It can be a challenge to figure out how to make diabetic friendly desserts that taste good, however, with the right strategies in place, you can enjoy sweet treats while maintaining blood sugar levels.
One key aspect of maintaining a balanced diabetic diet is practicing portion control in all meals including desserts. Another plan is to utilize diabetic-friendly substitutes in recipes. Discover alternatives for sugar, flour, and more to create delicious diabetic desserts while avoiding blood sugar spikes.
How to make Diabetic Friendly Desserts
Managing portions will help you enjoy dessert without destroying all your hard work to keep your A1c down. Learn how to experiment with these ideas and fine tune them for your own personal taste preferences.
Use Smaller Plates and Bowls:
- When plating your diabetic desserts, opt for smaller plates and bowl, research has shown that we eat more off of larger plates so reducing the physical space available for the dessert, you can naturally limit the amount you consume.
Quality over Quantity
- One thing I always ask clients is what will be more satisfying- a larger serving of a diet-fied food or a smaller serving of the real thing. For example: Halo Top ice cream vs Breyers.
Pre-Portion Desserts:
- Choose recipes with individual servings using small ramekins or containers. By having a predetermined portion in front of you, you can avoid mindlessly consuming more than intended, check out the mug cake recipe below. Plus that will make it easier to freeze individual portions for later consumption.
Include High-Fiber Ingredients:
- Incorporating high-fiber ingredients into your diabetic desserts can help promote satiety and control blood sugar levels. Fiber-rich foods digest slowly, which can prevent rapid spikes in blood glucose. Add ingredients such as chia seeds, flaxseeds, or psyllium husk to increase the fiber content of your desserts.
Practice Mindful Eating:
- Mindful eating practices include slowing down to savor each bite and paying attention to the flavors, textures, and satisfaction the dessert brings. By being fully present during the eating experience, becoming more attuned to your body’s signals of fullness, and digging in undistracted you can fully enjoy your dessert.
Lean into your Intuition
- Subscribing to being an intuitive eater helps you avoid binge eating by allowing you to enjoy dessert when you want it. Whenever we restrict a food or food group it makes us crave it more, it’s human nature to want what you can’t have!
Alternatives and Substitutes for Diabetic Desserts
Dessert can taste just as good (or better) by subbing in some of the typical high carb ingredients with more nutritious and lower carb options. If you are looking for more diabetes friendly drinks check out this Starbucks post for inspiration and ideas.
Diabetic Friendly Sweeteners:
- Stevia: has various forms including powdered extracts, liquid drops, and granulated versions that resemble sugar.
- Erythritol: is a sugar alcohol with minimal impact on blood sugar levels
- Monk Fruit: is highly concentrated in sweetness, so it is often blended with other ingredients, such as erythritol or other sugar alcohols, to improve texture and make it easier to measure and use in recipes
Flours:
- Almond Flour: contains <¼ the amount of carbs as regular flour
- Coconut Flour: high-fiber, gluten-free flour that adds a delicate flavor to desserts.
- Flaxseed Meal: is also high in protein and fiber and is an excellent source of minerals.
Fats:
- Avocado: is a healthy source of monounsaturated fats that can add creaminess to desserts.
- Coconut Oil: a versatile oil that can be used in place of butter or other oils in recipes.
- Greek Yogurt: high in protein and can provide moisture and texture to desserts.
Diabetes Friendly Chocolate:
- Opt for high-quality dark chocolate (higher cacao- the actual chocolate plant) vs milk chocolate which is higher in sugar
Diabetic Friendly Dessert Recipes
There are plenty of delicious options available for desserts that don’t need any altering. Whenever you can add protein, healthy fat, or fiber to desserts that will help with lowering carbs and keep blood sugars under better control.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
This healthier pie is packed with plant protein and high in fiber from the secret ingredient tofu. It takes on the flavor of the chocolate and peanut butter so you wouldn’t even know it was there.
Berries with Whipped Cream:
Enjoy a bowl of fresh strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries topped with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream. Berries are lower in carbs than most fruit and packed with antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins.
Chia Seed Pudding:
Create a creamy and nutritious chia seed pudding by combining chia seeds with unsweetened coconut milk and a splash of low carb sweetener. Let it sit overnight in the refrigerator for a satisfying and fiber-rich dessert.
Greek Yogurt Parfait:
Layer unsweetened Greek yogurt with a handful of mixed nuts, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a few berries for a delicious and protein-rich dessert.
Angel Food Cake
A light and delicious cake that can be made with substitutes or served as is- highly recommend a dollop of whipped cream with it.
Coconut Flour Mug Cake:
Create a quick, easy, pre-portioned dessert by making a coconut flour mug cake. Combine coconut flour, an egg, a low carb sweetener, and a dash of vanilla extract in a mug. Microwave it for a minute or two until it’s cooked through, resulting in a moist and fluffy cake.
Avocado Chocolate Pudding:
Blend ripe avocado with unsweetened cocoa powder, a low carb sweetener, and a splash of almond milk to create a rich and creamy chocolate mousse. Avocados offer healthy fats and a velvety texture to the dessert.
By implementing effective strategies like portion sizes, ingredient substitutes, and exploring low carb diabetes friendly desserts you can satisfy your sweet tooth while maintaining a healthy diabetic lifestyle.