Gelato contains added sugars (saccharose, glucose, fructose), as well as those in milk (lactose) and fruit (fructose). As long as you follow a few simple rules, however, even diabetics can enjoy a good hand-made gelato.
All a question of balance
Medical and nutritional sciences until recently tended to totally prohibit diabetics from consuming foods containing sugar, whether it was glucose, sucrose, fructose or lactose, but luckily things have changed.
Today we tend to think in terms of balancing the various nutritional components, so gelato can be part of a correct diet just as any other foods can be and you have no need to go for "gelato for diabetics": if you take a few precautions you can indulge in some healthy hand-made gelato, as well as many other delicious things.
Yes, at the end of a meal, instead of fruit
What precautions? Being a food which leads the body to produce glucose, first of all, gelato should replace and not be eaten in addition to other foods containing carbohydrates such as fruit, bread, pasta, rice, and the quantities should take into account the recommended daily calorie intake.
For example, a bowl of gelato can replace fruit at the end of a meal based on plenty of vegetables and fiber in general, which can slow the absorption of glucose. Not forgetting that in insulin-dependent diabetics, insulin is taken just before the meal.
What to avoid...
What diabetes sufferers should avoid, however, is ice cream as a snack between meals, because the added sugar, in addition to that contained in milk and possibly in fruit, would cause a sharp rise in blood sugar.
It is a good idea in any case to consult a diabetologist, who will be able to recommend modes and timescales for specific situations.
Hand-made gelato for everyone!
