Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 3
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond This Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Discovering Delicious And Nutritious Desserts 5
Chapter 1: Defining Diabetes-Friendly Desserts 7
Exploring Blood Glucose Levels. 7
Looking at how sugar affects the mind and body 8
Regulating your blood sugar while enjoying desserts 9
Creating a Lifestyle That Supports Diabetes Desserts 9
Eating right - Focusing on macronutrients 10
Fitting diabetes-friendly desserts into your diet 10
Having the right ingredients on hand 11
Choosing healthful desserts when not home 11
Preparing and Eating Delicious Dessert Recipes 13
Chapter 2: Understanding Sugar's Role in the Body 17
Noting How the Body and Brain Use Sugar 17
Listing the types of diabetes 18
Understanding the basics of diabetes 18
Taking control of your behavioral health 19
Examining the Causes of Sugar Cravings 20
Understanding cravings often lead to impulsive eating 20
Curbing sugar cravings: The how-to 21
Recognizing what to eat when you're craving sugar 22
Making easy substitutions 22
Preparing yourself to give up your sugar cravings 23
Adding "Sweet" Lifestyle Strategies to Your Day 24
Tapping into your happiness hormones 25
Utilizing the emotional guidance scale 26
Selecting Healthy Ingredients Directly Impacts Your Diabetes 27
Discussing glycemic index and load 27
Using better ingredients to make better choices 28
Making Desserts Healthful with These Ingredients 30
Fresh fruit 30
Almonds, almond butter, and almond flour 32
Pure cinnamon 32
Other sweet spices 33
Dark chocolate 34
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) 34
Unsweetened peanut butter 34
Tree nuts 35
Greek yogurt 35
Seeds 35
Whole-grain flours 36
Identifying Ideal Desserts for People with Diabetes 36
Desserts Redux - Making Desserts Diabetes-Friendly 40
Chapter 3: Keeping Blood Glucose Balanced While Eating Desserts 43
Regulating Blood Glucose Levels 43
Shining a spotlight on blood glucose 44
Measuring blood glucose at home 46
Comparing testing for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes 47
Perusing the Best Diabetes Care 48
Relying on professional help 48
Making a plan to seek help 50
Focusing on Problematic Foods 51
Spotting problematic dessert food 51
Getting rid of problematic food and subbing it with more healthful options 52
Noticing your emotional triggers to food 53
Satisfying your sweet tooth in a wholesome way 54
Keeping Track of Your Goals 55
Starting a food and exercise journal 55
Noticing patterns 56
Part 2: Incorporating Desserts Into Your Diet 59
Chapter 4: Making Macronutrients Work Together 61
Understanding How Protein, Carbs, and Fat Affect What You Eat 62
Going deeper into macronutrients 62
Recognizing how your body uses nutrients 64
Identifying the Best Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Fats 64
Taking a closer look at protein 65
Considering carbohydrates 67
Exploring fat 72
Chapter 5: Enjoying Diabetes-Friendly Desserts: The How and When 73
Focusing on Timing 73
Knowing the right time to eat dessert 74
Making smart lifestyle choices 75
Strategizing Your Meals When You Have Diabetes 76
Planning your meals with dessert 76
Preparing ahead: Adjusting desserts to make them more diabetes-friendly 77
Putting together sample meal plans with desserts 78
Calming Your Feelings of Shame and Guilt 83
Comparing Desserts: Eating Out and Store-Bought versus Homemade 85
Looking at store-bought and restaurant desserts 86
Making homemade desserts (and a plan) 87
Chapter 6: Building a Pantry and Choosing Healthful Sweeteners 89
Decoding Nutrition Labels 90
Stocking Your Kitchen with Diabetes-Friendly Dessert Ingredients 91
Supplying your pantry 92
Keeping your fridge stocked 93
Freezing some foods 94
Sweetening the Pot - Sweeteners 94
Deciphering the good from bad 94
Identifying healthful sweeteners 96
Swapping Out Healthful Sweeteners in Recipes 100
Chapter 7: Fitting Homemade Desserts into Your Schedule 105
Analyzing Your Schedule to Include Baking 105
Getting started 106
Fitting baking into your schedule 106
Creating a plan to make desserts 109
Making Desserts in Advance 110
Whipping Together Last-Minute Desserts 111
Reinventing Baking Day: Recognizing the Benefits to Baking with Others 112
Part 3: Preparing Diabetes-friendly Desserts: the Recipes 115
Chapter 8: Introducing Base Recipes to Your Kitchen 117
Baking Crusts 117
Whipping Up Custard 121
Making Ganache 123
Chapter 9: Focusing on Fruit-Based Desserts 127
Transforming Fruit into Dessert 127
Preparing Creamy Fruit and Dairy Desserts 138
Chapter 10: Making Brownies and Bars 147
Indulging in Chocolate Brownies and Bars 148
Savoring Fruit-Studded Brownies and Bars 152
Whipping Up Whole-Grain Goodness Bars and Squares 157
Chapter 11: Enjoying Cookies 161
Making Cookies: The Basic How-To Techniques 161
Baking Cookies with Chocolate 163
Enjoying Nutty Cookies 167
Traveling the World: Classic Cookies from around the Globe 174
Adding Oatmeal Cookies to Your Repertoire 180
Chapter 12: Preparing Spoon Desserts and Puddings 185
Making Panna Cotta and Puddings 186
Creating Comfort Desserts: Crisps and Cobblers 196
Adding Fruit to Traditional Dessert Recipes 201
Chapter 13: Creating Truffles and Fruit-Based Sweet Treats 209
Satisfying Your Sweet Tooth with Bite-Sized Treats 209
Pleasing Your Palate with Fudge, Clusters, and Bark 215
Dipping Fruit in Chocolate 219
Chapter 14: Whipping Up Frozen Desserts 223
Having Fun with Frozen Yogurt 224
Transforming Ice Cream into a Healthful Finale 230
Trying Granita and Sorbet Recipes 236
Freezing Delightful Frozen Classics 240
Chapter 15: Mastering Pies and Tarts 245
Creating Crostata and Strudel 246
Making Tarts and Pies 251
Serving Jars and Pots 255
Chapter 16: Sipping on Sweet Drinks 259
Crafting Some Sweet Fruit Sips 260
Cooling Down with Drinks 263
Warming Up with Hot Drinks 268
Chapter 17: Baking Cakes 273
Experimenting with Classic Cake Recipes 273
Baking Fruit Cakes 278
Relishing Chocolate Cakes 284
Part 4: the Part of Tens 287
Chapter 18: Ten Ways to Enjoy Desserts When You Have Diabetes 289
Relishing Desserts 289
Consuming All Three Macronutrients during Each Meal 290
Monitoring Your Blood Glucose Levels 290
Eating More Fruit-Based Desserts 290
Paying Attention to Portion Sizes 291
Substituting Butter with EVOO Whenever Possible 292
Making It a Team Effort 292
Exploring New Tastes and Dessert Styles 293
Planning Ahead 293
Exercising on a Regular Basis 294
Chapter 19: Ten Myths Debunked about Diabetes and Desserts 295
Knowing Your Current Blood Glucose Levels Doesn't Matter 296
Exercising to Control Your Glucose Doesn't Help 296
Increasing Medications Enables You to Eat Anything 297
Using Alternative or Artificial Sweeteners Is Okay 298
Preparing Desserts in Advance or Thinking about Them Is Taboo 299
Making "Healthful Desserts" Taste Good Is Impossible 300
Planning for the Unexpected Isn't Necessary 300
Thinking That Desserts Can't Be Good for You 301
Prepping Tasty Diabetes-Friendly Desserts Is Hard 301
Avoiding What Is Problematic Is Difficult 302
Chapter 20: Ten Best Ingredients for Diabetes Desserts 303
Cinnamon 304
Dark Chocolate 304
Almonds and Almond Flour 305
Other Nuts 305
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil 306
Seeds 306
Citrus: Oranges and Lemons 307
Plain, Full-Fat Greek Yogurt 307
Fruit 308
Index 309
