Sweet Treats for diabetics

A lot of the sugar free stuff has sweetness in instead which recent research shows is just as bad if not worse than the sugar. White carbs are also bad . Yes there is a bit of leeway but as very occasional treats not still including in your diet on a regular basis

An acquaintance who is a GP with Type 1 snacks on packets of apricots- he keeps them in his desk drawer. High fibre but high sugar content too.

I don’t know about T2 diabetes but as for a T1 of course you can have sweet things in sensible moderation (as anyone should). I’ve some lovely cake and pudding recipes from various diabetes cook books and DH has some chocolate every night night with his coffee. If we go out to a particularly fine restaurant with amazing puddings he just increases his insulin dose. He has an HBA1c of under 6. He never has special diabetic chocolate yuk

DH's consultant told him not to bother with anything aimed at diabetics. He said "if your going to eat chocolate, and you will, have three squares not 6"
DH does treat himself to something sweet occasionally. His blood tests results are always very good. The consultant said "Carry on the way you are, it's working"
DH is T2.

It beats me why proper Diabetic meals have never been sold , much like the slimming meals available.
Many days as a diabetic , when I've had really bad lows, or highs ,and feel particularly tired (and I admit..depressed ) it would be nice to pick up a meal I don't have to weigh, calculate and simply heat up and eat after I've taken my insulin .
There is nothing as depressing (or as lonely) as sitting on the side of the bed in the middle of the night , eating food you don't want, to treat a low ....especially if you're fighting to lose weight.

elfies are you T1 or T2? We have a range of very easy to cook and prepare ( or have in freezer) meals. We just apply basic principles but I am talking T1

It makes me mad that shops like Tesco have a wide range of " Free From " meals but not a thing for those people who have diabetes .
Elfies I must admit to enjoying a splurge of food now and again when my blood sugar is too low . I eat things I woul;d never normally eat. I am lucky that I do not feel the need to do so in the night .
TwiceAsNice are you diabetic ? I think your sweeping statement about artificial sugars is over the top . A couple of sugar free sweets are a treat and not likely to case as much harm as eating two sweets full of sugar.

I reiterate we are all different

Don't take anyone else's word or opinion for anything, those are generalisations.

Test before and after eating a little of something you'd like to include in your diet.

That's the only way to learn about your body and how it reacts.

My diabetic friend John, can eat chocolate mousse followed by a brandy and his BS levels go up from 6 to 8. If he has an argument with his wife, they shoot up to beyond 11.

It's not only sugar (in whatever form) which increases BS, the stress and guilt of thinking you are doing everything wrong, not getting enough exercise or 'falling off the wagon' can do it too.

Which is why I wrote this post.

Interesting point BradfordLass72, yes stress and anxiety might have a lot more to do with other conditions as well, more than just keeping to a strict regime.

Would you know whether alcohol would put the BS up or down as I've read conflicting reports.

Brandy does not affect blood sugars the mixer used with it might. I buy Tesco Ginger low cal mixer for my whisky and Schwepes low cal tonic . Fevertree low cal tonic has sugar in it .

I have been type 2 diabetic for 12 years now.I agree that you need to find which foods suit you as we are all different.I kept a food diary for a while and noted my blood sugars as well,it was soon apparent which foods sent my bloods sky high.I tend to plan ahead so if we have a meal out planned,I will make sure I eat very sensibly for a few days leading up to it?I also find doing 10,000 steps a day really helps,it shows in my bloods if I slack off.I would recommend the book carbs and cals,a visual guide to how many carbs in different portion sizes of the same meal.I blooming hate being diabetic but it is what it is,I’m not overweight so not much I can do but try and control it?

Floradora yes I am type 2 diabetic , have been for 5 years. My blood sugar went up a bit last Dec and I decided I would try and lose some more weight ( lost a lot at the beginning) Recent research shows that artificial sweeteners can raise your blood sugar sometimes as much or more than actual sugar ditto white carbs. I am following a low carb diet plus the 800 calories 5-2 diet 2/3 days a week and have lost nearly a stone and a half and feel and look much better

Thanks Floradora9. I'm a secret Brandy lover so very pleased it doesn't affect the blood sugar!

Note on dieting:

"The lowest recommended caloric intake for women and men is 1,200 , a diet of 500 to 800 calories a day is dangerously too low."

Interesting Bradfordlass as we often try to lose weight as well as manage blood sugar etc.

My DH who is type 2 eats 3 squares of 90% chocolate after his meal and that seems to satisfy his sweet tooth.

He was managing really well until he contracted Legionnaires disease which pushed his sugars sky high. In order to regulate them he now has to inject with insulin.
He was also recently found to have low testosterone so has been using a testosterone gel which has reduced his sugars by 20%.

So many things affect BS - it is not just diet.