MadameNoire Featured Video

diabetic valentine's gifts

Source: Riska / Getty

The National Retail Federation reports that over half of those who participate in Valentine’s Day buy candy for their sweethearts, accounting for $2.4 billion spent on the sugary treats. Valentine’s Day seems to be a time when most throw sugary precautions to the wind and imbibe in large boxes of perfectly wrapped chocolates, gooey chocolate fondue at dinner, sweet wines, chocolate martinis and just about anything to send blood sugar soaring. For that reason, it’s also a holiday when diabetics can feel left out. Consuming too much sugar can lead to a life-threatening diabetic coma for diabetics according to Mayo Clinic. So if you’re thinking this one day can be an exception for the diabetic in your life, think again.

 

It’s understandable that figuring out what to buy someone with blood sugar problems on Valentine’s Day can be complicated. That’s why we’ve got you covered with great Valentine’s Day gift ideas for the diabetic you want to treat.

 

A Diabetic Supplies Bag

diabetic valentine's gifts

Source: Grace Cary / Getty

Between insulin, needles, blood sugar meters, testing strips and snacks to elevate their blood sugar when needed, diabetics have a lot of supplies they need to carry around. However, they also need to carry all of the other usual items like their phone, wallet and keys. Diabetic supply bags have traditionally been bulky and unattractive, but there are now dozens of trendy and easy-to-carry varieties in tons of styles with plenty of compartments. We like this hard-sided case for travel that comes in several fun prints, or this sizeable option with tons of storage space.

 

A Diabetic-Friendly Meal Subscription

diabetic valentine's gifts

Source: GoodLifeStudio / Getty

Today, there is a meal subscription plan for just about any dietary need. We’ve listed some of our top Black-owned meal delivery services here. Many allow you to customize your menus to account for issues like food allergies, weight loss goals and even diabetes. When blood sugar dips for diabetics, there isn’t time to think about what they’ll make. Having ready-to-go meals and snacks from a subscription service makes it easy to get sustenance quickly and be sure all of the ingredients in the fridge are low in sugar.

 

Dark Chocolate

diabetic valentine's gifts

Source: Olena Ruban / Getty

If you want to go the old-fashioned route and give the gift of chocolate, opt for dark chocolate. You can get dark chocolate with nuts because their protein content stabilizes blood sugar. This dark chocolate is popular among diabetics because it’s sweetened with zero-sugar Stevia so it’s still flavorful but won’t cause blood sugar fluctuations. Its variety pack contains original, coconut, almond and crispy rice options, all of which are non-GMO, fair trade and gluten-free.

 

Foot Massager

diabetic valentine's gifts

Source: FOTOGRAFIA INC. / Getty

A foot massager can improve circulation – and diabetics commonly struggle with circulation issues. A foot massager can also alleviate the pain associated with diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage), which can be very uncomfortable. Plus, it can be romantic if you use it on each other, as well as on other parts of the body.

 

An ADA Cookbook

diabetic valentine's gifts

Source: andresr / Getty

While the American Diabetes Association might not be top of mind when thinking of great chefs, the ADA has been publishing cookbooks for 25 years. They are an excellent resource for endless diabetic-friendly recipes. While there are many other authors offering similar reads, you can feel safe knowing that a book from the ADA will contain recipes that meet the necessary requirements for the diabetic in your life. You can even make one of these recipes for Valentine’s Day dinner as a nice surprise.

 

A Low-Sugar Fruit Basket

diabetic valentine's gifts

Source: Wang Yukun / Getty

If you think a bouquet of flowers is boring, opt for a colorful fruit basket. There are many low-sugar fruits that are diabetic-friendly like raspberries, grapefruits, strawberries, oranges and tart cherries. If your relationship is romantic, it can always be sexy to hand feed each other strawberries or cherries. Plus, you can dip strawberries in melted dark chocolate for a low-sugar, fun DIY dessert.

Comment Disclaimer: Comments that contain profane or derogatory language, video links or exceed 200 words will require approval by a moderator before appearing in the comment section. XOXO-MN