In case you didn’t get the memo: Yes, those of us with diabetes CAN eat ice cream.
Even though some outside the diabetes community don’t think so, and they try to convince us we can’t or shouldn’t, the fact remains that an ice cream sundae or vanilla waffle cone every once in a while isn’t going to kill us. It’s not the cause of any type of diabetes, either, and we’re not promoting unhealthy eating by enjoying some ice cream on a special occasion.
That was the message last summer, when the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) lit up in response to an Indianapolis newspaper columnist’s published rant that diabetics can’t or shouldn’t eat ice cream — and that any organization using ice cream to raise money to send children with diabetes to camp has sold its soul to the devil.
Yes, he actually wrote that. And we in the DOC responded. Loudly. Far and wide. (The newspaper has since removed the article – !)
And there was ice cream.
Now a year later, we’re again sending the message that ice cream is OK. But more importantly, the message is that myths, stereotypes and misinformation about diabetes really hurt. They hurt fundraising, the general public’s awareness, and the emotions of kids who are made to feel different and that they “can’t do this” simply because of their diabetes.
The Diabetes Youth Foundation of Indiana (DYFI) is hosting its 23rd annual Ice Cream On the Circle event July 13 in downtown Indianapolis, sponsored for the second year by the American Dairy Association of Indiana. Last year, more than a thousand people floated in and we raised $6,400 to help send children and teens with diabetes to our D-camp, called Camp Until a Cure. And it also helped raise some great awareness for the broader diabetes community, conveniently right in the middle of National Ice Cream Month.
Yep, this year there will be $3 gigantic sundaes drizzled with chocolate, strawberry, caramel and butterscotch syrups and a variety of topping choices, including some sugar-free options! My wife and I will be volunteering to help serve sundaes, along with about 30 “celebrity scoopers” that include local media personalities, sports notables, and business dignitaries. There will also be face painters, mascots, interactive games, displays, music, the Indiana Pacers Fan Van, and real live cows, Molly and her calves from Purdue Dairy Sciences.
I’m very proud of this organization, and that’s why (disclosure) I’ve been a board member for the past two years.
Sure, this DYFI event is a fundraiser to help send type 1 kids to D-Camp. But it’s bigger than that; it’s also about raising general diabetes awareness for everyone.
With all the buzz last year in response to this event, the DYFI has decided to take this “ice cream awareness” to the next level.
(Note that after my posts last year about the ice cream social, the highest-ranking search phrase that still brings people to my personal blog regularly is some variation of, “Can diabetics eat ice cream?” My answer, if it isn’t already obvious: YES, you CAN!)
The DYFI is planning to expand the reach of our event’s success and use this ice cream social to target misconceptions and misinformation, especially in the press and media. We’re working to place articles about diabetes in local newspapers ahead of time, and we’ll have at least one PWD on site all morning and afternoon to talk with media about diabetes. Plus, fellow D-Blogger and advocate Kelly Kunik offered a suggestion about having a “diabetes cheat sheet” on site for people to grab and the scoopers will be dishing out some phrases at the booths: “Yes, we CAN eat ice cream!”, “Check your blood sugar, count your carbs and enjoy some ice cream!”, and “Diabetes Myth: Sugar and ice cream don’t cause diabetes!”
But, there’s more — and it involves the DOC!! The DYFI’s executive director Jenna Holt, a fellow type 1 herself, created an online ice cream social event to coincide with the actual event happening in Indy. Basically, people can sign up on the Facebook page for this Ice Cream Social to Support Diabetes and participate that same day, by eating ice cream and then taking a picture and posting it to the page! It’s open for everyone, anywhere, in hopes of raising awareness about PWDs being able to eat ice cream (and have normal lives).
Does this sound familiar? It should.
Last summer, in response to all the media misinformation and buzz coming out of the DYFI event, our type 2 friend Lizmari Collazo (who has since started blogging at The Angry Type 2 Diabetic) created an online ice cream social in August. More than 2,400 people joined in and helped spread word about it. And she’s been planning to do it again this summer, on Aug. 4 — which is awesome, because it’s yet another chance to raise awareness! And with record heat in many places around the country, ice cream will probably be in even greater demand!
Lizmari says she doesn’t have a specific theme in mind, but she’s thinking of something along the lines of freedom, thriving with diabetes, and ‘Yes, I can eat that.’ Basically, embracing life, with diabetes…
“We can still enjoy every day things, in moderation… and it’s a choice we make, versus a rule to break,” she says. “I really want to focus more on this, to help build awareness in people’s minds — even some scared diabetics’ minds — that we are not under dietary lock and key, all the time.”
The DYFI ice cream social and Lizmari’s aren’t specifically linked, except that we’re all part of the same Diabetes Community doing advocacy work. These ice cream socials are just two events aimed at raising awareness about diabetes and fighting misconceptions, and it’s exciting to join with others who are doing the same! That’s what this is all about: using our collective voices to hit these issues where they’re needed.
So, I know at least once this summer I’ll be grabbing a spoon and enjoying a sundae. I hope you’ll join me (get ready to dose!). Head on over to the Ice Cream Social pages online and sign up – the DYFI’s Ice Cream To Support Diabetes on Friday and Lizmari’s Second Annual Ice Cream Social on Aug. 4. Then just plan on enjoying your favorite cone or dish and sharing the experience with everyone! Hopefully, we can again spread the word that when it comes to people with diabetes eating ice cream…
Yes, we CAN. And we will!
Is anyone talking about the best ways to bolus for a bunch of ice cream? I go crazy on a little ice cream every once in a while, but the result is always way out of my normal range. Those that eat low-carb might get more extreme results from an occasional dessert. But, yeah… we can eat whatever we want.
Hey Nathan,
I would like to invite you to go crazy on some Wink Frozen Desserts sometime. We use the natural sweetener stevia in place of sugar in our product and have sampled our product at a few DRI events this year with a warm reception. We are available in just a few NY stores right now but we do ship across the U.S.
-Jordan
Will you be providing the carb counts for everything and will you be offering ice cream in manageable servings? I haven’t had an ice cream sundae since I was diagnosed. PhillySwirl Sweet Delights (a creamsicle) has only 4 carbs. Culvers’s cone is supposedly 35 grams, but the servers generally add more ice cream (if it’s closer to 2 scoops that’s 63 grams), which leads to hyperglycemia later. A sundae runs between 50-115 grams. Tiny sundaes with precisely measured ingredients and carefully counted carbs would allow the diabetics to enjoy the event. Yes, I can eat what I want, if I put a lot of effort into calculating everything precisely. But I don’t eat in quite the carefree or exuberant manner of my nondiabetic friends and relations.
It would help to educate them about how much effort is necessary for us to live seemingly effortlessly.
My son eats whatever he wants and we swag everything. We see an over 300 twice a year. You have to learn to do that or go around carrying scales and carb counters. That ain’t happening with my teenager. Besides there are other variables such as activity level and time of year. We mix science and instinct and go on with life.
What is swag? Not covered by either nutritionist, endo, or CDE? Also, I’m an adult with LADA, not a Type 1 kid.
Hi, Mary! Thanks for commenting! SWAG is diabetes lingo for Scientific Wild-A$* Guessing. As Donna mentioned, many PWDs learn to do this over time so that it’s not necessary to measure every single thing perfectly each time. Most comes from experience. I’ve learned to do that pretty well over my D-Life years, although I’m FAR from exact or perfect. On the carb counts: Yes, they are provided for at the event, with the understanding that it does vary some with the scoopers and then with everything someone may put on their sundae if they choose. There’s a handful of sugar-free syrups, which all have the nutritional info on back of containers. I know I SWAGed it last year and wasn’t far off from where I wanted to be in terms of BGs.
Indiana’s a bit far for me to go for ice cream, but I stood in front of the supermarket freezer for ten minutes on Sunday pondering between two types of ice-cream. The “regular” and the “no-sugar-added”. Usually, I’ll opt for the regular one, since at least I know what I’m getting. But this time, the numbers were staggering (regular 18 carbs: 16 sugars; “no-sugar-added” 18 carbs:4 fiber, 5 sugars, 4 sugar alcohol), so I opted for the one with the better numbers and figured I’d SWAG it.
When it comes to hot summer and ice cream, nothing’s better!
So, if they both have 18 carbs, which did you choose?
I took the No-Sugar-Added one. I hate sugar-alcohols with a passion, and I can’t logically see how ice cream can have fiber (?), but the 16 g of sugar (89% of the carbs) pushed me away from that one. If it had been 18 carbs and 12 of them from sugar, I’d probably be OK with it. There’s no scientific reason for saying 12, it’s just a gut-feel that I have from living with T1 for over thirty years.
I hate sugar alcohols, too, though I’ve only been a PWD for 3 years. One of my hobbies now is to check out at random a sugar-free product (that was originally a sugar-full product) and compare it to the the original.
I did that the other day for Aplets & Cotlets and left shaking my head. The sugar-free version had MORE carbs than the original! I wonder which one I would choose to eat? It’s a real puzzler.
Well, at the risk of making everyone hate me I’m going to say that I don’t agree with this approach at all. I do believe that everyone is entitled to eat whatever they want and what you put in your mouth is nobody’s business, and I’m not perfect when it comes to diet. That said, if you have diabetes, your body can’t process carbs and the insulin game is a dangerous one, so I believe in playing it safe. Furthermore, with the growing problem of sedentary lifestyles and soaring obesity rates in America, I would much rather see a 5k walk social than an ice cream social. Nothing is wrong with the occasional dessert, but why should we make a party and an issue out of something that is inherently bad for us and bad for everyone else, too? http://asweetlife.org/jessica-apple/blogs/type-1-blogs/this-diabetes-awareness-month-tell-the-world-you-arent-equal/21428/
Thanks for the comment, Jessica! I appreciate you saying that. Totally. I look at it this way: I’ve been living with type 1 since I was five so I occasionally (hopefully?) have an idea of how I respond to eating various things, whether it be grapes, blueberries, ice cream or pasta. My body may have an issue with not being able to make any insulin for what I eat, but I take care of that myself. My experience with ice cream has been fine, when I dose accordingly, and my boluses keep me in check. My big thing is that I wish people didn’t tell me that I couldn’t eat ice cream, that it’s all evil and destined to be my doom. Why isn’t fruit, which raises my BG just as much and more quickly? People have been blaming me about eating sugar since I was a kid, just wanting to be a kid. I’m not sure I’ll agree with ice cream being bad, as long as you aren’t overdoing it. Now, I’m not going to sit around and eat five sundaes. It’s about respecting the boundaries while enjoying whatever you want to, and knowing there’s a place for all that. I think it’s about choice, but also personal responsibility in taking care of myself. And everyone is always free to do their own thing! And still, I respect your position on this and have all the DOC love one can have!
)
The important phrase is that you are able to “dose accordingly” because you have years of experience and training doing so. For those of us who were diagnosed late in life, we are still trying to figure this out and they never cover this at the clinic and our families are no help. That’s why I want to know the carb count. Because as sensitive as I am to the small amount of insulin I take via pump, dosing for 30 carbs vs 115 carbs makes a huge difference. I don’t want to spend the next few hours nauseated and worried about getting my blood sugar out of the 400s. Unless you are also going to have mentors to help with that.
Why isn’t fruit, ”
Mike, please do NOT compare a piece of fruit to a bowl of ice cream. Are you insane?
I’m not being extreme. You are:
http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/inspiration-have-you-caught-the-extremetitis-bug.html
To Jessica’s point why not a “5k walk social “? Why not promote health? Why not have an “fruit social”?
I agree with you. This Ice Cream is ok for PWD is bullshit. It’s a stunt. I’m sorry to tell you. There is nothing normal about diabetes and nothing normal about eating hundred of calories worth of sugar with ZERO nutritional value.
I don’t give a crap who hates what I have to say. It’s the truth. Mike is delusional.
The real point the ice cream social is trying to get across (in my mind) is that it’s not about the ice cream as much as the attention it will bring to Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 Diabetes does not make me allergic to ice cream and I rarely (if ever) have some, but the shock value of this may help some to actually learn what we REALLY have to do: we have to bolus or exercise off everything with carbs in our diet–most fruit included.
I choose to limits my sweets quite a lot, but I’m no nag and is that HOMEMADE apple pie! It would be rude not to try a bite or two. Life is full of absolutes, like The Beatles are better than The Stones and PCs are better than Macs
. As long as I can keep my a1C at the levels I have since my diagnosis (planted firmly in the 6% range), I would say you are confusing my joy in living with someone who has given up and given in to his baser diatetic desires.
@Khurt
Just out of curiosity . . . what’s the nutritional value of the hefeweizen ales you are drinking? Average hefeweizen is 150-250 calories?
Tim, the comment wasn’t directed at you. It clearly says “@Khurt”
Read the whole comment before replying back.
@Tim
no worries.
For the record, I completely agree with your post.
With all due respect, 95% of time time you will find the PWD at an ice cream stand quietly selecting the frozen yogurt or the plainest flavor of soft serve available, adding no toppings and stressing about their bolus long after the treat is consumed. As I said below, if someone thinks shoving a $12 drink in my face is fine but gives me a hard time about the occasional cone or sundae, it’s pretty hypocritical of them.
@Kathy – EXACTLY!!!!!
Notice that Khurt hasn’t commented on my post about about his beer consuming (if you click on his name it takes you to his blog where he clearly states he likes beer). Just to be clear, I’m not trying to be a smart ass in the least with my question to Khurt.
It’s his choice to not eat ice cream and he’s entitled to an opinion about holding an Ice Cream social event for PWD. HOWEVER, when comes here and says things like :
“This Ice Cream is ok for PWD is bullshit. It’s a stunt.”
“I don’t give a crap who hates what I have to say. It’s the truth. Mike is delusional.”
The TRUTH is that he chooses to drink beer with ZERO nutritional value and some PWD’s choose to eat ice cream.
It’s his choice. Ice cream may not be the right choice for him and beer may not be the right choice for others, but don’t come here blasting people when you are clearly a hypocrite.
Ice cream is not inherently bad for us–it’s nummy! But I don’t equate being able to eat icecream with living a full life. What if you’re allergic to dairy, are you not able to live a full life? My kids have peanut allergy. I bet most of those toppings contain nuts or traces thereof. I love an icecream social but let’s not equate it with being “normal.” Lots of “normal” people can’t eat icecream sundaes. No biggy. Some pwd can’t eat icecream without bs going through the roof. Let’s present this as being about choice and options and managing your own diet as you see fit regardless of media hype and misconceptions about D care.
btw, we go out and order soft serve and bring a purse full of sprinkles and lite chocolate syrup.
I have had TYpe 1 for most of my life and never been stopped from eating ice cream although I don’t go mad and only have it occasionally. Why can’t they say Diabetic chocolate is bad for us instead because it is. Low calorie high fat and that disgusting sorbitol which forces you to camp on the loo if you eat too much.
@Mike – Agreed – fructose, glucose, etc. it’s all bad, and actually ice cream spikes me less than most fruit. Two points: First, the rules for kids are different, I think. I write from the POV of an adult with adults in mind. Second, I understand the desire to stop the misconceptions, blame, etc, but I think there are better ways to do it. I don’t say this out of lack of respect for anyone, I just don’t think proving we can eat ice cream sends the right message.
I truly appreciate everyone’s comments, and feedback. When I made this event (The Diabetic Ice Cream Social, on now it’s second year), it was in response to a man attacking Type 2 Diabetics, as similar to ‘alcoholics,’ who need to be kept away from all sugar, and desserts, and he used the “Diabetic Ice Cream Social” from the Diabetes Youth Foundation of Indiana, to make his case in point.
My main drive is that WE decide what we eat.
The event per se is not about ice cream, but about our choices. NO ONE has the right to:
1.) Assume we’re pigs, if we have ice cream, or any other ‘controversial’ food.
2.) Assume we are out of control diabetics.
3.) Impose their food views on us.
So, the event is NOT about imposing eating ice cream on ANYONE, nor about pushing pigging out on ice cream. It is merely about taking a moment to enjoy a food YOU love, and that people wrongly police you and tell you you can’t have it because you have diabetes.
It does NOT have to be dairy based ice cream… and it does not have to be ice cream, AT ALL.
It can be wine, it can be peanuts! Heck, it can even be fruit.
This is a SIMPLE, yet very important misconception that needs to be broken down… and I respect those who feel things like walkathons, and marathons are important, as well…
I do BELIEVE that being able to make our OWN food choices, and be in CONTROL of our diabetes, means having a full life — we can thrive, and have a full life… and it can be on our terms.
Thank you all… for your thoughts, and support.
And I understand not everyone will agree with this approach, as well… but we all need to raise awareness in the ways we feel convicted to do so… And just the discrepancies on how people view food in this post alone, tells me it is IMPORTANT I raise awareness the way I have chosen to do so.
[...] In case you didn’t get the memo: Yes, those of us with diabetes CAN eat ice cream. [...]
I actually have an easier time eating ice cream and cupcakes than I do eating “healthy” things like Kashi cereal and whole wheat bagels. The fact of the matter is, some foods are handled better by those who don’t produce their own insulin. Cereal and bagels are not on the Do Not Eat list for most PWDs, but if I eat it, I’m over 300 mg/dl for hours.
The truth is that YDMV (Your Diabetes May Vary) and that’s the point behind this Ice Cream Social. No one can tell us what we can or can’t eat. We have to do what is best for us and our diabetes.
I’m still trying to persuade my family that it is ok for a type 1 diabetic to eat normal sugar and carb items, as long as the person is, or is learning to, adjust their insulin to the higher carb foods. I will say, we found some awesome breyers triple chocolate no sugar added ice cream that had a total counted carbs of 14 (sugar minus 1/2 fiber and 1/2 sugar alcohol). It was actually really tasty and Jon could eat a serving of ice cream without having to worry about his blood glucose spiking.
Technically, anyone can do anything they want. I’m more in support of proving our point by showing how willing we are to work on healthy habits. Most people I know think that one typical dessert or bit of junk food a day is practicing “moderation”. To that I say, “If you say so…and good luck”.
I mean do whatever you want and tell others you can but in the end, what’s your blood sugar and A1c telling you about the food you’re eating? Or is the issue this darn disease? There is more to it than food but food is such a HUGE factor.
I also think it’s interesting that the ice cream that will be served will be “gigantic”. No offense but I don’t feel that’s helping the message one bit.
I’m with Nathan and Jessica Apple on this.
What really amuses me are the people who go on about PWD eating something (fill in the blank, doesn’t have to be ice cream) and then see no problem with drinking alcohol. Two of the worst lows in my D life were when I tried drinking red wine to raise my HDL. ALl my life I’ve been made to feel weird because I don’t drink – I’ve had drinks pushed on me, been bullied and made to feel like a pariah when people go out. To each their own I guess but it’s ironic how society has no problem with one and a huge issue with the other.
love love love this idea! hope you had great success today and raised a bunch of money for the camp!
[...] My response to “Revisiting Ice Cream and Diabetes” Khürt WilliamsI am a husband, a father, a certified information system security professional, web developer, blogger and photographer who lives and works in the Princeton area. I am active in the Princeton area’s social media community and currently serve as President to the Princeton Macintosh Users Group. I am passionate about funding research to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. You can sometimes find me sitting with my iPad drinking coffee in one of Princeton’s cafés.More Posts — Website Follow Me:Share this:FacebookShareStumbleUponDiggPrintEmailReddit [...]
[...] My response to “Revisiting Ice Cream and Diabetes” In case you didn’t get the memo: Yes, those of us with diabetes CAN eat ice cream. [...]
Nice article. I think it really comes down to moderation, knowing your own body and making good choices. We don’t have to be condemned to bland food. Everything in moderation.
Yes, ice cream does raise blood sugar and I don’t see why we should exhaust the pancreas any more than needed IF there is a fantastic alternative. I love ice cream too but check this out – you can have this with no guilt!!! Enjoy!!
Dairy and Sugar Free Ice Cream (Candida and Diabetic Friendly)
It is as follows:
One 13.5 ounce can full fat coconut milk
2 eggs
2 Tbsp sugar free equivalent to taste
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp celtic sea salt
1. Place coconut milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla & salt in
blender
2. Blend thoroughly until smooth and well combined
3. Briefly blend in chocolate chips, so that they are smaller
pieces**
4. Process according to the directions of your ice cream
maker
5. Serve – garnish with unsweetened shredded coconut if
desired
Other Flavors:
**1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or (make your own with unsweetened Bakers chocolate and stevia, FiberFit, EZsweetz or other sugar free sweetener.) Melt, mix, and place thinly on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Place in freezer and then crumple up the paper and you have chocolate “chips”
* Add dark unsweetened cocoa for chocolate ice cream
*Coconut flakes -Sugar Free
*Nuts
*Anything else you would enjoy that is diabetic friendly
Coconut in all forms helps to kills fungus and is also anti-bacterial and anti-viral. It is also very low carb.
Of course diabetics can eat ice cream. We can eat anything we want. I can go rob a convenience store too. The key, is the portion that you eat and knowing your own body and levels. It’s fact that sustained levels over 140 will damage your body, if you’re okay with that, go pig-out!
Diabetics have a funny way of not being able to accept it’s not exactly good and safe to eat whatever they want. Food is a drug and it’s exactly like trying to tell a heroin addict he can’t do drugs.
Yea, let’s throw an ice cream party for the diabetics. Damn dude, this is silly.
Would there be less negative, misinformed comments if this was a popcorn or fruit and vegetable social? Yes. That’s the problem. Everything we eat gets turned to glucose. Doesn’t matter if it’s good for us or not.
The way some of you talk, we should go back to the first diabetic diet of whiskey and coffee.
SWAG is not necessarily diabetes lingo. I first ran into its use as a programmer in the 1980s.