You don’t have to say goodbye to sugar if you have diabetes. You need to be careful of fast acting carbohydrates (like sugar) and adapt your sugar intake — your insulin and/or medications must balance the sugars you eat.
Sugar substitutes are an easy way to satisfy your craving for something sweet. You’ve probably heard of saccharin (the sweetener in Sweet ‘n’ Low) and aspartame (the sweetener in Equal). You may have also seen sorbitol or malitol in the ingredient list for some sugar-free candies and chocolates.
If you are doing some baking, you can try swapping white sugar for brown sugar. Yes, it’s still sugar but… brown sugar has a lower carbohydrate content than white sugar. Brown sugar is actually a mixture of white sugar with molasses, which ends up saving you fifteen grams of carbs for every quarter cup of brown sugar you use instead of white sugar.
Another option for baking is sucralose — commonly known as Splenda. This sugar substitute measures cup for cup like sugar, but has been modified so that it is not absorbed by your body. Try switching half the sugar in a recipe with Splenda for a sweet taste and lower carbs.
Is your sweet tooth still not satisfied? Skip the jelly — which can be full of sugars and corn syrup — and choose a spreadable fruit instead! Spreadable fruits (like Polaner’s All-Fruit) give you the sweetness of one hundred percent fruit plus all the vitamins you would get from eating the fruit itself! Try spreadable fruit instead of sugar in desserts like fruit pies, compotes, and other snacks.
Another option is stevia, a natural herb with a huge sweetening ability! Available in powder or liquid form from your local natural food market, use stevia sparingly. One eighth of a teaspoon of stevia is equal to about one quarter cup of sugar. And speaking of sweet herbs, try flavoring your cakes and cookies with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, or pumpkin pie spice to add an extra touch of sweetness.