Diabetes Direction

Archive for May, 2010

Well, it is has hit me, and hit me hard. I’ve been really craving carbs and junk food lately. I am trying hard to be good, but from time to time I have found myself with more of a snack than I should have and more carbohydrates. I’m having a hard time not thinking about foods and all of the foods that I miss and wish I could still eat. I just can’t justify some things though, like Snickers bars or cheap taco restaurant take out. Chinese buffets just aren’t very fun anymore. Easy frozen tv dinners are a thing of the past. The funny thing is that I wont buy those things when I am shopping, as I always read the labels and quickly put them back. It’s when I’m at home and reading or watching tv that I really have strong desires for these foods. One can only eat so many eggs or cheese, celery or cauliflower.

There has been some recent talk about the necessity of those with non-insulin treating diabetics to self-monitor their blood glucose level through testing with a glucometer (blood testing kit). There is so much conflicting information out there, so how can we know who to trust? That’s easy! Trust yourself!

Ice cream is a favorite dessert that we figured was a thing of the past. The ice creams in the stores either have too much regular sugar, corn syrup or sugar alcohols for me to feel comfortable eating much of it.

Well, I am happy to say that our old friend is back! My daughter gave me the type of ice cream freezer that I mentioned in a previous blog post for Mother’s Day, and we have made ice cream twice so far. I look forward to giving this a try with a variety of ingredients! Here is the basic recipe I am using, and adding flavorings as we decide what to try next.

Sugar alcohols is a confusing subject. Packaged food claim to be sugar free, yet they often have many sugar alcohols. Are they “safe” to eat for Diabetics, or should we avoid them?

Sugar alcohols are sneaky, as they are neither sugar nor alcohol. The chemical structure resembles both sugar and alcohol, so that is where the name comes from. They are actually carbohydrates used to sweeten processed foods, though they have about half of the calories and carbs as regular sugar. Besides the reduced calories, sugar alcohols do not cause tooth decay like regular sugar does. Other benefits are that sugar alcohols are fine for baking as they do not lose their sweet flavor when heated. They also do not grow molds and bacteria like regular sugar does. The down side to sugar alcohols, besides having carbohydrates and calories, is that eating too much can cause tummy upset, gas, bloating and diarrhea.