Managing Sweets In Your Diet When You Have Diabetes
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you may believe that you can never enjoy sweets again, but this simply isn’t true. You must simply learn to be moderate if you wish to enjoy occasional sweets in your diet. This may sound hard if you have always had a sweet tooth, but you may be surprised to find that the longer you maintain a healthy, natural diet, the less your sweet tooth will demand. Read on to learn how you can enjoy occasional sweets in your diet, even when you have diabetes.
If you are going out to dinner and you know there will be a scrumptious dessert, think ahead during the meal. Opt out of pasta, rice and or bread to reduce the carbohydrate load of the meal. Then you can enjoy a small serving of that delicious dessert.
Another trick you can use to include a little bit of dessert in your healthy diet is to make the dessert a little bit healthy. It may surprise you to know that the best way to do this is to avoid low-fat and fat-free desserts and choose a small serving of a dessert that contains a healthy form of fat. For example, desserts that contain nuts, yogurt, ricotta cheese or peanut butter all contain healthy fats. The inclusion of this fat in your dessert will slow your digestive system down and help you avoid the blood sugar spike that might have come with the low fat dessert offering!
You can also slow the rate at which your dessert metabolizes by having it as part of your meal instead of having it after your meal. Make food choices that will complement the flavor of your chosen dessert and enjoy it a few bites at a time throughout your meal. You can also accomplish this by having a small serving of dessert along with a small serving of plain fruit at the end of the meal. These techniques will extend your enjoyment and help your body process the sugar in the dessert more effectively.
Avoid eating a dessert if you are distracted by a discussion, a presentation or anything else. Get the most enjoyment out of your small and carefully chosen dessert by being certain to set the stage for a pleasant experience. You want to be able to savor your treat, so do not let distractions stand in your way.
Save all of your sugar allowance for desserts. Do not waste your allotment of sweets on beverages such as fruit juice, sweet tea or sodas. Even sugar free sodas negatively affect your metabolism due to all the artificial ingredients and chemicals they contain. Strive to drink lots of pure, filtered water and/or carbonated water. Dress it up with a twist of lime, lemon or orange. You will be healthier and have more room for dessert!
When you cook, feel free to simply reduce the amount of sugar in your recipes by half. You may not even notice the difference. Also try healthier sugar alternatives such as honey and maple syrup. When substituting a liquid form of sugar for a solid form, be sure to adjust the other liquids in the recipe accordingly. Add healthy spices such as vanilla, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and more to enrich the flavor of your recipes.
When you plan ahead and make smart choices, you can live a healthy lifestyle as a diabetic, have your sweets and eat them too!
