Research

[rebecca_leanne]

Hi
I am currently studying Food technology and for my coursework i have decided to do a cake which is aimed at people with diabetes. please can somebody tell me what supplements of sugar can i use and how much can i use of this!
very much appreciated

[kgm0612]

You can substitute Equal or Splenda for the sugar called for in the recipe. How much depends on the recipe itself.

You'll find out more information if you visit their websites.

Karen

[xMenace]

You can use sugar. The most important thing for a diabetic is to know the carb content. Without a label, adding artificial sweeteners can actually be dangerous: I might estimate 60g of fast acting carbs, do an aggressive 45 minute pre-bolus, and end up eating only 20g of sandpaper. A 4u overdose in mid-afternoon would drop me like a brick.

[Scratch]

Hi
I am currently studying Food technology and for my coursework i have decided to do a cake which is aimed at people with diabetes. please can somebody tell me what supplements of sugar can i use and how much can i use of this!
very much appreciated
To some extent this depends on what kind of diabetic you wish to make the cake for.

In either case, probably the best thing that can be done is getting a good estimate on the carbohydrate and fat content so both type 1 and type 2 diabetics know how much they might want to eat and how to handle it with their own metabolic needs.

[princesslinda]

I would suggest a cheesecake made with Splenda....for some reason I can have cheesecake with MUCH LESS effect on blood sugar (even if hubby and I split a regular, meaning not sugar free, slice) than with cake or pie...even the sugar-free varieties can cause an elevation. I assume it has to do with the protein in the cream cheese, but i'm not sure. I'm T2 by the way.

[rebecca_leanne]

Thankyou well i have chosen to do a victoria sponge because it has to reply to both children and adults and i am also decorating the top! could i supplement splenda for sugar in that cake or would it be too much? if so what would you suggest?
thanks

[rebecca_leanne]

well i am doing a small portion size so that it appeals and is much easire to do for people with diabetes without putting too much sugar in. i am doing a victoria sponge cake. but a small sized one. would this be ok if i supplemented it with splenda?
thanks

[princesslinda]

The few things i've baked using splenda have not risen very well, nor was the texture the same as a "regular" recipe using regular sugar. You could experiment with the 1/2 sugar 1/2 splenda, but what it would do blood-sugar wise, I don't know. Also white flour is one of those "iffy" ingredients. I know as a T2, white breads will raise my blood sugar much more than whole wheat.

When I looked up "Victoria sponge" it showed a picture of a cake cut in half with jam inside and confectioner's sugar on top. I think it would be a bit difficult to make this diabetic-friendly (though the cake looked delicious).

[rebecca_leanne]

Thankyou- well i was intending to make a much smaller portion size with sugar free jam and a tiny layer of buttercream. would you suggest using wholemeal flour?
thankyou

[princesslinda]

Thankyou- well i was intending to make a much smaller portion size with sugar free jam and a tiny layer of buttercream. would you suggest using wholemeal flour?
thankyou

I've never baked using different flours, though I know others here that do. I don't know what differences, if any, that it would make in the texture and rise of the cake.

Can you make a sugar-free buttercream icing? I've never tried subbing splenda to see if it would make icing...though I have heard of people using s/f pudding mix, milk, cream cheese and s/f cool whip to make an icing...which might work for your dessert.

You'll have to post and share your end results with us....as well as your recipe to include carb counts...so we can try it out ourselves.

[rebecca_leanne]

Yes i will do that! thankyou, you have really helped me with my research i may be back shortly with more questions to ask you! lol. thanks again

[Alice]

I think it would be excellent in your written summary to explain that in "modern diabetic treatment" carbs are counted...not just "sugar".

Meaning, that a potatoe will give the same rise to a persons blood sugar, often times, as a brownie.

A Krispy Kreme (my favorite example) has the same number of carbs as a medium banana...therefore, the same rise in blood glucose in diabetics.

Since many diabetics take insulin matched specifically to the amount of carbs they consume...then avoiding carbs/sugar is not necessarily a diabetic necessity.

I'm speaking in Type 1 terms here...or diabetics who take insulin to cover their carb intake.

It's just not a sugar thing anymore. Not that simple..and not that difficult.

Good luck with your studies!

[shiftzor]

I think it would be excellent in your written summary to explain that in "modern diabetic treatment" carbs are counted...not just "sugar".

Meaning, that a potatoe will give the same rise to a persons blood sugar, often times, as a brownie.

A Krispy Kreme (my favorite example) has the same number of carbs as a medium banana...therefore, the same rise in blood glucose in diabetics.

Since many diabetics take insulin matched specifically to the amount of carbs they consume...then avoiding carbs/sugar is not necessarily a diabetic necessity.

I'm speaking in Type 1 terms here...or diabetics who take insulin to cover their carb intake.

It's just not a sugar thing anymore. Not that simple..and not that difficult.

Good luck with your studies!

I agree with that, this is where all these diabetic foods go wrong trying to use different types of sugars. It’s all about GI index and carbs in my opinion, milk chocolate for example has a low GI but high in carbs. Be careful of hidden carbs like white flour for your label. You could make a fruit cake of some shape or form, fibre slows down the intake of carbs into the system. High fat will slow down carb intake as well however it also makes things unpredictable. Correct me if I am wrong :)

[Alice]

My MIL made a cake using peanut flour in college for one of her "dietician" exams...granted this was back in the dark ages, but it was an interesting use of peanuts.

Her flour was a peanut flour.