Diabetic friendly trifle

[smitch Profile]

Somewhat random request.

One of the patients on my placement loves trifle, but has Type 2 diabetes. I’ll be doing some kitchen work with him over the next few weeks and he’d really like to have a go at making his own.

He has severe mental health issues and possibly a learning disability so whatever we make has to be easy, with not too many steps and not too expensive as we’re on a very limited budget.

I’ve managed to find some sugar free instant custard at Tesco and sugar free jelly is easy to find. I’ll have a chat with him about what he wants in the bottom layer but any suggestions? I think he’d prefer sponge to just fruit.

Bonus points for ingredients that are easy to find in a small Asda or Tesco Express as he doesn’t have leave to go elsewhere and I’d like to assess his shopping skills too.

I’m aware there are healthier things we can make together but this is what he really wants to do.

[Suelle Profile Website]

There's a recipe on the Diabetes website for a trifle using a sponge made with sweetener

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-di ... rry-trifle

It might not rise as much as an ordinary sponge but I don't think you'd notice once it was soaked in fruit juice and covered with custard.

Trifle sponges or lady fingers are very light, so using a couple in the bottom probably wouldn't add much in the way of sugar and grain carbohydrates.

[smitch Profile]

Thanks, that’s really helpful. I’d somehow missed that when I looked online earlier. We could make the sponge in one session and finish the trifle the next day.

[Earthmaiden Profile]

I've read up on this quite a bit recently and have come to the conclusion that erythritol or stevia are the best sweeteners to use where possible for diabetes.

Lovely you are making this treat with him. It should be ok if he manages not to eat too much at one sitting! I've got a pack of Sainsburys sponge fingers in the cupboard. Each finger contains 4.8g of carb of which 3.0g is sugar. It can be an idea to make individual trifles so you can monitor how much has been eaten at a sitting. When I make them with GD an individual one doesn't need more than 2 sponge fingers at the most.

He'll be so thrilled!

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Stevia is fine if it doesn’t taste weird to you, which it does to many people (including me, pre-Covid)

[Pampy Profile]

I'm sure you're already aware of this Smitch - but you need to take into account total carbs not just the sugar component. Eg the Tesco no added sugar instant custard is 16% carbs but only shows sugar at 6.7%. Don't get me wrong - I'm the world's worst diabetic but it certainly helps to understand how food will hit you.

[scullion Profile]

i haven't tried it myself but i've read that you can substitute half of the sugar in a cake for inulin (slightly sweet, soluble fibre).
if you can get pure stevia or leaves (or a plant) rather than the commercial stuff, which has a carrier, it may have less of an after taste. the leaves have less of a 'round' flavour compared to sugar but you need very little to get the same sweetness.
i have a very good carrot cake recipe which uses stevia leaves rather than sugar.

glad you mentioned that pampy - that was going through my mind, too.

[Earthmaiden Profile]

Smitch, I'm sure he'd love the sponge. The thing is, is he learning to do this so he might be able to do it again on his own or just for a one off treat? It's just for a one off assessment from what you've said. It must be hard for him to count his carbs and understand low and high GI from what you say.

I'm just thinking that if he's learning it so he can do it again unsupervised it might be better to use just fruit with the sugar free jelly and look at something like sugar free vanilla yogurt for the topping (you can make your own with just the two ingredients and no sweetener) rather than allowing him to think it would be acceptable to have proper trifle all the time. I do hope the situation is such that he can have proper trifle and understand it's an ocassional treat!

[Stokey Sue Profile]

The thing is that fruit jelly and yogurt is definitely a decent dessert

But it’s not a trifle by any stretch of the imagination, and if he is excited by the prospect of trifle, then at best the client will be disappointed and at worst he might feel so cheated it could add to any resistance he may have to taking professional advice and support

[Suelle Profile Website]

You'd really need to know what medication he's on to know whether carbohydrates were a total no-no or if he just needs to be careful, and a certain amount were OK.

Type 2 isn't like Type 1 where you have to balance carbohydrate intake with insulin. I'm sure Pampy knows more about it, but I've read that with recent advances in treatment, some Type 2 diabetics can keep in control of things on very low carbohydrate diets, and no medication.

If it was me, I'd rather have an occasional sweet treat than bread, pasta, rice or potatoes, but everyone (including diabetics) is different!

[Pampy Profile]

Carbs. are never a total no-no - they just have to be limited to a much smaller amount than a non-diabetic person would normally have.

[Earthmaiden Profile]

I have been controlling my carbs/sugar to try to keep below diabetic levels without medication. It does have to be worked at - and initially studied quite hard.

Smitch's OP stated that this was a treat for a chap being assessed and, as such, I think her plan is lovely.

My later comment was probably thinking too far along the line and offering an 'everyday' alternative which might be nice for him if he were able to start cooking a few of his own meals. If he were to get to that stage he would probably need a diet and recipe plan put together by a dietician to help him cope with the carb counting and cooking as well. I suspect that's way in the future!

[smitch Profile]

Thanks all, this has given me a lot to think about.

The patient is unlikely ever to live independently, although at some point he may move on from secure services. We run weekly cooking sessions on the unit, some in a group and some 1-1 depending on ability. He generally doesn’t participate in the cooking activities but we’re trying to get him more involved. The rest of the time the patients are fed on the ward.

He understands that sugar is bad for him but I think the carb situation would be too difficult for him to grasp. There is no dietician on the unit and he has no teeth so can only eat soft food. We had a discussion about trifle and he knows it is an occasional treat. He’s pretty good at managing the diabetes and I’ll check with his named nurse what medication he takes. I think it is metformin though.

[Suelle Profile Website]

It sounds as if his well-being and happiness is just as important as his diet.

Can I suggest, as I believe someone else has mentioned, making small individual trifles. They can't be frozen, but may help with self-control.

[Earthmaiden Profile]

I really want him to have and enjoy the trifle!!

[Seatallan Profile]

Me too....