Topic: Diabetic dessert/cake cookbooks

[aquilegia]

Can you recommend a good diabetic cookbook for desserts and cakes?

I'm trying to find one that uses fruit and natural sugar substitutes (honey etc), rather than chemical sugar alternatives. And preferably written in the UK, so I don't have to cope with cups!

[SpeedyMango]

Hello. My partner is a Type 1 diabetic (and my Mum has Type 2), and as I enjoy cooking I've done some of the legwork on this! A lot of the 'diabetic cookbooks' out there do seem to be American. I got around the American measures by buying a measuring cup with American units on it!

Diabetes UK have a recipe finder on-line at: http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Recipes.nsf/Searchrecipes.

They also publish a Diabetes Cookbook in association with DK: http://uk.dk.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,11_0751308269,00.html that is very good.

It must be noted that honey and fruit sugars are not a substitute for 'ordinary' sugar, in that they will still have the same effect on a diabetic's blood glucose. Sometimes they can actually raise blood glucose faster than sugar, as they are absorbed quicker.

Smaller slices of cake, that's the answer! (Yes, I know how that so doesn't work when faced with an entire chocolate cake  ;D)

The sweetener called 'Splenda' purports to be made from sugar, rather than an artificial chemical. We use it, and they have recipes too: http://www.splenda.co.uk/

[aquilegia]

Thanks Speedy.

Neither Mr Aqui nor I are diabetic. But we've both given up eating sugar for various reasons, but I still like to make and eat something sweet. That's why honey and fruit are fine - they are natural. But we don't want to eat anything made from sugar.

(I can't believe I've gone over a week now without any chocolate - wonder how long that'll last!)

Having looked at the websites - what I really need is sugar-free. I didn't think Diabetics could eat sugar at all. that's why I was searching for that. Oh Confused!

[SpeedyMango]

Oooh, no. Diabetics need sugars the same as everyone else, they just can't regulate their blood glucose levels on their own.

Too much sugar for a diabetic leads to mainly long-term complications (weight gain, nerve damage etc). Not enough sugar (or too much insulin) leads to potentially life-threatening hypos.

Sugar is natural too! The unrefined brown stuff more so, admittedly. Sugar is squeezed out of plants, honey comes out of a bee's bum*. Not sure which I'd rather cut out!  ;D


*may not be 100% correct