ParentingDiabeticKids.com

When our daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 4 years old, we were rushed to the hospital because her blood glucose level was dangerously high. We were barraged in the emergency room with questions about my pregnancy, lifestyle and eating habits as they poked and prodded her. It seems like a really bad dream now.

As we were being educated about how to inject insulin shots and count carbohydrates, we were also encouraged to give her products that contained artificial sweeteners. That phrase "artificial sweetener" always made the hair on my arms stand up. I was given the green light by an educated professional to include sugar substitutes in her diet because she had type 1 diabetes. The day before Johanna was diagnosed, it wouldn't have been encouraged. But the day after, it was O.K. I thought, "Huh?" As we began the diabetes regimen taught in the hospital of counting carbohydrates, we also included some sugar- free products such as jello and a few other foods that were considered "free". I was overwhelmed. But this "artificial sweetener" thing still bothered me. We were only told about these lousy artificial sweeteners; but not about any alternatives. I thought there had to be something out there that had zero carbohydrates, was beneficial to my daughter and that I felt good about her eating.

After some homework of our own, it didn't take long to discover Stevia, and we started using it to sweeten her foods. Stevia doesn't raise your blood sugar. It comes in tablets, liquid and powder and it has zero carbohydrates. As I learned more about Stevia, I got really excited about this alternative to other artificial sweeteners. Here's an excerpt from the Sweet Leaf website:

"Is Stevia safe? Yes. Scientific research from around the world was exhaustively reviewed when the makers of Sweet Leaf Sweetener presented their case for GRAS status (a rigorous FDA designation of food safety). An independent group of outside scientists concluded that Sweet Leaf Sweetener met FDA standards for safety. In an unprecedented move to ensure the product's safety, the makers of Sweet Leaf Sweetener consulted with a second set of independent experts. These scientists confirmed that Sweet Leaf Sweetener met FDA standards for safety. The comprehensive review included studies on toxicity, cancer, reproductive health, long-term use, use at high-volumes, the effects on blood-sugar levels and more. Furthermore, after more than 30 years of high volume use in Japan and other countries, as well as more than a decade of use in America as a dietary supplement, there have been no reported cases of ill-effects. Recent scientific reviews by the World Health Organization (2003 and 2007) support these findings".

We began using Stevia to sweeten her oatmeal, applesauce and hot beverages, to name a few. We were disappointed that Stevia is sold only as a dietary supplement and not a sweetener, so it is impossible to find Stevia in products.

We occasionally give soda to our kids. Diet soda has often been a treat when we travel or during our Movie Pizza Nights, though I haven't felt good about it. Recently I found a low carbohydrate soda in our health food store. It's called Zevia, and it's sweetened with Stevia. Zevia comes in a variety of flavors: cola 12g, root beer 10g, orange 11g, twist 11g (a lemon/lime flavor) and black cherry 13g to name a few flavors. I was excited to purchase the soda and let the kids try them all. Their top choices are cola and root beer. You can purchase Zevia at selective grocery store in the health food section and health food stores.  There's also an amazon link at the bottom of this page right before the comment section.

I also found a few recipes on the web so you can try cooking with Stevia to see how you like it.

Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries, whole
1 very ripe banana
1 (6-ounce) container plain nonfat yogurt (we use low-fat or whole milk yogurt Just adjust carbohydrates)
1 packet or 1/2 teaspoon stevia
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup orange juice
Blend all ingredients together.
Serves 4.
Nutrient Information:

Calories - 70; (Calories from fat - 0); Total fat - 0g; Sodium - 25mg; Carbohydrate - 16g; Dietary fiber - 2g; Protein - 2g

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour (we use an alternative flour such as
Buckwheat)
4 packets stevia or 2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons bulk
2 Tablespoons honey
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup pecans, toasted
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Mix stevia, honey and egg until creamy.
3. Soften butter in microwave until almost melted. Add to mixture.
4. Add all other ingredients and mix.
5. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
6. Bake at 325°F for 8 to 10 minutes.

Yield: 1 dozen cookies.

Nutrient Information: Calories - 110; (Calories from fat - 60); Total fat - 7g; Saturated fat - 3.5g; Cholesterol - 30mg; Sodium - 60mg; Carbohydrate - 11g; Dietary fiber - <1g; Protein - 2g

Soft and Sweet Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
5 Tablespoons butter
2 eggs
3 teaspoons stevia blend or 6 packets of stevia
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all purpose flour (we use an alternative flour such as Buckwheat)
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour and all the yeast.
2. In a small sauce pan, mix milk, stevia, butter and salt. Stirring constantly, heat until warm and butter is almost melted. Add to flour mixture. Add eggs to flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon or dough hook, add enough of the remaining flour to make a slightly sticky dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough flour so that dough is no longer sticky. Shape into a ball. Place dough into a greased bowl; grease dough completely. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape dough into desired shape. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double, about 30 minutes.
4. Bake in a 375°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Yields: 18 rolls.

Nutrient Information: Calories - 130; (Calories from fat - 35); Total fat - 4g; Saturated fat - 0.5g; Cholesterol - 25mg; Sodium - 150mg; Carbohydrate - 21g; Dietary fiber - 1g; Protein - 6g

Acknowledgment Information for these recipes was partially compiled by UNL student Trina Goodrich. Recipes were tested by Ruby Mo, a UNL dietetics student.