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Problems with sugar cravings

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Seabreeze

Seabreeze

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Carer/Partner
I don't know that there is any solution!
I'm caring for my elderly type II mum (of at least two decades), who gets occasional cravings for sugar, she knows she can't have it and is generally good about it, but sometimes she can be bordering on impossible. She has only light/dark sensing in one eye and very little sight in her good eye, dry macular degeneration, age related sight loss and some diabetic lesions on the retina in her good eye and the pulse in her feet is getting faint, bordering on needing the doppler(?) to detect it.

Of course when the craving is there, there's no reasoning and telling her otherwise about blindness and amputations and this can be just a fleeting craving or it can be up to several days and it isn't pleasant for either of us when it's at its worst, silent locked horns.

I feel dreadful but of course I am very concerned about her health and welfare.
I very rarely have any chocolate/sweets and if I do, then I hide it under the salads and veg in the fridge, she will never look there! It's not fair for me to eat them in front of her and I prefer savoury anyway.

But...if I have biscuits to give her a low sugar one at these times, she will know there's a full packet there and will want one daily...same if I have something like jelly babies.

I am stumped. Is it ok to give her a biscuit that has 3g or under of sugar? or a couple of jelly babies? or is that completely out of the question on a daily basis?
 
Seabreeze said:
I don't know that there is any solution!
I'm caring for my elderly type II mum (of at least two decades), who gets occasional cravings for sugar, she knows she can't have it and is generally good about it, but sometimes she can be bordering on impossible. She has only light/dark sensing in one eye and very little sight in her good eye, dry macular degeneration, age related sight loss and some diabetic lesions on the retina in her good eye and the pulse in her feet is getting faint, bordering on needing the doppler(?) to detect it.

Of course when the craving is there, there's no reasoning and telling her otherwise about blindness and amputations and this can be just a fleeting craving or it can be up to several days and it isn't pleasant for either of us when it's at its worst, silent locked horns.

I feel dreadful but of course I am very concerned about her health and welfare.
I very rarely have any chocolate/sweets and if I do, then I hide it under the salads and veg in the fridge, she will never look there! It's not fair for me to eat them in front of her and I prefer savoury anyway.

But...if I have biscuits to give her a low sugar one at these times, she will know there's a full packet there and will want one daily...same if I have something like jelly babies.

I am stumped. Is it ok to give her a biscuit that has 3g or under of sugar? or a couple of jelly babies? or is that completely out of the question on a daily basis?
Click to expand...
Would your Mum be OK with a sugar free jelly? That might satisfy her craving and do no harm to her levels. Or you can get sugar free Werther’s but the issue there might be wanting to finish the pack as they can have a laxative effect if eaten to excess (or so I’m told, it doesn’t seem to affect me that way).
The sugar free biscuit still has starch which will raise her blood sugar. As to whether it would increase it too far, impossible to know unless she tests her blood sugar before and 2 hours after.
 
Doesn't like any sugar free alternatives on account of them being sugar free and the concern about laxative effect!
On a good day they are acceptable but when craving the sugar, they just won't do!
 
Seabreeze said:
Doesn't like any sugar free alternatives on account of them being sugar free and the concern about laxative effect!
On a good day they are acceptable but when craving the sugar, they just won't do!
Click to expand...
That’s a shame. Does she eat well generally, or is she possibly just hungry?
 
Sugar free jelly has never had a laxative effect with me, and I am quite sensitive to that.
The sugarfree or low sugar but carb laden products are not a good idea - the biscuit might not have sugar but it has flour - so just as bad really.
I do find that the sugar free jellies are overly sweet tasting, so I usually make one and when it is cool I mix in either Alpro soya yoghurt - the plain one, or Greek yoghurt, the full fat one, and whip it into a froth for extra volume. A few frozen berries, allowed to defrost for a few minutes and some thick cream makes a good dessert and controls blood glucose too.
 
Drummer said:
Sugar free jelly has never had a laxative effect with me, and I am quite sensitive to that.
The sugarfree or low sugar but carb laden products are not a good idea - the biscuit might not have sugar but it has flour - so just as bad really.
I do find that the sugar free jellies are overly sweet tasting, so I usually make one and when it is cool I mix in either Alpro soya yoghurt - the plain one, or Greek yoghurt, the full fat one, and whip it into a froth for extra volume. A few frozen berries, allowed to defrost for a few minutes and some thick cream makes a good dessert and controls blood glucose too.
Click to expand...
The jelly and yoghurt sounds good. I might try that, thanks Drummer.
 
Radders said:
That’s a shame. Does she eat well generally, or is she possibly just hungry?
Click to expand...

She generally eats well, if not she's ill and doesn't have the cravings.
They're out of the blue and not very often, thank goodness!
 
Drummer said:
Sugar free jelly has never had a laxative effect with me, and I am quite sensitive to that.
The sugarfree or low sugar but carb laden products are not a good idea - the biscuit might not have sugar but it has flour - so just as bad really.
I do find that the sugar free jellies are overly sweet tasting, so I usually make one and when it is cool I mix in either Alpro soya yoghurt - the plain one, or Greek yoghurt, the full fat one, and whip it into a froth for extra volume. A few frozen berries, allowed to defrost for a few minutes and some thick cream makes a good dessert and controls blood glucose too.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for the suggestion Drummer but bleeeuuughhhh! 😱:D
 
Seabreeze said:
I don't know that there is any solution!
I'm caring for my elderly type II mum (of at least two decades), who gets occasional cravings for sugar, she knows she can't have it and is generally good about it, but sometimes she can be bordering on impossible. She has only light/dark sensing in one eye and very little sight in her good eye, dry macular degeneration, age related sight loss and some diabetic lesions on the retina in her good eye and the pulse in her feet is getting faint, bordering on needing the doppler(?) to detect it.

Of course when the craving is there, there's no reasoning and telling her otherwise about blindness and amputations and this can be just a fleeting craving or it can be up to several days and it isn't pleasant for either of us when it's at its worst, silent locked horns.

I feel dreadful but of course I am very concerned about her health and welfare.
I very rarely have any chocolate/sweets and if I do, then I hide it under the salads and veg in the fridge, she will never look there! It's not fair for me to eat them in front of her and I prefer savoury anyway.

But...if I have biscuits to give her a low sugar one at these times, she will know there's a full packet there and will want one daily...same if I have something like jelly babies.

I am stumped. Is it ok to give her a biscuit that has 3g or under of sugar? or a couple of jelly babies? or is that completely out of the question on a daily basis?
Click to expand...
Liquorice tea is a very sweet tasting carb free drink....
 
Indeed, Amity Island, Licorice is an almost non nutritive sweetener. No carbs, and compounds that are 50 times sweeter than sugar. What’s not to like?🙂
 
The liquorice :D
She would eat the fondant from liquorice alsorts but not the liquorice these days!
 
UPDATE
Since this post, my mother was under the eye clinic for dry macular degeneration and went onto insulin and her sugar cravings were tempered, not sure if insulin had anything to do with it but probably the eye clinic and threat of losing her sight became more real.
She is now blind in her left eye which has been problematic all her life.

The diabetes effect on her retina has been stable for the years I have been controlling her sugar and carbs.
However the dry macular degeneration has been progressive, she has very little eyesight now and was registered blind last month.

It's only this year that her blood sugars have got into single figures between 6's to 9's from 9's to 12's which is satisfactory for her given her age and conditions.
 
So, you know sugar-free jelly - if you make it, chuck the packet away and present it to her served up in a dish merely saying I've made you some whatever flavour jelly, mum cos I know you're really wanting something sweet - how on earth would she suspect it's sugar free?
 
Yes, the sugar free jelly with some added berries and with some cream makes a good desert.
Nature Valley peanut and chocolate protein bars are less than 10g carb per bar and pretty sweet, or there is a salted caramel flavour as well.
If she is on insulin can you not correct for any sweet treats she has.
 
Hi @Seabreeze as others have recommended I’d try doing some sugar free jelly for her,
I haven’t made it myself recently, but in the past got the raspberry flavour sugar free jelly crystals
and make up my own jellied beetroot,
think I must do some again as it was ok on my BS level.

try doing some with berries set in it and maybe serve with some low carb Greek yoghurt
im tempted by that also myself. I can see myself heading to the supermarket for sugar free jelly soon .. 😎
 
We have been using sugar free jelly with or without berries in it or on it for several years.
Unfortunately she knows it is sugar free!

I grow cherry tomatoes now and she enjoys a few of those sweet treats fresh from the plant, also a couple of pods of peas from the veg patch.

She's quite picky, doesn't like certain textures and gets fads and gets bored of them, she has an ulcer and false teeth so that vastly reduces food options.
She doesn't like nuts - they're a challenge for her false teeth :D
 
Leadinglights said:
Yes, the sugar free jelly with some added berries and with some cream makes a good desert.
Nature Valley peanut and chocolate protein bars are less than 10g carb per bar and pretty sweet, or there is a salted caramel flavour as well.
If she is on insulin can you not correct for any sweet treats she has.
Click to expand...
My mothers insulin doesn't work that way, she is type II and has one dose in the morning
Also I want to keep her sugar free to avoid anymore retina damage which has been stable for the years I have been caring for her.
 
I don't eat sugar free jelly as as I don't like the aftertaste of what ever they use to sweeten.
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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