Takeaways

• The growing range of diabetes-friendly yet no less tasty alternatives available in the market today mean that people with diabetes need not give up delicious sweet treats completely.

• Diabetes-friendly sweet treats use sugar, milk, and butter substitutes—effectively reducing their impact on blood sugar levels.

• Diabetes-friendly ice cream and gelato options in Singapore include those from Camaca, Calli, and Callery’s.

• You can find cakes suitable for people with diabetes in Locaba, Bakening, and Kekito Bakery.

• In Singapore, you’ll find chocolate options suitable for people with diabetes in CHOCOELF and Sugarless Confectionery.

If you talk to people with diabetes about the challenges they face with keeping their blood sugar under control, the topic of sweet treats such as ice creams, cakes, and chocolate is bound to come up. 

These items have been known to cause blood sugar to spike due to their high sugar and carbohydrate content. 

If sweet things are bad, why can’t we just cut them out? 

Since the beginning of human history, we have had a natural preference for sweet foods. At a time when food is scarce, sweet foods provide large amounts of energy that is essential for survival. That’s why the human body has evolved to enjoy sweet foods.

When we consume sugar, our brains produce the “feel-good hormone” dopamine, which is part of the reason why you can often see people beaming with a smile whenever they get a sweet treat, and also why we find it so irresistible!

These days, however, our livelihoods have a much lower energy requirement compared to the labour-intensive jobs that our ancestors held. The evolutionary trait that helps us seek out high-energy food is now more of a disadvantage than a benefit.

The best way to address this is of course to control your craving for sweet things. But unfortunately, only the strongest of us have the discipline to completely cut out sweet food.

This article is written to provide you with ideas of what to eat during those times when your craving for sweet treats is just too great to control.

*Disclaimer: This article is NOT a paid advertisement. NOVI did not receive any form of remuneration from any brands mentioned in this article. Any advice provided here is based on the ingredient lists and nutritional content of the products as stated in their nutritional content labels.

Low GI, sugar-free Diabetes Friendly Ice cream & Gelato 

While ice cream is traditionally high in sugar, ice cream lovers with diabetes will find a wide selection of low GI, and sugar-free ice creams and gelato in Singapore to enjoy.

Many of these alternatives rely on sugar and milk substitutes to reduce their impact on blood sugar levels. However, it is also important to consider the fact that such sweets still tend to be high in calories, and should be eaten in moderation.

Musang King durian gelato from Camaca. By using maltitol as a sugar-substitute Camaca is able to reduce the calories, as well as the GI of desserts commonly sold at cafes.

NOVI Health co-founder, and Senior Consultant Endocrinologist Dr Sue-Anne Toh conducted an assessment on the impact of Camaca's desserts on blood sugar to find out if the desserts' "sugar-free" claims were true. She conducted an experiment with 21 people, of whom 12 have diabetes, seven are pre-diabetic and two who are diabetes-free. They were given Camaca's signature products, such as their Musang King durian gelato to try in their own time over two weeks.

The participants' sugar levels were measured with a continuous glucose monitor. Camaca's desserts only caused a small rise in glucose levels (1.5 mmol/L) - about three times less as compared to regular desserts (5 mmol/L), 

Earl Grey Teh ice cream from Calli. While most ice creams use milk or cream as a dairy base, Calli’s ice cream is made using whey, a protein by-product of cheesemaking. Whey is a good source of protein and it also lowers the fat and lactose sugar content from milk or cream normally used in making ice creams. 

Calli’s ice creams also use erythritol, a naturally-derived sugar substitute with only 6% of the calories of cane sugar. This combination of whey and erythritol results in an ice cream that’s capped at less than 400 calories per pint, significantly lower than regular ice cream.

Belgian Dark Chocolate ice cream from Callery’s also uses the natural sweetener erythritol to make diabetic-friendly ice cream a reality. One pint of Callery’s Belgian Dark Chocolate ice cream has just under 280 calories. The company says its ice cream still contains low amounts of sugar, mainly in the form of naturally-occurring lactose from milk, which has a lower glycemic index than other types of sugars. 

Low GI, sugar-free Diabetes Friendly Cakes & Bakes

Cakes and baked goods hold a special place in social gatherings like birthday celebrations, or traditional festivities like Chinese New Year. They are also increasingly popular as gifts to friends and colleagues working from home. Like low-GI ice creams, many brands also use substitutes for sugar and butter used in baked goods.  

Vegan Passionfruit Chocolate Cake by Locaba Locaba uses Monk’s Fruit extract and erythritol as natural sugar substitutes. At 188 calories per 100g (approximately 1 slice), this can be a good option for a fruity chocolate cake.

Locaba’s also has a range of other cakes such as tiramisu, black forest, and carrot cake. Some of them contain more calories and carbohydrates than others, so be sure to check the nutritional content of the cake!

The company says that all its low-carb desserts contain at least 30% less carbohydrates than conventional equivalent products, and less than 7 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams.

Keto Chocolate Fudge Cake by Bakening. Also made with erythritol and monkfruit extract as sugar substitutes, this cake contains 180 calories per slice with less than 1g of sugar, making it a decent choice if you are looking for a chocolate cake.

Yuzu Cheesecake by Kekito Bakery. We reached out to the bakery to enquire about the nutritional content of their signature cake. The 6” version of the cake (excluding the fruits and toppings seen in their pictures) contains 145 calories per slice, with a total carbohydrate content of 4g (of which, less than 1g is sugar).

In general, when consuming cakes, there are some tips that you can adopt to reduce their impact on your blood sugar. 

• Avoid eating all of the frosting or cream on the cake. This reduces the calories and fat consumed. 

• Have one slice and share it with a friend! 

• Avoid having cake more than once a week.

Low GI, sugar-free Diabetes Friendly Chocolates

This list would not be complete without a mention of chocolates. They are perhaps the oldest known surviving sweet snack in human history. Dating as far back as 450 BC, cacao seeds in Mesoamerica once had so much value that they were used as a form of currency. Fast forward to today, chocolates are as popular as ever. Several brands have jumped on the opportunity to provide sugar-free versions of this beloved treat in Singapore.

Almond dark chocolate from CHOCOELF uses maltitol, a sugar-substitute extracted from corn and wheat. At 99 calories per serving (approximately 8 pieces), It can be a relatively low-calorie snack option. The company uses no or little sugar to create their products. Another great thing about this is that it contains almonds, which increases the protein, healthy fat and fibre content. Since 8 pieces can be eaten quite quickly and easily, it is important to control the portion when consuming this item. Limit yourself to 8 - 12 pieces!

Dark Chocolate bar by Sugarless Confectionery. This chocolate bar is made using stevia extract and can be consumed as a low-calorie snack with just 48 calories per serving. Do note that one bar contains 10 servings, which means that when you eat this, you should try not to consume more than 3/10 of the bar. 

In general, when choosing chocolate bars, opt for the dark chocolate options that are unsweetened and have nuts in them. These options tend to be lower in calories and sugars, and higher in protein and fibre which prevents blood sugars from spiking quickly.

Balance is key

One of the hardest things about living with chronic conditions like diabetes is the thought of having to give up all the delicious sweet treats around us. We get it - desserts give us mini-doses of happiness and are a common feature in social gatherings.

But these treats also tend to be loaded with carbohydrates and refined sugars. Not to mention, they also tend to be high in cholesterols. 

With the growing range of healthier, yet tasty alternatives available in the market today, people with diabetes do not need to miss out on the same delicious sensations that others enjoy. 

Apart from desserts, many of us also face challenges with snacking. So in addition to the items in this article, we have also compiled a list of healthier alternatives for 5 common snacks in Singapore. Be sure to check it out too!

On top of choosing healthier desserts and snacks, you should not lose sight of the bigger picture of achieving a healthier overall diet and lifestyle. Healthier dessert and snack alternatives should complement an overall healthy diet combined with a more holistic lifestyle and other interventions as recommended by your doctor or physician.

At NOVI, we believe that a proper understanding of nutrition can go a long way in helping people achieve better control of chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. That’s why we work extra hard to produce content to spread the knowledge. 

If you think that the information here is helpful, share it with a friend who could use it! We will continuously produce more content to help people improve their diet for better health. Subscribe to our email newsletter or follow our Facebook page to receive updates from us. If you have a topic you would like us to address, ask us through the intercom system on the bottom right of your screen!