies for a delicious taste while keeping your blood sugar stable.

Ideas for Sugar-free Sweets for Diabetics

1. Sugar-Free Kheer (Rice Pudding)

To make this Indian diabetic sweet, substitute regular sugar with a natural sweetener like stevia or erythritol. Cook the rice in skim milk or almond milk until tender, then add cardamom and a handful of nuts and raisins for added flavour and texture.

2. Almond Flour Ladoo

Replace traditional gram flour with almond flour to create a low-carb version of this beloved Indian sweet. Mix almond flour with a natural sweetener, a pinch of cardamom, and ghee, then shape into small balls and garnish with crushed pistachios.

3. Coconut Ladoo

For a low-sugar coconut ladoo, mix unsweetened desiccated coconut with a small amount of coconut milk and a natural sweetener. Roll the mixture into small balls and refrigerate to set; these delicious bites are rich in healthy fats and satisfy sweet cravings without spiking blood sugar levels.

Conclusion

To conclude, diabetes is a chronic metabolic condition where our bodies are unable to produce or use insulin, which leads to an overload of glucose in our blood. These high blood sugar spikes can be very harmful to our health, causing damage to organs like eyes, kidneys, feet, heart etc. So if you are diabetic, it’s important to pay attention to your doctor’s advice and stick to your meal plan, physical activity plan and medication. We understand that having sweet cravings is a part and parcel of this journey, however, desserts are loaded with sugar and carbohydrates and will cause rapid spikes in your blood sugar. So make sure to avoid desserts and check with your doctor before having them. Meanwhile, you can explore other diabetic-friendly dessert options using low-GI foods to keep your tastebuds happy!

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