Ice Cream? How to Eat when you’re diabetic

Ahh the Diabetic’s forbidden fruit: Sweets. And it’s summertime so I have to mention the foods we will all be around at the barbecues and summertime events. There are plenty of foods you may still want to eat when you’re diabetic.

Do you remember your Mother telling you at some point NOT to do something. And it did not matter what it was, the fact that it was prohibited made you want to do it. Curiosity, and the feeling that you would experience sensations you’d never had before, made the forbidden desirable.

Forbidden fruits you still want to eat when you’re diabetic, make appearances all the time, especially on special occasions. So can we indulge our senses? We are human. We do strive for perfection, but are not perfect. I believe an occasional indulgence is ok, as long as you eat responsibly!

We all know what drinking responsibly means: don’t drink and drive, don’t drink too much, don’t act out in public, etc. What does it mean to eat responsibly? Here are some basic guidelines:

1. Test your blood sugar (glucose) using a meter, both before and after eating, and watch for symptoms of high or low blood sugar.
2. Eat in moderation. Easy to say, hard to do.  Stick to just one serving, whatever it may be. Make sure that you are not starving so you don’t overindulge and stress out your body, and it’s ability to handle the carb/sugar load.
3. Eat a good, filling,  healthy meal before eating your treat, like ice cream. If you have had a good meal beforehand, you will be less likely to overindulge in your treat.
4. If your indulgence is your meal, like pizza, eat a salad or some veggies with it to get the extra healthy fiber and help to fill your belly.
5. Drink a large glass of water before you eat. This will help a bit to make you feel full so you won’t want to eat as much.
6. If you use an insulin pump, make sure to take advantage of your extended bolus settings like “Square” or “Dual-Wave” boluses. This is the most important part to avoid an after meal high blood sugar. Not sure how to do this? My best advice is to see your Doctor or nurse practitioner for insulin pump education.