Most people believe diabetics cannot eat sweets and desserts. However, you can allow part of your carbohydrate budget for a healthy dessert to end your meal on a sweet note without compromising your diabetes control. Diabetics should generally eat between 45 g and 60 g of carbohydrates at each meal, although your doctor or dietitian will give you more specific numbers. You can choose to use only a small part of these carbohydrates for your main meal so you have some carbohydrates left for your dessert. Of course, a healthy diabetic dessert should be low in sugar and carbohydrates to prevent your blood sugar levels from rising above 180 mg/dL after your meal.
Yogurt and Fruit Parfait
You can quickly prepare a healthy parfait for dessert. Choose a tall and transparent glass if you have one. Mix 1/2 cup plain yogurt with 1 tbsp. of unsweetened dried shredded coconut and sweeten to taste with a sugar substitute, if desired. In the glass, put 3 tbsp. of raspberries, add half of the yogurt and add another 3 tbsp. of raspberries, the remaining yogurt and finish with a layer of raspberries. You can decorate with a little bit of coconut on top of your parfait. This recipe contains 191 calories, 15.7 g of carbohydrates and 6 g of fiber. You can vary this dessert by changing the fruit or season your yogurt differently, but the nutritional value may change.
Dark Chocolate
Chocolate bars usually contain a lot of sugar and diabetic, or sugar-free, chocolate contains a lot of sugar alcohols, which can cause bloating and diarrhea as a side effect. If you enjoy chocolate, dark chocolate can make a delicious, quick and healthy diabetic dessert that won't compromise your blood sugar levels. Two to three squares of dark chocolate, with at least 70 percent cocoa, contain 110 to 165 calories, 7 to 10.4 g of carbohydrates and 3 g to 4.5 g of fiber.
Healthy Muffins
If you enjoy baking, you can prepare muffins in advance to have on hand whenever you need a quick diabetic dessert. A small muffin usually provides between 150 and 200 calories and 25 g to 30 g of carbohydrates. To make your muffins healthier, reduce the amount of sugar by half or use a sugar substitute appropriate for baking. You can also replace chocolate chips with dark chocolate, reduce the amount of dried fruits by using more nuts and use whole-grain flour instead of white flour. These substitutions can help you reduce the number of calories and carbohydrates while increasing the fiber content. You can also lower the fat content of your muffins by replacing the oil or margarine with equal amounts of unsweetened applesauce or mashed bananas. Prepare a batch in advance and freeze the muffins so when you need a quick dessert, you can reheat it in the microwave.
Cottage Cheese and Berries
Cottage cheese mixed with berries is a simple and quick dessert that will help you keep your blood sugar levels in check. Mix 1/2 cup of low-fat cottage cheese with 1/2 cup of strawberries and you will have a dessert that contains 104 calories, 8.6 g of carbohydrates and 1.4 g of fiber. You can sweeten with a sugar substitute, if desired, but it is a good idea to learn to enjoy desserts that do not taste as sweet. To add some creaminess to your dessert, mix in 1 tbsp. of almond butter, which will add 95 calories, 3 g of carbohydrates and 1 g of fiber.
