Before work, I have to pick up a birthday cake for a
coworker. But not just any cake, it has to be diabetic friendly. [sigh]
Cake is usually great on its own, but when you start fooling
around with ingredients so people who shouldn’t be eating it can, a lot can go
wrong. For instance, unrefined carbohydrates spike blood sugar and a cake is,
well, ninety-two percent unrefined carbs. Okay, maybe not that high, but still,
not all that great for someone with diabetes. Using legumes or whole grain
flours instead alters the texture and flavor, and as far as sweeteners and
frostings go, fake sugars taste just like that: fake. I suppose I could have
made a cake for this person using my Honey Cake and Frosting recipes and added
chocolate chips or something to make it a little more appealing, but alas, my
last minute brain didn’t come up with that scenario until, uh, this morning.
Honey doesn’t raise blood sugar and sweetens and flavors desserts beautifully,
but does add its own flavor to the mix as well. Another option I know of (and
have in the cupboard still unused) is agave nectar, which is made from the same
plant as tequila. Mmm… tequila.
This all got me wondering, should we as a society cater to
people with specific dietary needs? Do bakeries have a moral obligation to
create breads for people who are gluten-intolerant or diabetic or allergic to
wheat? I’m not going to answer these questions or anything, I just wanted to
pose them out there for those of us who are not affected by these allergies or
intolerances ourselves, but know people who have to make a conscious decision
when not cooking for themselves. Now, if only they would stop making so many
fruit bowls with pineapple, perhaps even I could enjoy some every now and then.
Alas, a purchase must be made, and it hopefully will be
edible. I just hope it tastes good too.
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