Diabetes affects some 27 million Americans, and another 54 million are pre-diabetic. These are staggering numbers, especially when you consider that a growing percentage of this population is children. The good news is that unless you have type 1 diabetes, which is genetic, this life threatening condition is both preventable and treatable through "alternative" measures. (Obvioulsy work with your doctor and a registered dietician to monitor your blood glucose levels if you wish to treat your diabetes in a holistic fashion. You may be able to decrease your insulin dependency, but the process needs to be carefully monitored)
I have a bigger sweet tooth than anyone I know, but I am able to keep my cravings in check by snacking on fresh fruits, using stevia (an herb with zero calories and zero glycemic index!) and agave nectar (a low glycemic syrup from the agave cactus). Be careful though, stevia is EXTREMELY sweet. A couple of drops is usually enough.
If I am craving chocolate, I drink an 8 oz. glass of unsweetened chocolate almond milk with a few drops of stevia. It provides 25% RDA of vitamin D, 20% RDA of calcium, 50% RDA vitamin E, and 10% RDA vitamin E, with ZERO sugar and only 3g of carbohydrates. I get all the chocolatey goodness without the refined sugar.
Another favorite is Luna and Larry's Coconut Bliss, a non-dairy "ice-cream" made out of coconut milk and sweetened with agave nectar. It comes in several tempting flavors like "Mint Galactica" and "Cherry Amaretto". No refined sugar, no dairy, what's not to love?
Sugar cravings can be a signal from your body that it needs protein. Try having a serving of unsweetened yogurt with some fruit, or maybe go for a protein smoothie and see if that satisfies you.
Finally, get your body moving!!! Exercise takes energy, lowering blood glucose levels and decreasing your risk for the many detrimental effects of high levels of glucose in the blood. Your Pilates workout just got a little bit sweeter! Check out this article for a bit more on exercise and diabetes
http://tinyurl.com/m7pgnuHave a healthy weekend!