Can You Eat Ice Cream If You Have Diabetes? Here’s What a Dietitian Says
From French vanilla to mint chocolate chip, ice cream is many people’s favorite sweet treat regardless of the season. But if you have diabetes, you may wonder if you should avoid it. People with diabetes are advised to limit sweets like ice cream to help keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range. But cutting out all sweets usually isn’t feasible—or necessary.......CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE>>>>>
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 38 million Americans live with diabetes, and nearly 100 million more have prediabetes. While people with diabetes need to be aware of their sugar and carbohydrate intake, desserts like ice cream aren’t totally off the table.
In this article, we’ll explain how ice cream affects blood sugar levels, provide tips for choosing diabetes-friendly options and share dietitian-approved strategies for including it in a balanced diet. Let’s dig in!
Ice Cream Raises Blood Sugar Levels
Ice cream contains simple carbohydrates that the body breaks down into glucose (aka sugar). Insulin is a hormone that helps move this sugar out of the bloodstream and into your cells for energy. However, in type 2 diabetes, the body becomes “resistant” to insulin’s effects, making it harder to transport this sugar into your cells and causing your blood sugar levels to spike.
This rapid rise and fall of blood sugar levels can leave you feeling tired, thirsty or stressed, and over time, frequent blood sugar spikes can lead to more serious health issues like kidney or heart disease.
Can You Eat Ice Cream If You Have Diabetes?
The good news is ice cream can fit into a diabetes-friendly eating plan, especially when combined with a balanced diet and other healthy lifestyle habits. According to the National Institutes of Health, people with diabetes should focus on eating whole foods that contain complex carbohydrates, like beans, vegetables and whole grains.
That said, foods with added sugars, like ice cream, can still be enjoyed in moderation. You’ll just want to be aware of factors like portion size, sugar content and meal timing.
“Ice cream can certainly be included in a healthy diet, including for someone with diabetes, by practicing good portion control and making smart choices on the type of ice cream you consume,” says Josten Fish, RD, a registered dietitian who has worked with patients with diabetes complications.
Choosing the Best Ice Cream for Diabetes
If you have diabetes, there are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for ice cream.
What to Look For
Lower amounts of carbohydrate and added sugar. When possible, look for options containing no more than 30 grams of carbohydrate and less than 13 grams of added sugar per serving. To reduce sugar content, many brands use alternative sweeteners like stevia, monk fruit or erythritol, which don’t spike blood sugar the same way traditional sugar does. According to one review, these alternative sweeteners can be beneficial in preventing and treating metabolic conditions like diabetes. Just keep in mind that consuming large amounts of artificial sweeteners, especially sugar alcohols, may lead to digestive side effects, like gas or bloating, depending on the person.
Calorie amounts that fit your needs. Maintaining a healthy weight is key to managing diabetes, so it’s important to be mindful of how many calories you’re consuming. While calorie needs vary by person, a good rule of thumb is to choose an ice cream with 250 calories or less per serving.
Nutritious mix-ins. In addition to a nice crunch, mix-ins like nuts and seeds provide a boost of protein, fiber and healthy fats, which can help slow digestion and reduce blood sugar spikes.
What to Limit
When selecting a pint at the store, be wary of flavors with sugary mix-ins, such as caramel, hot fudge or marshmallows, as these ingredients tend to be higher in added sugar. That said, if salted caramel is your favorite, simply enjoy a smaller serving or look for a brand with a lower-sugar version.
It’s also a good idea to limit your intake of ice creams that contain more than 2 grams of saturated fat per serving. Research shows that this type of fat can harm your heart health and negatively affect insulin sensitivity.
How to Include Ice Cream in a Diabetes-Friendly Diet
If you have diabetes, maintaining a balanced diet is most important when it comes to maintaining stable blood sugar levels. Here are four dietitian-approved strategies for incorporating ice cream into a diabetes-friendly diet.
Pair your ice cream with protein: “It would be best for someone with diabetes to consume ice cream along with a good source of protein,” says Fish. Though ice cream contains some protein, increasing its protein content can slow digestion and sugar absorption. So the next time you’re craving a scoop, try to enjoy it alongside, or just after, a high-protein meal or snack.
Enjoy a single serving: One serving of ice cream is typically ½ cup. If you’re enjoying dessert at home, scoop a serving of ice cream into a bowl instead of trying to make yourself stop partway through the pint. Going out for ice cream can be a bit trickier, as scoop sizes can vary. That said, ordering one scoop, and skipping sugary toppings, is your best bet.
Consider eating fewer carbs at dinner: “When eating it as part of a meal, be sure to factor in the carbohydrate content of the ice cream to keep your total meal count at your recommended level,” says Fish. Keep in mind this doesn’t mean you should skip dinner to save room for ice cream. Instead, if you plan on having a sweet treat after your meal, simply consider an entree that’s lower in carbs than what you might typically eat.
Make homemade ice cream: If you enjoy making foods from scratch, Fish recommends whipping up a batch of ice cream at home. Making homemade ice cream gives you more control over the types and amounts of ingredients used.
Plus, there are many healthy recipes that you can make without investing in an ice cream machine.
The Bottom Line
Ice cream can be included in a healthy meal pattern even if you have diabetes. After all, a healthy eating pattern should also be an enjoyable one. “Cutting out all desserts (including ice cream) could lead to actually craving more desserts and possibly bingeing,” says Fish.
The next time you feel like grabbing a pint of ice cream from the freezer, simply be mindful of the nutrition content, pay attention to portion sizes and pair it with a meal or a protein-rich snack. Of course, maintaining an overall balanced diet and following other recommendations from your doctor, like getting enough exercise and sleep, are also important for better blood sugar control.
