[chanemarie]

Hi Does anyone have a really good sugar free yellow cake mix that doesn't leave an aftertaste....
I usually end up buying one for my dad who is diabetic and it costs around $30 for a 2 layer 8 inch round...!!!!!!
I think i want to make it myself...
splenda has that better for baking thing but I can't use real sugar at all..
Please help

[mudbug]

Are you saying that you "do" or "do not" want to use Splenda?

Splenda's Yellow Cake

Diabetic Yellow Cake And Fluffy Frosting

[Mezzaluna]

I think she means the baking mix from Splenda, which includes about 50% sugar.

Hi chanemarie ! Foodi here !

Where did you get your info that your father can't have any sugar at all ? Saying that diabetics can't have sugar at all is a myth . That is no longer the case. Granted a person diagnosed with diabetes can no longer consume desserts indiscriminately as before .

But .....sugar is considered a simple carbohydrate...a baked potato ,pasta and rice are all carbohydrates too but your body can't tell the difference between them . So what a diabetic faces each day when meal planning is to balance his or her intake of carbohydrates,fats and proteins for each meal in conjunction with their overall stress levels, activity levels and medications.

I am a Type 1 and have been baking for 2 years now all kinds of sweets using a plethora of different types of artificial sweeteners(Stevia powder),sugar alcohols(xylitol) and agave nectar(a vegan low glycemic cactus nectar) along side substitutions of whole grain flours for white flours .

The whole grain flour(fiber) will help slow down the overall digestion process so your blood sugar doesn't see those spikes that diabetics are trying to avoid.

As for balancing the meal ....let's say dinner . If Dad wants a piece of cake with dinner then he just has to adjust his intake of carbs for that meal sorta like stealing from Peter to pay Paul so to speak. He will probably just do without that dinner roll and a much smaller starch portion if any and he will have to pay attention to what kind of veg he has . Some veggies are higher in carbs then others. Once the adjustments have been made then he is more able to now to have that piece of cake(a small slice !) as long as some adjustments have been made there also .
A lot of desserts today call for way too much sugar as it is IMHO. If a cake recipe calls for say 2 cups of sugar you can almost cut out a 1/4 to a 1/2 cup of the sugar automatically and in most cases won't notice the difference. Now you have approximately 1.5 cups left to deal with . Xylitol can be subbed almost cup for cup. The stevia powder is much stronger and a lot less will go a long way. 2 TBSP = 1 cup sugar..As far as exchanges go agave nectar is considered a free food (less than 20 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrates)

So in review you take that original 2 cups of sugar -cut out a 1/2 cup to start-now you have 1.5 cups left-sub 1 tbsp of stevia powder(= to 1/2cup of reg sugar) -now you're down to 1 cup-sub 1/2 cup of the xylitol which measures out the same as reg sugar-now you're down to a half cup -sub some agave nectar and regular sugar for that last 1/2 cup...

You now have the same amount of sweetness as before but you are using only 1/4 cup of regular sugar instead of the original 2 cups . If your Father does this once a week or a month it will not be harmful to his overall glucose results and he will be able to have that piece of cake !

All diabetics personal situations are different so you have to take that into consideration and experiment and during this process pay close attention to his blood sugar levels..

Personally i'm not crazy about using Splenda yet because there is no long term unbiased study data to support it's use either way ...it is processed with Chlorine...?????????

Small portions and not too often and you'll be ok ! Nobody said this would be easy! Buying Diabetic friendly products commercially is a risk because you just can't trust the labels and won't know everything that they are putting in it. What I have just discussed means you only sub out the sweetener part and leave the rest of the recipe as is instructions included. You can spring a number of items on your friends and relatives and watch and see how many don't even notice!

You can PM me if you have more questions or need a recipe or 2 !
Foodi4lif

[mudbug]

Originally Posted by foodi4lif

You can PM me if you have more questions or need a recipe or 2

Please consider using this thread instead so that others who may have similar concerns can benefit from the information.

Here is some contact info :
You can find all this stuff in your local healthfood store hopefully but if not here are some Phone#'s and sites to visit !


The first one I like the best! It comes in three styles-light -med and dark and in bulk! It is not cheep tho ....about $4.00/8oz bottle
www.sweetcactusfarms.com
Distributed by Agave Internationmal Inc
1-310-733-4343
Los angeles California 90232

Madhava Pure-Organic Agave Nectar
Product of Mexico
Packed and distributed by Madhava
PO box 756,Lyons Co 80540
Contact info:
Agave@MadhavaHoney.com

The stevia has been used in South America and Japan for almost 20 years
It is also not cheap but has no side affects and is actually quite good for you ! It comes in a variety of ways....this form in powder is about 10 times sweeter than sugar....a little goes a very long way so use it carefully.

Stevis Plus
Wisdom Natural brands
Gilbert Arizona 85233
1-800-899-9908
www.sweetleaf.com

You can also use granular Lecithiun in place of about 1/2 the fat called for in the recipe without any problems and try experimenting with applesauce for some more of the fat. Sugar Free chocolate is available online and throught the mail in a number of shapes and sizes but shipping this time of year is dicey at best (Oh Noooooo I'm melting):-(

Good Luck !
Foodi

The reason that I included the Pm suggestions was because some folks are not comfortable discussing private family medical issues in the public section of the forum. This way they have both options to choose from ......

As for recipes and general info ......by all means ....your suggestion has been duly noted ! :-)

I srtongly feel that you need to be extremely careful when buying "Diabetic Friendly" products on the market. You just can't automatically assume that the product is on the up and up. Most of these companies are still very sales orientated and will promise a lot if they can get away with it on the label.

Always check the sugars(grms),carbs(grms) and the number of grams of saturated fat especially....I mean even with using artificial sweeteners you just can't eat evrything anymore. It's all about balance. If your going to go out and run a marathon every day you'll burn off the sugar but if you're not that active you need to use more scrutiny.
Foodi

[chanemarie]

Hi Foodi4lif
You are too kewl!!! thank you so much lots of great information. I will definitely hit you up on recipes...my father will be eternally grateful!!!!!!!
Thank you to everyone with the great information as well!