QandAs: Food

What are some Sugar Free Desserts?

Answer:
Many traditional desserts, such as gelatins, puddings and pies,

can be modified with sugar substitutes (Splenda, aspartame, saccharin, etc.) to form sugar-free alternatives. Other desserts, such as fruit tarts and smoothies, depend on the inherent sweetness of their ingredients to eliminate the need for added refined sugar, also known as sucrose.

For diabetics and others who are watching their sugar or carbohydrate intake, sugar-free desserts such as flavored gelatins, creamy puddings and frozen fruit bars are readily available at most grocery stores. Sometimes these sugar-free desserts face the same challenges as sugar-free soft drinks: disagreeable aftertaste, chemical flavors and bitter undertones. These sugar-free desserts should be displayed next to the regular version, or in special food sections for diabetics and low-carb dieters.

Cakes, cookies and other baked goods can also be made with sugar substitutes. There are now special blends of artificial sweeteners which can be used in dessert recipes at a 1:1 ratio with sugar. Restaurants which offer sugar-free desserts such as soft-serve ice cream and cookies often designate these selections with color-coded serving tools or special signs. While the soft serve ice cream may be sugar-free, the toppings may not be, so diabetics and dieters need to be judicious when mixing sugar-free and regular desserts together.

Some sugar-free desserts rely on the natural fruit sugar or fructose of their ingredients to eliminate the need for additional sugar. Fruit tarts, for example, may use concentrated fruit juices or unsweetened preserves as a binder. The crusts for such desserts may be sugar-free pastry doughs or thin flour and egg-based crepes.

While these kind of sugar-free desserts may not use sucrose, they are not necessarily low in carbohydrates. Not all sugar-free desserts are considered low-calorie foods, so it is important to read labels or look at the entire list of ingredients before purchasing or ordering a sugar-free dessert.


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