4 diabetes friendly baking tips to make your holidays even happier

If you live with diabetes, the holidays can be extra hard. You might feel like there's a smorgasbord of sugary treats just waiting to sabotage your blood sugar level everywhere you go. These diabetes friendly baking tips can help you enjoy a sweet treat while helping keep your blood sugars in range during the holiday season.

Diabetes friendly baking tips

Instead of completely giving up baking this holiday season, get creative! Altering a recipe is one way you can enjoy your favorite treats.

1. Choose a lower-carb flour

There are 95 grams of carbohydrates in a cup of wheat flour. Try switching to an alternative flour to save carbs and keep your blood sugars from spiking. There are a few different flours you can try, including:

Almond flour. At 24 grams of carbs per cup, almond flour is a much better choice than wheat flour for people who are watching their carb intake. Almond flour has an added bonus of 14 grams of fiber and 24 grams of protein per cup, making it a great choice for keeping blood sugars on track.
Oat flour. Oat flour contains 68 grams of carb per cup, plus 6 grams of fiber and 15 grams of protein. While it has more carbs than almond flour, oat flour's carb content is still a significant improvement over wheat flour, and its texture is most similar to the traditional wheat flour we're used to.
Coconut flour. At 64 grams per cup, the carb content in coconut flour is slightly less than that of oat flour and much improved over wheat flour. Coconut flour has a tremendous 48 grams of fiber per cup along with 16 grams of protein.

2. Cut down on the sugar

Many holiday recipes are overly sweet. You may find that you can produce a pretty tasty product by:

Using two-thirds the amount of sugar in the original recipe.
Substituting a heat-stable sugar alternative or baking blend for all or part of the sugar in the recipe. Sucralose, erithrytol, acesulfame K, monk fruit, and stevia can all be used in baked goods. Saccharin is not recommended for baking as it leaves a metallic aftertaste. Aspartame is not heat-stable and should not be used in baked goods.

3. Improve the fat quality

Instead of giving up your favorite cookies, try swapping out the butter or oil for a different fat option. Some healthy swaps include:

Substituting mashed avocado for all or part of the butter in a recipe. Avocado has a neutral-to-mild flavor but is full of heart-healthy fat. This works particularly well in dishes that include chocolate, which overrides any avocado flavor. Avocado chocolate pudding is a good choice for first-time avocado users who want to give this a whirl.
Using applesauce instead of oil. Unsweetened applesauce works well as a stand-in for some or all of the oil in a recipe for baked goods, including quick breads, muffins, and cakes.

4. Share your creations

Sometimes we bake because it's tradition or because it's a good family activity during the cold winter months, not necessarily because we're serving a crowd. If you find your home overfilled with holiday goodies, consider sharing your bounty with friends and family.

Many schools have designated teacher/staff snack days when they welcome donations of food. Churches, shelters, and other social organizations may also accept donations of holiday baked goods for distribution to those less fortunate.

This holiday season, create some sweet treats using these diabetes friendly baking tips. Enjoy your own special recipe without harming your health, and enjoy the best gift of all — sharing the holiday spirit with friends, family, and community.

For more information on counting carbs, check out this guide to t1d and carb counting.