Let's face it, I
have not found to many people who do not like ice cream. One of the
hardest things for someone that has been diagnosed with diabetes is
to be able to find a decent low sugar, low carbohydrate dessert that
will not affect their sugar level. When you go to the freezer section
in your local grocery store you are inundated by labels that read
'Low-Fat', 'Lite', 'No Sugar Added', and or 'Fat-Free'. A variety of
products that are classified as 'low sugar' or 'low fat' that are
touted as being diabetic friendly, but the problem is most of them
include added carbohydrates (some disguised as sugar alcohols, tha
still raise your blood sugar) to make up for the lack of natural or
added sugar.
Since we have truth
in labeling laws here in the United States, then logically if the
label says it's 'Lite' or 'No Sugar Added' then it must be better for
people with diabetes right? Well, no. The problem is that the truth
in labeling act pertains more to the nutritional content on the back
of the product label, and not the terms 'lite' or 'no sugar added'
which companies use as a ruse to make consumers think they are
purchasing a more healthy alternative than they really are. The fact
is, most of the ice creams that are inferred to be diabetic friendly
contain the same number or more carbohydrates as that of regular ice
cream. These carbohydrates when consumed are processed by the body
into sugars which raise the blood sugar levels in your body. So while
the so-called 'lite' or 'no-sugar' varieties may contain less simple
sugars, for the diabetic the overall carbohydrate count is the
important number on the label.
So, the goal of this
article is to show you how to make a delicious no-churn diabetic, low
carb high fat (LCHF), and keto diet friendly ice cream that you can
make at home that will will have a minimum affect on raising your
blood sugar as it only contains a total of 1.15 grams of
carbohydrates in ½ cup serving, or 2.3 carbohydrates for a 1 cup
serving (about 2 large scoops).
No-Churn Diabetic
(LCHF) Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
The first thing that
I want to tell you about this recipe is that is has all of the
ingredients of a traditional homemade ice cream: eggs, heavy cream,
vanilla, and a sweetner (in this case Splenda instead of sugar). But
just in case you think I am off my rocker, check out the article 'The
Only Ice Cream Recipe You'll Ever Need' from The New York Times, or
Alton Brown's Vanilla Ice Cream recipe on the Food Network website,
and you will see they contain almost the exact same ingredients.
The Recipe
4 large eggs,
seperated
1 ¼ cups heavy
whipping cream
½ cup Splenda or
other preferred sweetner
1 tablespoon
sugar-free pure vanilla or vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon cream of
tartar
First, separate the
egg whites from the egg yolks. I place the yolks in a small cereal
bowl and the egg whites into the bowl of my Kitchenaid mixer. Add the
cream of tartar (helps to stabilize the egg whites) and then turn on
your mixer to high to start beating the egg whites. As the egg whites
begin thicken, slowly add the Splenda (or your preferred sweetner) ¼
cup at a time. Continue to beat the egg whites until they form stiff
peaks.
Next, you must
transfer the whipped egg whites to another bowl. Then without rinsing
the bowl of your stand mixer add the heavy cream and the vanilla and
whip until soft peaks are formed. Do not overwhip the heavy cream.
While the heavy cream is whipping, beat the egg yolks with a fork
until well combined.
Chef's Note: If you
are using a standmixer like I am you will need to place the whipped
egg whites into another bowl in order to whip the heavy cream. If you
are using a hand mixer then you do not have to do this as you will
mix both the egg whites and the heavy cream in different bowls and
combine them per the directions in the recipe.
Gently fold the egg
whites into the mixing bowl with the whipped cream with a spatula.
Once these two are fully incorporated, then add in the beaten egg
yolks and slowly fold them into the combined egg whites and heavy
cream.
Place the mixture in
a loaf pan or a freezer-friendly container and freeze for at least 4
hours. I found any time less than this in my freezer and the ice
cream had not hardened yet. It still tasted great but it wasn't quite
ice cream yet. Like all homemade ice creams, this ice cream will get
hard when frozen overnight. One option is to portion it into small
individual containers not only for convienance, but for better
portion control. The following is the nutritional information for the
no churn diabetic friendly ice cream.
No Churn LCHF Ice
Cream (Serving Size 1 cup) – 258 calories, 22.2 grams fat, 2.3
grams carbs.
No Churn LCHF Ice
Cream (Serving Size ½ cup) – 128 calories, 11.1 grams fat, 1.15
grams carbs.
The Ice Cream Facts
One of the hardest
things for a diabetic to get used to is the fact that so many deserts
or 'treats' that are made today that most of us would think are
diabetic friendly simply are not. Unfortunately, Joe consumer who has
just been diagnosed with diabetes really wants to make better food
choices. He scans the internet looking for ways to improve his diet
and still have a few treats such as his favorite ice cream. In his
attempt to be better informed and to shop more conscientiously, he
purchases one of the ice creams recommended in an article on the
Diabetic Living website 'What To Eat With Diabetes: Winning Ice
Creams' with disastrous effects. But don't take my word for it, the
following information comes directly from not only the ice cream
manufacturers websites, but from the Diabetic Living website.
Lite Vanilla Ice
Cream
Blue Bunny Hi Lite
Vanilla
(Serving Size ½
cup) – 100 calories, 2.5 grams fat, 17 grams carbs.
Blue Bunny Premium
Lite Vanilla
(Serving Size ½
cup) – 100 calories, 3.5 grams fat, 16 grams carbs.
Breyers Smooth and
Dreamy ½ Fat Creamy Vanilla
(Serving Size ½
cup) – 100 calories, 3.5 grams fat, 16 grams carbs.
No Churn LCHF Ice
Cream (Serving Size ½ cup) – 128 calories, 11.1 grams fat, 1.15
grams carbs.
No Sugar Added Ice
Cream
Blue Bunny Sweet
Freedom Vanilla
(Serving Size ½
cup) – 90 calories, 3 grams fat, 17 grams carbs.
Breyers Smooth and
Dreamy Vanilla
(Serving Size ½
cup) – 90 calories, 4 grams fat, 15 grams carbs.
Edy's Slow Churn
(Serving Size ½
cup) – 90 calories, 3 grams fat, 13 grams carbs.
No Churn LCHF Ice
Cream (Serving Size ½ cup) – 128 calories, 11.1 grams fat, 1.15
grams carbs.
Frozen Yogurts
Blue Bunny Fat Free
Frozen Yogurt Homemade Vanilla
(Serving Size ½
cup) – 90 calories, 0 grams fat, 20 grams carbs.
Kemps Fat Free
Frozen Yogurt Homemade Vanilla
(Serving Size ½
cup) – 90 calories, 0 grams fat, 19 grams carbs.
Regular Vanilla Ice
Cream
Blue Bell Homemade
Vanilla
(Serving Size ½
cup) – 180 calories, 9 grams fat, 20 grams carbs.
Blue Bunny Premium
Vanilla
(Serving Size ½
cup) – 130 calories, 7 grams fat, 15 grams carbs.
Breyers Homemade
Vanilla
(Serving Size ½
cup) – 140 calories, 7 grams fat, 16 grams carbs.
No Churn LCHF Ice
Cream (Serving Size ½ cup) – 128 calories, 11.1 grams fat, 1.15
grams carbs.
I quick examination
of the nutritional labels of these products definitely gives you a
different picture than what the label on the front of commercially
prepared ice creams claim. What you will find is that almost all of
the so called 'diabetic friendly' ice creams have the same or in some
cases even more carbohydrates per serving than their normal vanilla
ice creams. No good for someone with diabetes.
Why This
Carbohydrate Stuff All Matters
While there is some
variation in the types of carbohydrates and how the body converts
them into sugar, for this article we are primarly looking at simple
sugars used in ice cream such as sucrose (pure cane sugar), frutose
(fruit sugars), and glacatose (milk sugars) which are considered
'high glycemix' index sugars (i.e. they casue your blood sugar to
spike the most). According to Diabetes.net, a good rule of thumb is
that for each gram of carbohydrate that you consume your blood sugar
will increase by about 5 points.
So all of the so
called 'diabetic friendly' ice creams in this article as recommended
on the Diabetic Living website will raise your blood sugar by 65 (13
grams) to 95 (19 grams) per ½ cup serving. Heck, plain of Blue Bunny
Premium Vanilla only raises it 75 points (15 grams carbohydrates),
that's less than two of the no-sugar added varieties. In comparison,
our homemade vanilla ice cream made with Great Value granulated
sweetner (Splenda clone) contains only 1.15 carbs per half cup
serving, increasing your blood suagr by only 5.75 or 6 points. Thats
a 60 – 93% less increase in your blood sugar over commercially
prepared ice creams which is the major factor to consider for
diabetics.
Conclusion
Good diabetic
education is the only way that Joe consumer can make good choices
regarding foods that are out on your grocers shelves that are labeled
as 'Lite', 'Low-Fat', and 'No-sugar Added'. Do not take their word
for it, turn the label around and look at the total carbohydrates
that are listed per serving. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of all
carbohydrates in ice cream come from sugars and or sugar alcohols. No
matter how you look at it, carbohydrates, redgardless where they come
from raise your blood sugar as much as 5 points per carbohydrate when
they are consumed.
For those of us who
need a good diabetic or keto friendly ice cream, then this recipe is
definitely for you. It is quick and easy to make and can be eaten
without the fear that it will raise your blood sugar significantly as
a 1 cup serving only contains 2.3 grams of carbohydrates. So I hpe
you will enjoy eating this diabetic friendly treat without the fear
that it will significantly raise your blood sugar. As always, if you
have enjoyed this article and have found it informative we ask that
you share if with your friends, and don't forget to send us a friend
request on Facebook or add us to your circle on Google+.
References:
No comments:
Post a Comment