How to Make Dessert Healthier for Diabetics

Having diabetes or pre-diabetes doesn't mean you can't have pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. It does mean that you have to be a little more mindful of your desert choices.

Here are 2 ways to make any dessert recipe a little bit healthier.

1. Cut back on the sugar

2. Slow the absorption of sugar by adding fiber, protein and healthy fats

   
   

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#1 How to cut back on sugar in recipes

You can often decrease the sugar in a recipe by 1/4 without changing the texture. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, you would only add 3/4 cup. It will taste less sweet, but overtime you'll enjoy desserts that aren't as sweet.

I made this cookie recipe yesterday with only 1/2 cup sugar instead of 3/4 cup. Everyone still loved them!

You might be thinking that 1/4 cup won't make a difference in sugar content, but it totally does. In some cases, it can save you 1-2 teaspoons of sugar per cookie!

How does 1 teaspoon compare to your daily limit? The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to 6 teaspoons per day for kids and women. So 1 teaspoon is a big deal!

Little changes add up over time!

Here's an example of a lower sugar pumpkin cake I frequently make. The original recipe had 2 cups of sugar and I cut it back to 1 + 1/3 cup.

https://www.ddinutrition.com/recipes-2/pumpkin-cake

#2 How to slow the absorption of sugar

One way to help the body handle extra sugar is to slow down digestion so that the sugar in food doesn't all enter into the bloodstream at once.

Protein, fat and fiber slow down digestion.

Look for dessert recipes with the following ingredients:

Nuts & nut butters: high in protein, fiber and healthy fats

Whole Grain Flours: Whole wheat flour is high in protein and fiber. I keep whole wheat pastry flour on hand for making cookies (I buy it in bulk at WinCo). You usually can't tell the difference between this flour and white flour in cookie recipes.

Fruits & Vegetables: bananas, apples, applesauce and pumpkin are in fiber. They also add natural sweetness, which helps you to decrease the amount of added sugar.

Blended Beans: I know this sounds weird, but beans add fiber and protein. My kids love these black bean brownies (I just use butter and regular sugar instead of those fancy ingredients): https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/fudgy-maple-flourless-black-bean-brownies/#wprm-recipe-container-33779

These are my favorite sites for healthier dessert recipes:

https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/category/meal-type/dessert/

https://cookieandkate.com/category/food-recipes/dessert/

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What dessert will I be bringing for Thanksgiving?

image source: food52 (link below)

Pumpkin Pudding. I follow this recipe, but decrease the sugar to a little bit more than 1/2 cup. I don't want to waste my calories on the crust because I only like the filling anyway.

image source: ambitious kitchen (link below)

Apple Crisp. I follow this recipe, but decrease the sugar in the apples to 2 Tablespoons. I'll use sugar, not maple syrup. Maple syrup is way too expensive.

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Remember, just because you have diabetes doesn't mean you can't have sweets. It does mean you need to be careful how much you eat, and adapting recipes to be a little healthier can make a difference in the long run.

What will you be cooking for Thanksgiving? Leave a comment or send me an email, I want to know!