Sugar-Free Candy and Chocolate for Diabetics and Low-Carb Diets

The most missed food items for any newly diagnosed diabetic or beginning low-carb dieter are, not surprisingly, candy and chocolate. Although there have been candies and chocolates for diabetics for years, the selection wasn’t quite as good as it now that so many people have chosen the low-carb diet and now diabetics will find there are many choices—everything from gumdrops to chocolate bars—all sugar-free and safe for diabetics. Sugar-free and diabetic candy doesn’t taste as different from sugar candies as you might expect. In fact, once you get used to the taste of sugar-free and diabetic candy, you’ll start to forget what the “real” stuff even tasted like. The only time one is likely to encounter a newer and less authentic taste is with chocolate, but luckily, there are several companies that now manufacture excellent diabetic safe and sugar-free chocolate bars. When it comes to sugar-free chocolate, you may find it necessary to shop around until you find a brand that tastes right to you. There are often debates about the best sugar-free candy among diabetics since everyone has slightly different tastes, so be sure not to base your opinions on sugar-free candy after trying one item alone. Quality in diabetic candy differs, as do levels of false sweeteners—and this tiny difference in the level of sweetness can affect taste more than you could imagine. The best sugar-free chocolate on the market for diabetics is far and away “Asher’s Chocolates”. I have tried several types of sugar-free chocolate from other companies, but they do something to their chocolate that makes it taste like the real thing. My favorite product from Asher’s is the Sugar-Free Milk Chocolate Pretzels—no carbs and no sugar—easily one of the sweets I’ve been missing! I learned about Asher’s Chocolates after receiving a gift basket from a friend who’d heard they made the best chocolate for diabetics and she was certainly right on the mark. Asher’s chocolate isn’t tough-feeling or light and oily-tasting and truly, unlike other diabetic-friendly and sugar-free chocolates—it melts in your mouth. Asher’s is one of the only diabetic chocolate companies that puts together gift baskets that include everything a sweet-craving low-carb dieter or diabetic could dream of. If you have a friend that has diabetes or is on a low-carb diet, this will make a great holiday gift, especially since the holidays are the most difficult time to avoid sweets. They are a bit expensive, but your diabetic friend will appreciate your recognition of the struggle they go through at watching everyone around them enjoying the candy and chocolate they can’t touch. Best of all—they have fudge which is always a holiday favorite and is the best on the market without question. While there are other chocolates for diabetics and low-carb diets, check at your local grocery store and stock up on a few different types. Remember to go easy with this diabetic chocolate at first though because sometimes it can cause some rather nasty stomach problems. While before you were diabetic or on a low-carb diet you may have been able to eat a regular Hershey bar and feel fine, you might get a surprise if you wolf down an Asher’s or other diabetic chocolate bar. Take it easy and savor these chocolates and you’ll be fine. If you a diabetic or low-carb dieter that’s addicted to hard candies, one of the best hard candy manufacturers is “Dr. John’s”. This small company makes the most authentic-tasting (that is, it tastes like real sugar) cinnamon balls and starlight mints I’ve been able to find. They have several flavors of hard candy available and I love these not only because they taste like actual sugar candy, but because the cinnamon and mint flavors they use are strong enough to bring tears to your eyes—which to me at least, is a sure sign of great cinnamon and mint hard candy. Dr. John’s is also great because it is a small company and I feel like I can send them an e-mail with new flavor suggestions (which I’ve done in the past and received a prompt reply). These are perfect candies to keep in dishes around the house and do an excellent job fending off those nasty sugar cravings. Also, I’ve never had any real problems with my stomach after having a few more than I should have. Dr. John’s sugar free and diabetic candy is sometimes hard to find. The only place in my city that sells it is the giant super-store Meijer’s and Andersons. Still, ordering candy online is easy and even though it’s best to buy in bulk because of shipping, it’s nice to always have some of these delicious hard candies around. Since they don’t seem to cause any stomach problems, these are the best sugar free candies for young diabetics or even tooth-conscious parents to hand out at Halloween or other events. Another one of my favorite sugar-free candy items to have around the house are jelly beans. Jelly Belly, bless their hearts, produces several of their best flavors (green apple and juicy pear are the best, in my opinion) in sugar-free varieties and I love them! The best part about these jelly beans is that you can buy them in bulk and keep your favorite flavors handy and for diabetics or low-carb diets, these make the perfect munchies for sugar cravings. Jelly Belly also has some great sugar-free gummi bears (excellent for younger diabetics). Kids love Jelly Belly (heck, even I do) but there is something I must make quite clear: Some well-intentioned family member may decide that they don’t want a child’s teeth to rot therefore buy them sugar-free Jelly Belly. This is a very bad idea! Kids often take handfuls of jelly beans and eat them, but with diabetic candy such as these jelly beans, serious stomach can occur with anyone who eats more than a few at first. While this is truer with Jelly Belly than with other sugar-free candy, don’t forget this important fact. Keep in mind that if you start off with only small “doses” of these jelly beans (about 10 beans for your first try) you can gauge how they will act upon your tummy. Some people have problems with false sweeteners and some are fine, but it is highly recommended you don’t shove a handful into your mouth. As with all diabetic candy, it’s important to keep moderation in the forefront of your mind. Just because it isn’t sugar doesn’t mean you can eat all you want and you must remember that these false sweeteners (Splenda for example) can cause problems with digestion. The point to diabetic candy is that we can now enjoy the mere taste of something sweet again. Unfortunately though, we still can’t have a heyday and eat all the candy we want. If you live in a small town and have a hard time finding diabetic and low-carb candy, your best bet is to look online at the many candy dealers that offer several brands as well as a wealth of nutritional information and articles about dealing with sugar cravings and how to cook with false sweeteners. Buying candy for diabetic or low-carb needs can be done in bulk or you can just sample what all the many candy-makers sell. It’s exciting that now diabetics can enjoy sweets and it’s even more exciting to sample the many options available.