November 21, 2024
November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Diabetes is a condition that affects 38.4 million Americans; 29.2% of those individuals are above the age of 65. This makes it one of the more common chronic conditions that affects seniors.
With the holidays upon us, it can feel daunting to adjust your food plans to fit your loved ones’ needs without denying others. It’s a common misconception that diabetics can’t ever consume sweet treats such as baked goods. As long as these items are made with care and consideration, even your diabetic senior may enjoy them.
Common Baking Swaps for Diabetics
When you have diabetes, you have to monitor closely what you consume. While diabetics don’t have to cut out sugar completely, they must limit their sugar intake. This means finding sugar alternatives for baking or simply utilizing low-sugar recipes.
Other elements diabetics have to consider when eating are carbohydrates and fiber. Certain carbohydrates break down quickly, while others take longer to digest, affecting our bodies later. All these must be considered when thinking of what and how to bake certain treats.
Some common swaps you can make for your diabetic-friendly baking recipes include:
Flour
Since plain white flour is considered refined flour, which negatively affects blood sugar, try baking with alternatives such as wholemeal, almond, and coconut flour. Not only is wholemeal flour good for your gut and heart health, but it doesn’t make your blood sugar spike as drastically as refined flour would.
Another good alternative is reducing the flour amount and replacing it with porridge oats. This will add soluble fiber to your treat, which is beneficial for anyone, especially diabetics.
Butter
If you are already a health-conscious baker, you might already know the alternative to butter, which is oil. Rapeseed Oil is excellent due to its lack of strong flavor and the mixture of good fats.
With a substitution like oil, you might need to increase the quantity by adding water, skim milk, or even Greek yogurt to keep your dessert’s desired consistency without drying it out.
Sugar
One of the biggest challenges when it comes to maintaining blood glucose levels is sugar. One of the easiest alternatives is low-sugar baking because it still utilizes the science and texture of pure sugar without making it incompatible with a healthy diabetic diet.
However, some folks will want to replace pure refined sugar in their recipes. If that is the case, some good alternatives are sugar substitutes such as Stevia and using fruit instead of sugar, such as raisins, currants, or fresh fruit.
Chocolate
Who doesn’t love chocolate? It’s a must for many sweet-tooth individuals, but certain chocolates affect a diabetic’s blood glucose more negatively than others. One of the best diabetic-friendly options to consider is utilizing dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate for your recipes.
Grain/Bread Alternatives
Bread contains ingredients that negatively impact a diabetic’s blood glucose. While bread is fine in moderation, if you can eliminate classic bread options in whatever you are baking, it is even better.
A good suggestion for bread, cakes, cupcakes, and even pizza crusts is to utilize cauliflower or cauliflower flour. Cauliflower is a vegetable that is low in wetness, so it makes for great consistency when making dough for baking.
High-Fiber Ingredients
A great way to make diabetic-friendly recipes is to add high-fiber ingredients. These ingredients are digested more slowly, maintaining a diabetic’s blood glucose level for longer.
Some great suggestions include chia seeds, flaxseeds, or psyllium husks to make your desserts more fiber-forward.
How to Adjust Meal Practices
When thinking of your senior loved ones with diabetes, a great thing to remember, in addition to how to alter your baking practices, is the meal experience itself.
- Quality over Quantity—Remember, it’s not about the amount of dessert you present but the quality of the sweet treats you offer.
- Use Smaller Plates and Bowls—Research has shown us that if we eat from smaller plates, we are likely to control portions much better, opting for smaller serving sizes. This comes in handy when thinking about the diabetics in your life.
- Pre-Portion—An easy way to make dessert meals less of a hassle is to bake recipes that either have one-serving portions or allow you to portion the dessert yourself when presenting it to your guests.
Some Fun Holiday Recipes to Consider
As the holiday season approaches, it is time to consider some tasty diabetic dessert options. These can be low-sugar or low-carbohydrate options. Whatever you think your senior will love the most should be considered and altered as needed.
To help you out, here are a few fun diabetic baking recipes you can try.
Crustless Pumpkin Pie
A staple of the fall holiday season, this dessert can become pretty precarious for Diabetics unless we make adjustments. Baking this recipe will give you the same warm, happy feeling without all the health hassle.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 (15 ounces) can of pumpkin
⅓ cup sugar substitute
2 tablespoons honey
1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup evaporated fat-free milk
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a pie dish or baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, sugar substitute, honey, pie spice, eggs, and vanilla extract, until well combined. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, spreading it out evenly. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the center is set and the edges are lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the pie to cool before slicing and serving.
Strawberry-Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bark
Traditionally, while high in protein, yogurts have too much sugar and are higher in carbohydrates. That is why Greek yogurt is a smart alternative. It provides the same protein benefits and flavor without all the sugar.
For this dessert, you will need:
3 cups whole-milk plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup pure maple syrup or honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups sliced strawberries
¼ cup mini chocolate chips
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a mixing bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt and honey or maple syrup until well combined. Spread the mixture evenly onto the prepared baking sheet, using a spatula to smooth it out into a thin layer. Scatter the sliced strawberries and dark chocolate chips evenly, pressing them gently into the surface. Place it in the freezer for 2-3 hours or until completely frozen. Once frozen, break it into pieces using your hands or a knife.
Crispy Peanut Butter Balls
Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein and healthy fats. It is a food item that diabetics can use to quickly raise their blood sugar in a manner that won’t just as quickly go back down. So, centering a holiday dessert on peanut butter is always a great idea.
You will need the following:
½ cup natural peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter
¾ cup crispy rice cereal
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
½ cup dark chocolate chips, melted
In a large mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, crispy rice cereal, and maple syrup until well combined. Roll the mixture into small balls and place them on a baking sheet. Melt the dark chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave (in 30-second intervals), stirring until smooth. Using a fork or toothpick, dip each ball into the melted chocolate until fully coated. Place them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until hardened.
Flourless Chocolate Cookies
As mentioned, refined flour can cause dangerous blood sugar spikes in diabetics. So, flourless cookies are a great recipe to work around that challenge while also enjoying a beloved baked good. These, in particular, remind us of the joys of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons.
To complete the recipe, you will need:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar or sugar substitute
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks, chopped
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar (or sugar substitute), cocoa powder, and salt until well combined. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients and mix until a thick, shiny batter forms. Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the batter. Drop rounded tablespoons of batter onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until set and slightly cracked on top.
Accessible Home Healthcare is always happy to walk families through alternatives for making diabetes a more manageable condition, especially during the holiday season when meals become more challenging. Contact us with any questions you may have.
