What do people on a diet have in common with people with diabetes? Apart from the need to consume low-calorie meals, they also need to minimize the amount of sugar in their diet. This usually means foregoing dessert after meals, unless of course you have a selection of good diabetic dessert recipes at your fingertip.

For some people, dessert is the highlight of their meals. It is the part of lunch or dinner that one looks forward to. There’s nothing like a slice of moist chocolate cake or a bowl of ice cream to cap off a delicious meal. However, dessert is often very rich in calories and sugar that we tend to sacrifice it for the sake of health.

Recognizing the need for sugar substitutes, the food industry has come up with artificial sweeteners as substitute for sugar. These days, it will not be uncommon to find saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, or acesulfame potassium when looking at nutritional information in store-bought food. These sweeteners have different uses and are available in powder and liquid form. They put these ingredients in almost everything - soda, gum, candy, coffee sweeteners, and most food items labeled with the words “zero sugar” and “diet -everything“. These artificial sugars can also be used as a basis for good diabetic dessert recipes.

Consuming food sweetened by these sugar substitutes is safe for diabetics and will not raise blood glucose level. However, a person with diabetes still needs to be careful. While the artificial sweetener itself is relatively safe for diabetics, the food you put the sweetener in will still have an effect on your blood glucose level. For example, diabetic chocolate chip cookies baked using artificial sweeteners may have lower caloric content than regular cookies baked with sugar. However, the diabetic should consider that the other ingredients, such as butter, flour and eggs, still have caloric and carbohydrate content.

Some studies show adverse side effects of one type of artificial sweetener - aspartame. These studies are in no way conclusive and aspartame is still used in manufacturing some food items. Those who want to play safe use honey as substitute for sugar. However, it is important to note that the carbohydrate content of honey is very similar to that of sugar, and so must be taken in moderation.

In any case, it’s still best to consult with the doctor regarding sugar substitutes for your diabetic dessert recipes.

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