As a diabetic, are you doomed to a diet of broccoli and grilled fish? Is there no way to enjoy food without your blood sugar going through the roof?

One of the goals of diabetes treatment is to keep blood sugar levels within reasonable limits. But both patients and doctors forget that it’s not just about numbers. The goal is to live a longer and more fulfilling life.

As a diabetic, you need a healthy diet, but like everyone else, you want to enjoy your meals. Can you eat a gallon of ice cream and maintain healthy blood sugar levels? Probably not. But then, a non-diabetic also has consequences to consider: weight gain, high blood sugar levels, and elevated cholesterol.

In recent years, many foods have been developed for people who want to reduce their sugar intake, both diabetics and non-diabetics.

Here are 5 diabetic foods to enjoy that won’t smell your sugar through the ceiling.

1. Ice cream without added sugar. Alcohol sugars have been around for decades and were previously used primarily in sugar-free chewing gum. Sorbitol, for example, does not cause cavities like normal sugar. In recent years, the use of these sugar alcohols has also expanded to other foods, because they don’t raise blood glucose like table sugar does. A half cup of sugar-free ice cream has only about 100 calories, little more than a piece of wheat bread. Skip the mashed potatoes or muffin and enjoy some berries with a scoop of no-sugar-added ice cream. Keep in mind that overdoing it can exceed your daily calorie requirement and can also cause diarrhea.

2. Caramel without added sugar. The big candy manufacturers (Whitman’s, Russell Stover, London’s, Werther’s and others) have jumped on the diabetic candy bandwagon. Also sweetened with sugar alcohols, these tasty treats have about the same number of calories as regular candy, but they don’t raise blood glucose as quickly. If you have a chocolate craving you can’t deny, skip the baked beans and have one or two after dinner.

3. Cake without added sugar. Both restaurants and frozen food manufacturers have begun catering to diabetics, offering desserts sweetened with sugar alcohols. A standard serving of cake at a restaurant (1/6 of a cake) contains around 500 calories, whether sweetened with regular sugar or sugar with alcohol. The difference is that the sugar in alcohol will not raise blood glucose as quickly. But 500 calories is more than most diabetics should have for dessert. Cut your calories in half by eating just the filling (no one said you have to eat the crust) or by eating just half of a regular size piece; if you skip the baked potato, it will come out tied.

4. Gelatin without sugar. Everybody’s got room for jello, or so the saying goes. Sugar-free gelatin, even in large servings, adds very few calories to the diet, but feels like a real dessert. Topped with a little whipped cream, a large bowl has about the same calories as a slice of bread. Skip the bread or corn and enjoy a light yet satisfying dessert.

5. Yogurt without sugar. A cup of regular sweetened yogurt has about 250 calories, while unsweetened yogurt has 80 to 120 calories per serving. Although it can be enjoyed on its own, why not top it with some granola or a few slices of fresh, ripe peaches? Many varieties of yogurt and frozen yogurt are sweetened with artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols, or a combination of the two. Whether enjoyed for breakfast or dessert, unsweetened yogurt can satisfy a sweet tooth and provide a serving of calcium as well as a bit of protein.

If your doctor doesn’t like sweets, they may not think to tell you about the many dessert options you can still enjoy.. But since I have a sweet tooth and knowing how many others share this trait, I think it’s important to educate the diabetic population about the foods they can eat without risking hyperglycermia. Of course, portion size is still important and it is not advisable to spend all of your daily calories on sweets. But everyone needs a treat from time to time, and a few hundred calories of sugar-free dessert, when substituted for another carbohydrate, will do little harm to your blood sugar levels and a lot of good for your spirit.

Copyright 2010 Cynthia J. Koelker, MD