Examining See's Sugar-Free Candy Options for Diabetics
See's Candies creates delicious chocolate treats, but people managing diabetes often worry about high sugar contents spiking blood glucose. Does this classic confectioner offer any substitutes safe enough for their condition? Let's explore See's sugar-free offerings for diabetics.
Challenges of Sweets With Diabetes
Those with diabetes have difficulty regulating blood sugar levels due to issues with insulin production or function. Consuming carbohydrates, especially simple sugars, makes levels rise rapidly. This requires prompt secretion of insulin to store the excess glucose from the bloodstream to maintain healthy ranges.
But when insulin response falters in diabetes, blood sugar spikes happen more severely and last longer causing damage throughout the body when elevated. Therefore, wise dietary changes become critical for control.
Role of Sweets in a Diabetic Diet
Can people with diabetes ever enjoy sweets? While they need to monitor total carbohydrates daily, having occasional small treats is possible by:
- Counting carb amounts into meal plans
- Balancing intake with physical activity
- Opting for smaller or sugar-free versions
This is where See's sugar-free candy products can help satisfy sweet cravings at times in a diabetes-friendly way. Let's see what they offer.
See's No Sugar Added Candy Treats
See's Candies provides delicious options covering fruit, nut, and chocolate varieties. In recent years, they introduced See's No Sugar Added candies as part of their assortment. These feature under half a gram of sugar per piece, making them far lower glycemic choices.
No Sugar Added Dark Chocolates
For chocolate lovers, these richly dark squares and pieces sweetened with maltitol and stevia make sound alternatives. Flavors include:
- Dark Nuts & Sea Salt
- Dark Scotchmallow
- Dark Cherry Cordials
- Dark Chocolate Truffles
The deep cocoa overwhelms any subtle natural sweetness, but the smooth melt-in-your mouth feel satisfies with minimally 2 net carbs per candy.
Sugar Free Nut Brittles
Crunchy, buttery toffees embedded with almonds, pecans, or walnuts offer variety. Sweetness gets added through replaceing sugar with maltitol and stevia. With only 1 net carb, options include:
- Almond Acrunch
- Pecan Crunch
- Walnut Crunch
These glazed nut brittles make it easy to control portions while chewing through satisfying texture and flavors.
No Added Sugar Chocolates
These feature stevia sweetness to minimize sugar rather than fully removing it. Lightly sweet flavors include:
- Milk Peanut Butter Penguins
- Dark Peanut Butter Penguins
- Milk Peanut Brittle
- Dark Peanut Brittle
With approximately 4 grams sugar and 15 net carbs, the portions still need monitoring, but they lose over 75% of original sugar levels.
Are See's Sugar-Free Candies Keto-Friendly?
The ketogenic or "keto" diet also restricts carbs and sugars. Could See No Sugar Added candies comply with under 50 daily carbs for ketosis? Unfortunately most retain too high carbohydrates for standard keto guidelines allowing around 20-30 net grams maximum daily.
Using Glycerine in Sugar-Free Candy
Why do even See's sugar-free chocolates contain several carbs each? Candy without cane sugar uses sugar alcohols or alternative natural sweeteners for taste instead. However glycerine, a carbohydrate thickener, also enters recipes.
Glycerine doesn't trigger blood sugar rises like sucrose. Yet its molecules still count as carbs even without directly providing sweetness. Removing all carbs makes achieving a smooth, enjoyable candy texture difficult.
So diabetics get reduced sugars, but not always fewer digestible carbs total unless individual tolerance allows small serving sizes.
Stevia-Sweetened Darks For Keto
The stevia solution means two See's chocolate varieties work better for keto diets - the No Sugar Added Dark Chocolates and Dark Scotchmallow. At only 2 net carbs per piece, a few daily pieces fall under limits.
Surprisingly the FDA bans using stevia in pure form when manufacturing candy due to its intense sweetness. But with non-nutritive stevia the only sweetener alongside unsweetened chocolate liquor, cocoa butter and milk ingredients in See's recipe, carbohydrate counts stay impressively low in these.
Tips for Incorporating See's Sugar-Free Treats With Diabetes
People managing diabetes can still enjoy sweets like See's sugar-free candy with careful planning as periodic rewards. Here are tips for fitting these in safely:
Check Ingredient Labels
Closely read nutrition facts on all candies verifying lower sugars and net carbs rather than just claims on front packaging. Countable carbs still lurk in sugar-free products.
Control Serving Sizes
Stick to reasonable one ounce or less treat sizes even if sugar-free to keep calories and carbs restricted. Measure portions diligently rather than eating straight from a candy box.
Account for Them in Daily Meal Plans
Remember to tally the carb counts from any sweets into total daily allowance. Adjust other foods to stay under personal carbohydrate goals and test 2 hours after to see blood sugar effects.
Select Most Keto-Friendly Options
On lower carb keto diets, choose No Sugar Added Dark Chocolates. Pair with nuts to add protein, fiber, and healthy fats slowing digestion further.
Key Takeaways - See's Sugar-Free for Diabetics
People living with diabetes absolutely can still enjoy sweet treats, but they require more diligence selecting lower sugar and carbohydrate products. See's Candy provides smart alternatives fitting into diabetic and low carb diets by using sugar alcohols, alternative natural sweeteners, and glycerine to minimize sugars.
Checking labels, controlling portions, counting carbs, and pairing with protein makes including their no sugar added and reduced sugar candy options easier. Through careful balancing, those managing diabetes can work favorite foods like chocolates into healthy lifestyles.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.
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