The tiny sweet tooth – managing diabetes in children

It is of crucial importance for people living with diabetes – especially children – to eat the correct foods. A child diagnosed with diabetes, needs to follow a meal plan developed by a physician or a registered dietician that is designed to keep blood glucose levels in the target range.

Creating exciting meals that still stick to a diabetic-friendly diet for kids can be quite tricky. The lifestyle change is difficult for adults, how much more for little fussy eaters?

Luckily, with sugar replacements like Canderel, children with diabetes don’t have to miss out on sweet treats. Try out these tasty, kid-friendly recipes from the Canderel Kitchen :

Tomato pasta sauce

Serves 4

386 Kilojoules per serving

Ingredients

800g tin of whole plum tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into slithers
1 ½ tsp of sea salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Handful of fresh, chopped basil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp Canderel granules

Method

Heat one to two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and fry the garlic until soft but not brown. Add the tomatoes, some salt and pepper and cook fiercely, stirring constantly. As they cook, the tomatoes will break up and release their juices. When this liquid has evaporated, remove from the heat. Add the remaining olive oil, basil, oregano and Canderel. Serve immediately.

Tip: If you aren’t going to serve the sauce immediately, cool it quickly and store. When you’re ready to use it, re-heat it thoroughly and only then add the Canderel.

Home-made ice-cream sundae

Serves 8

Ingredients

Home-made vanilla ice cream

6 large egg yolks

500ml fresh cream

1 vanilla pod

5 to 6 sachets Canderel Yellow

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Sundae layers

16 sugar-free choc-chip biscuits

250ml fat-free milk

250ml fresh cream

1 sachet Canderel Yellow (or more to taste)

Chocolate sauce

85g Canderel dark chocolate

1 tbsp fresh cream

½ tbsp butter

Toppings

Hazelnuts (or any other nuts of your choice)

Fresh or maraschino cherries

Method

To make the ice cream, separate the eggs, lightly beat the yolks in a deep bowl, add a pinch of salt and set aside. Place the cream in a deep pot. Split the vanilla pod in half, scrape out the seeds and add to the cream. Add the Canderel using a low heat, and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and remove the vanilla pod. Cool slightly before slowly pouring the cream mix into the beaten egg yolks, whisking constantly with an electric whisk. Strain the mix through a sieve into a freezer-proof bowl. Add the vanilla extract and mix well. Place the bowl into an ice bath to cool down before covering and freezing.

Remove the ice cream from the freezer every 45 minutes and churn with an electric whisk to break up the ice crystals and make a smooth ice cream. Repeat this process until the ice cream has almost set. Freeze for another 45 minutes before serving.

To make the layers of the sundae, break the biscuits into quarters and soak in the warm milk. Just before they become soft, carefully remove and set aside. Whip the cream into stiff peaks and sweeten to taste with Canderel Yellow. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To make the chocolate sauce, gently melt the Canderel dark chocolate over a bain-marie, adding the cream and butter once the chocolate has melted. Stir well and remove from the heat. Start the assembly of the sundae immediately.

Assembly

Take 8 tall glasses and layer ingredients, starting with the soaked biscuits in the bottom of the glasses. Add a layer of whipped cream, then another layer of biscuits. Place two small scoops of ice cream on top of the biscuits layer. Drizzle chocolate sauce over the ice cream and garnish with hazelnuts and cherries or your choice of topping.

For more delicious low-kilojoule recipes and inspiration, visit the Canderel Kitchen.