Despite the current state of my pancreas, my late diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes meant I enjoyed a childhood of sugar-filled Easter treats. In fact, one of my favorite harbingers of spring was the Cadbury Creme Egg. Do you guys know about those? Chocolate on the outside, but inside there’s this white and yellow sugar cream that makes it look like a real egg? It is, I now know, a diabetic nightmare (sugar wrapped in chocolate,literally). But something about the creamy goo, the overly sweet Cadbury’s chocolate . . . man, I loved those eggs.
Anyway, suffice it to say that I no longer eat Creme Eggs. But I started thinking of them again when Jess asked if I might have any Easter tips for people with diabetes. And it occurred to me that, when it comes to holidays, Easter’s actually not all that bad for diabetics. In my family, we usually eat ham — no carbs — and besides the occasional loaf of Easter bread, there’s not really a tradition of sugar-laden Easter foods. No fruitcake, for example. No punch. No office Easter parties, or special hors d’oeuvres. It really just comes down to the Easter basket.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but putting aside my personal love of Creme Eggs, I don’t remember associating my Easter basket specifically with candy. It was more about the thrill of a magical bunny leaving me presents while I slept — and it didn’t matter if those presents had chocolate. Hell, one year the bunny left me a bald eagle hand puppet. Toys are totally reasonable substitutes for chocolate eggs. Further proof that Easter might be the best diabetic holiday: dying Easter eggs. What other holy day has an entire kids’ activity based on a food that has zero carbs?
I don’t have plans for Easter this year. But I’m thinking that maybe I should buy myself a box of PAAS and dye myself some eggs. (What says “childhood” more than that sulphuric, vinegar smell?) It’d be a fun way to spend an afternoon — and it comes with a special, diabetes bonus: egg salad for lunch.