Controlling your sugar intake is an important part of managing diabetes. A variety of every-day foods already have natural sugar which is why it is important to eliminate any additional sugar from sweet treats. There are plenty of healthy recipes for diabetics online. If you find a recipe that is not diabetic friendly, you can swap out various ingredients to be sugar free without changing the taste too much. Here are four simple steps that you can follow if you want to turn any of your favorite desserts sugar free.
- Determine the Best Substitutes – There are many different options for substituting sugar in a recipe. For a long time, the most common choice was to use honey. However, today we have even more options including coconut sugar, sugar-free sweeteners and agave syrup. Unfortunately, not every substitute is suitable for every type of dish. You will discover that the entire process is trial and error. Also, the only time you swap cup for cup is when you are using a sugar-free sweetener in place of regular sugar. The other substitutes will be in lesser portion sizes. For example, you should use half the amount of required sugar in a recipe if you would like to substitute it with honey. Therefore, 1 Cup of Sugar = ½ Cup of Honey in your recipe. Learn more about sugar substitutes and how to use them here.
- Learn the “Rules” for Sugar Substitutions – Each sugar substitution will not act the same in every recipe. For example, using honey for cookies that do not contain a hearty grain like oats will yield cookies that do not stick together well. You will also discover that sometimes you need to increase or decrease the liquids of your recipes or change other ingredients such as the flours you are using to accommodate for the moisture or dryness the sugar substitute will create. While there are lots of low carb options for sweets, the best ones come from your very own kitchen.
- Test and Retest – There is no easy result when you are attempting to perfect your
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favorite recipe in sugar free form. While there are lots of low carb options for sweets, the best ones will come out of your own kitchen. You will need to continue to test and retest your substitutions until you find one that tastes the way you would like. Almond flour and coconut flour are top choices if you want to turn your diabetic snack into a low carb one. Both of these flours are high in protein and virtually fat free. They create rich, moist cookies and cakes without changing the overall density. - Share and Get Feedback – The problem with having a dietary restriction is that it changes your taste buds. Overtime you will start to think that some things taste delicious while those who do not have restrictions think it tastes awful. The best way to avoid this, especially if your sweet treats will be shared with family and friends from time to time, is to have them taste the recipes along the way. Listen to their feedback and check the internet for suggestions on how to make the flavor and texture even better in your treats.
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