Dessert and Diabetes don’t usually go hand-in-hand. But with National Dessert Day coming up on October 14th, we don’t want our diabetic friends to feel sour! In fact, we want this sweetest of holidays to be your chance to shine (with sugar-free sparkle, of course.) Here are some tips to help you celebrate your sweet tooth without the damage of that post-dessert sugar rush.

1. Moderation is Key

For diabetics, moderation isn’t just a nice suggestion—it’s a mantra. So, savor those bites. Take a moment, enjoy the texture, the flavor, the sheer delight of it all. By slowing down, you’ll find that you don’t need an entire cake to be satisfied. (Though, we won’t judge if you’re daydreaming about it.)

2. Learn to Spot the Sugar

Navigating the wilds of dessert menus is like a safari. Some things are dangerous (ooey-gooey chocolate lava cakes), some are friendly (hello, fresh berries with whipped cream), and others are just hard to spot. Here’s a tip: look for desserts that are naturally sweet. Think fruits, yogurts, nuts, and dark chocolate. If you aren’t sure, ask a trusted guide (aka, your host or server.)

3. Try Some New Recipes

Why wait for someone else to serve up diabetic-friendly desserts when you can create your own sugar-free spread? Grab a fun apron, put on some dance-worthy tunes, and experiment with recipes that swap out sugar for diabetic-friendly alternatives. Need inspiration? How about a creamy avocado chocolate mousse or almond flour brownies? The sky’s the limit! (Or should we say, the cake stand?)

4. When in Doubt, Outsource!

Look, we get it – not all of us are born to be Julia Child in the kitchen. If baking sounds as daunting as climbing Mount Everest, find a local bakery or store that specializes in diabetic-friendly desserts. More and more places are catering to the sugar-sensitive these days.

5. Celebrate with Fellow Sweet Seekers

Team up with friends or family, diabetic or not, and have a dessert tasting party. Everybody brings a diabetic-friendly dessert, you get a smorgasbord of options, and there’s no sugar crash at the end. Win-win!

With these handy tips, you can dive fork-first into National Dessert Day and still protect your health. If those pesky sugars do slip through, keep your blood sugar monitored with our testing supply program and our continuous glucose monitor. We’ll deliver them right to your door for an outrageously sweet price. And remember: life is short, so eat (diabetic-friendly) dessert first!