Managing diabetes means making healthy diet and lifestyle choices to keep your blood sugar as close to normal as possible. One of the best ways to do that is to eat a healthy diet that's low in sugar and refined carbohydrates. If you have a sweet tooth, you may worry that desserts are off-limits, but that's not necessarily true.
With some planning and the right ingredients, there are many healthy options. Keep reading to learn the options for what someone with diabetes can have for dessert and check out five simple diabetes-friendly dessert recipes.
Managing Diabetes in Seniors
With type 2 diabetes, your body doesn't produce enough insulin, or insulin doesn't work as well as it should. Insulin is a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar by moving glucose (sugar) from your blood into your cells, where it's used as fuel.
Carbohydrate-rich foods — like bread, pasta, potatoes, sugary beverages and desserts — break down into glucose when digested. These foods have a significant impact on blood sugar levels.
When insulin doesn't work effectively, excess glucose stays in your bloodstream. If it's not managed, high blood sugar can lead to serious health problems, including:
- Eye disease that may lead to blindness
- Heart disease, including heart attack or stroke
- Kidney disease or kidney failure
- Nerve damage that causes numbness or weakness in your hands, feet or legs
- Wounds that take an extensive time to heal or don't heal
A healthy, balanced diet is vital for managing diabetes and reducing the risk of related health problems. Eating large portions of carbohydrate-rich food (like pasta, white bread, cake and soda) can raise blood sugar quickly and keep it too high. On the other hand, meals and desserts balanced with a mix of protein, fats and complex, high-fiber carbohydrates have less effect on blood sugar.
Registered dietitian Samantha DeVito explains, "Protein, fat and fiber slow down the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, promoting a slower, more gradual release of glucose into the bloodstream." A diet that promotes slower sugar release can help your body's insulin keep pace with regulating the glucose in your blood.
5 Diabetes-Friendly Dessert Recipes
These simple, dietitian-approved dessert ideas feature healthy, whole-food ingredients. The carbohydrates are also balanced with fiber, protein and healthy fats. When eaten in moderation, they should not raise blood sugar excessively, but it's important to remember that everyone's body works differently. It's always best to check your blood sugar before and after eating to see how certain foods affect you.
Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
No one will guess a whole zucchini is hiding in these moist, chewy brownies. Zucchini, whole wheat flour and nuts provide plenty of fiber to help balance blood sugar. Recipe adapted from the American Diabetes Association.
Makes 15 servings. One serving has approximately 16g of carbohydrates and 3g of fiber.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large unpeeled zucchini, grated but not drained (about 2 cups)
- 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
- 1½ cups whole wheat flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9-inch x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Combine the olive oil, eggs and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine. Stir in the grated zucchini and mashed bananas with a spatula.
- Add the whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and walnuts. Stir the batter well to incorporate the wet and dry ingredients, but don't overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the pan comes out clean.
- Cut into 15 squares. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to three months.
Lemon Coconut Flaxseed Bites
These soft, chewy, lemony bites are full of fiber, protein and healthy fats from flaxseed meal and almond butter. Recipe courtesy of Craving Something Healthy.
Makes 10 servings (2 pieces per serving). Each serving has 13g of carbohydrates and 3g of fiber.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed meal
- ¼ cup vanilla protein powder
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest from 1 large lemon
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice from 1 large lemon
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon water (or more to achieve the right consistency)
Directions:
- Place the oats, flaxseed meal, protein powder, 2 tablespoons of the shredded coconut and all the lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse about 15 times or until the oats are ground.
- Add the lemon juice, almond butter, honey and 1 tablespoon of water (if desired, use extra lemon juice instead of water). Process for about 30 seconds to combine into dough.
- Check the dough to make sure it sticks together to form a ball. If it's too dry, add extra water one tablespoon at a time. If it's too wet, add more flaxseed meal one teaspoon at a time. (Note that the flaxseed meal will absorb the liquid as it sits.)
- Roll the dough into 20 1-inch balls, then roll each ball in the remaining shredded coconut.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week or the freezer for up to three months.
Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Strawberries (and other berries) are naturally low in sugar, making them a great healthy dessert choice. The secret ingredient in this "ice cream" is protein-packed cottage cheese. Recipe courtesy of the author.
Makes two servings. Each serving has about 10g of carbohydrates and 1g of fiber.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup full-fat cottage cheese
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or a zero-calorie sweetener)
- 1 cup fresh chopped strawberries (or other berries)
- 1 large graham cracker, crushed into small pieces
Directions:
- Place the cottage cheese and maple syrup or sweetener in a blender or food processor and blend it for about 30 seconds or until smooth.
- Add the chopped strawberries and pulse about 10 times until the strawberries are mostly blended but some pieces remain.
- Add the crushed graham crackers, and stir them in by hand.
- Pour the mixture into a freezer-safe container, and freeze for about one hour for soft ice cream and up to three hours for firm ice cream.
- Store leftovers in the freezer. Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to soften so it's easier to scoop.
Spiced Baked Pears
Ripe pears roasted with fragrant warm spices and topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt are naturally sweet with fiber and protein. Recipe adapted from The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Two.
Makes two servings. Each serving has 22g of carbohydrates and 3g of fiber.
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 large ripe pear
- ⅛ teaspoon powdered ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon coriander
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Cut the pear in half and scoop out the core. Brush both sides of each half with olive oil and sprinkle the cut side with ginger and coriander.
- Place the pears in a small baking dish or pan, skin side up. Roast for about 20 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.
- While the pears roast, combine the yogurt with the honey and vanilla.
- Serve the roasted pears topped with the Greek yogurt and sprinkled with nuts.
For an even easier version, registered dietitian Lisa Andrews of Sound Bites Nutrition recommends fresh pears with plain, low-fat Greek yogurt, a dash of ginger powder and a drizzle of honey.
Cocoa-Dusted Almonds
Nuts are very low in carbohydrates, and thanks to their fiber, protein and healthy fats, they're filling and satisfying. Recipe courtesy of Sheri Gaw, a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified diabetes care and education specialist.
Makes one serving. This simple sweet treat has only 5g of carbohydrates with 2g of fiber.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup roasted almonds
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon powdered sugar
Directions:
- Toss the nuts with the unsweetened cocoa powder and powdered sugar in a small bowl.
- For a spicy kick, add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the unsweetened cocoa powder.
Tips for Choosing Desserts for People with Diabetes
When you know which foods and preparation methods work well with type 2 diabetes, you can explore many options that satisfy a sweet tooth without knocking your glucose off course. Here are a few tips to help you plan and prepare diabetes-friendly desserts.
Make Fruit the Star of the Show
Take advantage of fruit's natural sweetness and make fresh, frozen or no-added-sugar canned fruit the center of your dessert plate. Pair it with nut butter, Greek yogurt or cottage cheese to balance the natural sugar with protein and fat.
Reduce Carbohydrates in Baked Goods
Refined carbohydrates, like white or brown sugar and white flour, can raise blood sugar quickly. Make healthy swaps when baking to reduce these refined carbohydrates and add more fiber.
- Use a zero-calorie sweetener like stevia or monk fruit instead of sugar.
- Reduce the sugar in a recipe by at least one-third to one-half.
- Experiment with puréed fruit as a higher-fiber natural sweetener instead of sugar.
- Replace up to one-third of the white flour in a recipe with whole wheat flour, almond flour or ground oats to add more fiber to baked goods.
Mind Your Portions
It's easy to overindulge on treats, but just a taste or two can often satisfy a craving. Larger dessert portions mean more carbohydrates, and too much glucose at one time forces insulin to work overtime. So, lighten its workload by sticking to small portions of sweets.
Count the Carbs
"Think of the dessert as part of your meal," says Megan Warnke, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist in private practice. "If you have a specific carbohydrate goal per meal, like 45g, include your estimated dessert carbs in that goal."
Warnke recommends filling up on protein and non-starchy vegetables like leafy greens, broccoli or cauliflower during a meal and saving your "carbohydrate budget" for dessert to lessen the impact on blood sugar.
For many people, dessert is a simple joy to indulge in now and then. With these tips and some thoughtful planning, seniors with diabetes can still enjoy them, too. However, every person is different, so be sure to consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian about diabetes and diet interactions particular to you.
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