Diet management is an integral part of living with diabetes or prediabetes. Maintaining normal blood sugar levels is crucial. Therefore, carbohydrate intake should be monitored.
Also, choose foods that don’t cause your blood sugar to spike. However, frozen desserts like ice cream can be part of a healthy diet, even with diabetes.
The key is to read nutrition labels, make healthy choices and pay attention to portion sizes.
Most types of ice cream are high in sugar and calories. As a result, it can lead to an increase in blood sugar levels. However, some brands offer low-sugar/sugar-free and low-calorie options.
These may be a better choice for people with diabetes. Therefore, even with diabetes, you can occasionally have sinful ice cream.
Is ice cream good for diabetics?
It is true that ice cream contains carbohydrates and therefore can have an impact on blood sugar. However, eating ice cream in moderation does not necessarily cause blood sugar to rise.
A small scoop of ice cream once every 3 weeks should be a nice treat for anyone managing diabetes.
Ice creams containing aspartame, mannitol or sorbitol are less likely to raise blood sugar than other sweeteners.
Additionally, the proteins and fats in ice cream can help slow the absorption of sugar into the blood. But too much saturated fat is not for anyone.
If fat is a problem, ice cream contains low amounts compared to regular ice cream. Whether it’s ice cream or gelato, it’s only good to consume occasionally and in moderation.
What does the research say?
Research shows that ice cream is a promising carrier for health-promoting ingredients such as probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics and natural antioxidants.
This type of ice cream is called functional ice cream. Here, unhealthy common ingredients are replaced with beneficial and uncommon ingredients. For example, fats and sugars are replaced with healthier alternatives. Functional ice cream is healthy and suitable for people with diabetes of all age groups.
A to study attempted to make healthy and nutritious ice cream suitable for diabetic consumers.
It consisted of 24 natural ingredients, including millet, pulses, peanuts, almonds, jaggery powder, ragi and cardamom. These ingredients made functional ice cream rich in nutritional value, with cytoprotective, antioxidant and antidiabetic activities.
Note from The Fitness Freak
Ice cream can be part of a healthy diet for people with diabetes, as long as it is eaten in moderation. People with diabetes should choose ice cream without sweet toppings. Also, watch portion sizes to avoid blood sugar spikes. In terms of calories, fats, and carbs, you can choose functional ice cream, gelato ice cream, and keto ice cream as alternatives to regular ice cream.
Frozen yogurt vs ice cream for diabetics
Frozen yogurt and ice cream contain sugar and dairy. However, while ice cream uses cream, frozen yogurt uses cultured milk.
Therefore, frozen yogurt contains probiotics and tends to be lower in fat. It’s also worth noting that ½ cup of frozen yogurt has 111 calories and vanilla ice cream has 140 calories, according to USDA.
According to Food and drug administration (FDA), ice cream must contain at least 10% milk fat. However, some varieties may contain more than 25% milk fat.
On the other hand, low-fat frozen yogurt includes 2-4% dairy fat. Full-fat frozen yogurt contains 3-6% milk fat, much less than ice cream.
The fermentation process of frozen yogurt results in a lower lactose content than ice cream. Therefore, people with diabetes who are lactose intolerant can digest frozen yogurt better than ice cream. However, plain yogurt has more probiotic benefits. This is because some live cultures may not survive the yogurt freezing process.
Diabetic Ice Cream – What to Look For
If you have trouble controlling your ice cream portions, talk to a HealthifyMe nutritionist to find the right portion size.
They may also suggest some form of physical activity after eating ice cream to avoid blood sugar spikes. You can also use HealthifyPRO CGM to check your blood sugar 1-2 hours after eating ice cream. It can give you useful information about the effect of ice cream on glucose levels.
No added sugar or no sugar claim
Sugar-free or no-sugar-added varieties of ice cream are marketing claims. They contain sugar substitutes like sugar alcohols or sucralose and natural sugars.
Most sugar-free ice cream is made with milk, which contains lactose, a natural sugar. Therefore, sugar-free ice cream is not sugar-free. However, they contain reduced sugar levels.
As a result, the sugar in sugar-free or sugar-free ice cream does not raise blood sugar as dramatically as table sugar.
Proteins and fats
Most glycemic-friendly ice cream contains a decent amount of protein and fat. This can help reduce the risk of blood sugar spikes. These ice creams can definitely be an option for diabetes. Nonetheless, keeping an eye on portion sizes is still important.
It is also essential to control saturated fats. As a general rule, choose ice cream with no more than 2 to 3 grams of saturated fat and 5 grams of total fat per serving.
Low in sugar or carbohydrates
A serving of ice cream equals about half a cup and about 15 grams of carbs. It counts towards your daily carb limit. Make adjustments in your meal to offset the carbs in the ice cream.
For example, if you plan to eat ice cream as a post-meal treat, be sure to avoid the carbohydrate content of the meal such as potatoes and pasta or simply reduce the carbohydrate content to 1/3 of the portion and balance the whole meal. It ensures that your total amount of carbs stays within the limit.
Another option is keto-friendly ice cream. These ice creams contain fewer calories and carbohydrates than regular ice cream. Studies suggest the keto diet as an adjunct treatment for type 2 diabetes.
It can help control blood sugar and improve lipid profile. So, for diabetic patients on a ketogenic diet, keto ice cream is a suitable option to control net carb intake.
Note from The Fitness Freak
Look for varieties of ice cream with no more than 150 calories, 15 to 20 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of total fat, and 3 grams of saturated fat per 1/2 cup serving. Plus, ice cream negatively affects your blood sugar if you pair them with the wrong foods. So, instead of eating separately, eat desserts with foods containing protein and fiber to stabilize blood sugar.
Conclusion
Ice cream, a frozen treat, is often not on the menu for people with diabetes. However, with a thoughtful selection of healthy options and attention to portion size, ice cream can be part of a balanced diabetes diet. Look for ice creams that are low in sugar, contain protein and good fats, and contain fewer calories.
You can also find keto-friendly options. They contain fewer carbohydrates than regular ice cream. As long as the total carbs of a given meal stay within your target, you can have sweet treats like ice cream once in a while.
Different people have different nutritional needs and glycemic responses. Therefore, speak to a HealthifyMe nutritionist to determine your recommended portion sizes.
Sources of support
1. Alessandro Genovese, Andrea Balivo, Antonio Salvati, Raffaele Sacchi, Functional health benefits of ice cream and sensory implications, Food Research International, Volume 161, 2022, 111858, ISSN 0963-9969
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0963996922009164
2. Kingsley, J. & Saraswathi.G, Shuruthi & Nila, Balaji & Devi, Durga & Saayee, Arjunan. (2020). Development of healthy, sugar-free ice cream with anti-diabetic activity. 2395-0056.
3. US Department of Agriculture data. Data Type: Brand| Food Category: Ice cream and frozen yogurt | FDC ID: 1008989
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/1008989/nutrients
4. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Frozen Desserts: Part 135
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-135
5. Alarim, RA, Alasmre, FA, Alotaibi, HA, Alshehri, MA and Hussain, SA (2020). Effects of the ketogenic diet on glycemic control in diabetic patients: meta-analysis of clinical trials. priest, 12(10), e10796.
