World Diabetes Day and Low Carb German Chocolate Cake Bars

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Today is World Diabetes Day. I first heard about diabetes when I was in middle school. I had spent about a week running up to the grocery store for my older brother who was very ill. He kept saying he was thirsty so my cousin and I would ride our bikes to the grocery store to pick him up some Gatorade (in hind sight not such a good idea). It was presumed that he had some sort of flu and needed to stay hydrated. Well, after several visits to the doctor, it was the visit to the eye doctor for his blurry vision that finally gave him some answers. The eye doctor asked. “How long have you had diabetes?” To which my brother responded, “I don’t have diabetes.” The eye doctor told him to go have it checked immediately. He had his blood sugar checked and it was over 500 mg/dL (normal around 100-140 mg/dL). He’s lucky that his organs didn’t go into failure before they were able to diagnose him and get his blood sugar regulated.

He had a long road of changing his eating habits and dealing with the fact that he would have to give himself insulin shots for the rest of his life.See, my brother was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes, which used to be referred as Juvenile Diabetes. With Type-1 diabetes your pancreas is destroyed by auto-antibodies and cannot produce insulin. The only way to give your body the insulin it needs is to give it shots. These days more and more people are being diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes. Type-2 diabetes is when someone suffers from “insulin resistance” and the body is not able to make enough insulin to control the blood sugar. Type-2 diabetes and can be controlled with diet and weight loss. A low carb diet is perfect for diabetics because it helps to control blood sugar. There are no crazy blood sugar spikes because you aren’t eating foods high in sugar or carbohydrates (which turn to sugar). One of the reason I have adopted the low carb lifestyle is because diabetes runs in my family. I have had family members that are Type-1, Type-2, and even a hybrid of the two. Most of them have been able to control their diabetes with diet and exercise changes and I’ve realized just how important it is to control my blood sugar.

Prevalence of Diabetes:

25.8 million children and adults in the U.S. have diabetes
7 million people are undiagnosed
79 million people have pre-diabetes
1.9 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in 2010 of people aged 20 or older

For more info visit the American Diabetes Association.

Are you or someone in your family diabetic? Please share your story in the comments below.

Low Carb German Chocolate Cake Bars

2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup powdered sugar substitute (I used Swerve Confectioners Style)
1 1/2 cups almond flour cracker crumbs (recipe below)
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut oil

Chocolate Layer:
6 oz chocolate of choice (choose a darker chocolate with no or low sugar)
1/2 cup coconut milk
Powdered Sugar Substitute (Swerve Confectioners Style), to taste

Combine the coconut, Swerve, almond flour cracker crumbs, and pecans in a large bowl. Add the coconut oil and coconut milk to a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Cook until the coconut oil is melted and the mixture is heated through. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Place the mixture in a greased 8″ x 8″ baking dish. Allow to set in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

To make the chocolate layer, slowly melt the chocolate and add the coconut milk. Stir until smooth. Add sweetener, if desired and stir to combine. Pour the chocolate mixture over the coconut layer and refrigerate until set (about 1 hour). Cut into squares and serve.

(Adapted from Diethood)

Net Carb Count*:

Low Carb German Chocolate Cake Bars: 3.1 net carbs per bar (yields 20 bars)
Entire coconut/pecan layer: 47 net carbs and chocolate layer is 15 net carbs for a total of 62 net carbs

*Note carb counts are estimated based on the products I used. Check nutrition labels for accurate carb counts and gluten information.Almond Flour Cracker Crumbs
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup equivalent sweetener (I used Swerve)
1/2 cup coconut oil, meltedPreheat oven to 350 F. Combine all the ingredients and spread onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool and then crumble into cracker crumbs.

Enjoy!

~Karen

Please check out some of recipes from other bloggers raising awareness for World Diabetes Day. Also, enter to win a KitchenAid Mixer!

The contents of this post are for informational purposes only. Always consult your physician before changing your diet or exercise plan.

Products I used for this meal (click the image for more info or to purchase):
Check out Swerve’s November Deal: Buy 2 Get 1 Free Confectioners Style Sweetener

Not interested in the Confectioners Style sale? Use LOWCARB15 for 15% off your order (not valid with the above deal).

****Disclosure: Some of the links within in this post (and side bar) may be affiliate links. I receive a small percentage from the respected affiliate programs for items purchased through the affiliate links. I appreciate your support as this is helping for the cost of recipe development, graphic design, and for the publication of an ebook due out in February 2013.****

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World Diabetes Day and Low Carb German Chocolate Cake Bars

Low Carb German Chocolate Cake Bars

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