On Buying Dessert for Your Sweetie with Diabetes.

(Disclaimer: Hannah is not a dietitian, doctor or other medical professional.  This is just some personal experience that I think is important for ya'll to know!)

1.  First of all, do it.  I'm not saying dessert must be a part of every meal.  I'm not saying dessert is even all that healthy for you.  But if your significant other [or kid, or other special person] wants dessert, sometimes, it's kind to oblige.  In the end, what's the real difference between that slice of key lime pie or the bowl of cereal your special someone might consume after dinner to compensate for the fact that she really wanted key lime pie, and the sweetest thing she can find in the house is a box of raisin bran?

Yes, I'm speaking from personal experience here.  Also, I eat cereal at all times of day, and that is not weird. But enough about me, I'm talking about dessert here!  Helpful tidbit I've garnered from CalorieKing.com:

• Slice of Sara Lee Key Lime Pie = 41g of carbohydrate for 1/8 of the pie Who ever really cuts a small pie in 8 slices? It's always 7 or some nonsense like that.

•  1 cup of raisin bran = 45g of carbohydrate.  Minus 7g of dietary fiber, so that's actually a net carb count of 39g, but this is all before milk! 

2.  Try to have a carb count ready for your sweetie.  Now, I'm not saying it'll be romantic, nice, or even appreciated  if you hand me a brownie with a Post-It note carb count attached, but if dessert comes with a nutritional label, ask politely if someone needs to know the amount of carbs.  Do not go all Diabetes Police on your sweetie.  Nobody likes that.  For example, if you say something to me like, "Oh wow, that looks really sugary!", I will roll my eyes and keep eating.  But if you ask me, politely and curiously, how many carbs I think something contains, I might actually answer you and then remember to bolus.

3.  Do not make your sweetie feel guilty about wanting sweets!  Not to sound gender-stereotypical, but I believe this is especially true if your sweetie is a woman.  I know I would absolutely kill for a handful of M&M's at certain times of the month.  Look, just because someone doesn't make enough or any insulin doesn't mean that person then automatically only wants to eat celery for the rest of their lives.  Instead of scolding loved ones for wanting those forbidden foods once in a while, let's all work together to figure out how to incorporate those things into meal plans for the day.  Sounds like a balanced way to end things.

Now if you need me, I'll be bolusing and eating this slice of apple pie that my husband baked...