How to Keep Sweets in a Diabetic Diet

Avoiding dessert can be the hardest part of eating a meal for diabetics. From chocolate ice cream to homemade apple pie, sweets and desserts are part of America's obsession with sugar. For years, nutritionists and doctors have debated over the correct role for sugar in a diabetic diet. Now diabetics have more options for eating sweets but they must still carefully plan their diet.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Consult your doctor. Before you change any diet plans, talk with both your nutritionist and your doctor about possible short and long-term health effects and how changing your diet may affect your blood sugar levels.
2. Keep a food diary. Track all your food intake so you know exactly what you ate and how many carbohydrates you've consumed. Read food labels. Knowing how many carbohydrates are in an item can help you plan your meals for the day.
3. Consider using other types of sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners such as sorbitol, saccharin or sucralose can substitute for sugar in many recipes and are generally considered healthier for diabetics' blood sugar levels.
4. Use fruits more often. Dried fruits or pureed fruits can be used in baking and in other desserts to enhance sweetness.
5. Reduce the amount of other simple carbohydrates in your diet. Ask your doctor if you can substitute some of your carbohydrates (rice, pasta, potatoes and bread) for a dessert made with sugar. This type of substitution can be useful during holidays.
6. Keep portions small. If you do eats sweets, split the portion with a friend or order a smaller individual size. Choose quality over quantity.

Tips & Warnings

• A low fat, low sugar diet featuring fruits, vegetables, proteins and whole grains is considered the best for diabetics. Sweets should be regarded as a special treat, not an everyday food.
• Avoid consumption of the low calorie sweetener aspartame if you have phenylketonuria (PKU). PKU is a rare genetic condition affecting some people.