Diabetic Root Beer Float

Tonight is just a fun post about making something diabetic-friendly to satisfy a sweet tooth.  I was inspired today by a burger joint that I went to and decided to make a lower sugar version of an oldie but goodie - a traditional root beer float.

When I looked online, I saw some sugar free options but didn't see just a lower sugar version.  I do eat sugar free food sometimes but most of the time I just opt to make healthier choices.  My philosophy is that you don't have to torture yourself and eat food that doesn't taste as good just because you're a diabetic.  You can cheat your taste buds by choosing better alternatives, that have less sugar and still taste great.

Diabetic Root Beer Float Step-By-Step

Here are the four essential things you need to make this recipe:

1. A retro looking glass to get that 50's diner-type feel.
2. A fun colored straw - make sure that it is wide enough to handle a thick shake.
3. DIET Root Beer - here's where you can definitely trim your sugars. My brand of choice is A&W.
4. Healthier vanilla ice cream like Edy's - this slow churned vanilla only has 16 carbs for 1/2 cup of ice cream.

Depending on the height of the glass, you may need more than one can.  For this float, I needed a can and a half.

Then scoop out your ice cream. I found that one perfect scoop exactly equals 1/2 cup, which is probably why that is the serving size.  If you really want to be exact, you can measure the ice cream before dropping it into the soda.

Now for the fun part, making the root beer a float.  Drop the single scoop into the glass of soda and watch the magic happen.

Now just insert straw and ENJOY!

I hope that you have fun making your own float. It's my opinion that this float is not just great for a diabetic but for anyone wishing to live a healthier lifestyle. Thanks for reading!

My Diagnosis Story

Since November is Diabetes Awareness Month, I thought I would share my diagnosis story.

It was February 15, 2011... 

That morning, I went to school with the $3.00, a yogurt, carrots and other snacks that my mom typically gave me for lunch each day.  I was so incredibly thirsty that I blew all of my lunch cash on three bottles of water.  I wound up drinking those bottles of water - all three of them - in less than 5 minutes. The school let me take out an I.O.U for lunch so I could eat that day but even after lunch period, I was still hungry and thirsty.

And then there were those two words that I said many times that day: "Bathroom break." I must have gone to the bathroom a thousand times that day, even when I knew I couldn't possibly have to go, I still felt like I HAD to go.

When my mom picked me up from school, I asked to be taken to McDonalds for a double quarter pounder and large drink.  After that, we went to a pizza place and I ate AGAIN. I was insatiable. Little did I know that when your sugar is high, it actually makes you hungry.

My mom brought me to an after school activity and I continued to have to go to the bathroom the whole time.  When we got home, my mom said, "Emma, it's time to go to the ER to get tested for diabetes." My mom had happened to hear a radio ad where they listed the symptoms of juvenile diabetes and thought I might have it. I agreed to go but of course, as any young girl would, thought my mom was overreacting.  I mean what were the chances that I had diabetes?

When we got the the ER, my mom's suspicions were confirmed.  My blood sugar was 499. I wasn't in shock or anything when I found out - I was just totally clueless. I knew nothing about diabetes.

I stayed in the hospital for three days. Throughout my stay, I was very tired the whole time; just wanted to sleep a lot. I wasn't thinking about what the ramifications of my diagnosis were or what was going to be because the hospital staff was doing all the work for me -- from calculating my carbs to giving me the insulin shots.

It was winter break when I was released from the hospital so I had a good week to get used to my new lifestyle. At first, my mom was doing all of my insulin shots but then on my second day home I said I wanted to try and I started doing them. I knew that my mom wasn't going to be at school with me or out with my friends, so I had to learn to be independent in living with this disease.

Since I was still in the honeymoon phase for about a year after diagnosis, it took a little while to fully understand how life was going to change but through it all I was determined not to feel like a victim.
To this day, I get a lot of sympathy for having diabetes and I don't feel like I need it.  People say that they feel so bad for what I have to go through but I know that people have it a lot worse than I do so I don't waste time feeling sorry for myself.

That is my diagnosis story. Thank you for reading!