Sugar Turned On Me

Halloween goes with candy like Christmas and toys, like Easter and eggs. Half the reason I used to look forward to giving out candy was the fact that I knew we’d have some left over. This year, my first year living with diabetes, not so much. But as diabetes doesn’t automatically equal never touching sugar again, I did go looking for what candy I could have. Here are three candies worth considering:

1. Dove Promises Dark: Chocolate is the undisputed king of candy. All it takes is a taste and your whole day improves. Dark chocolate has a lot of antioxidants in it, so as a snack, it’s got some advantages over lesser confections. Four pieces of Dove Dark comes to about 16-17 grams of carbs. Personally, I find them so rich that I don’t do more than one or two at a time.
2. Ginger Chews: A friend with more severe diabetes than mine introduced me to these. She keeps them on hand for when her sugar bottoms out. The Ginger People make these and they have nothing you can’t pronounce in them. While they are addictive, one at a time is usually sufficient. At 5g carbs per, they are potent, but definitely reasonable.
3. Reese’s Cups: Ah yes, the two great tastes etc, etc. One of the best things ever to come out of Hershey, PA, the peanut butter cup has a fair bit of sugar but also has 3g of protein and even a gram or so of dietary fiber. While they don’t qualify with health food, if you can summon the willpower to eat just one, then you’ve got a doable snack.  Around this time of year, they are sold individually wrapped, helping remove temptation.

With any candy, I try to remember that moderation is the key. Read the labels and make sure you know what is going into it and if doing a diabetes safe portion is just a tease, it’s better to skip it than to risk overindulgence. But if you can accept the small servings, then the bowl of candy by the door on All Hallows Eve seems like less of a horror and more of a sweet promise to come.

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