A large part of the appeal of Gatlinburg is the ability to indulge in foods and drinks you wouldn’t normally go crazy with in your everyday life. Moderation is usually thrown in bear-proof trash cans on the Parkway once you start smelling the greasy, savory, and sweet aromas that are prevalent from end to end. The following 5 items are foods and drinks I used to lovingly consume every time we visited. Unfortunately, (or fortunately) I’ve largely decided to avoid some of these items, mostly because of my health. As a diabetic these are a no-no most of the time, but I used to go far beyond my limitations, so I’ve learned to be smarter as I’ve grown older. Believe it or not, here are the 5 I rarely try now.

1. Tea

I didn’t really need to put this on the list, since…uh, yeah, I used to order unsweetened tea. I know sweet tea is the darling drink in the South, but I never drink my calories, and since I like the taste of tea anyway, my best option is the sugarless one. For some reason, (probably money) I haven’t ordered it in quite some time, and I haven’t missed it, so I guess it’s not an important item on our vacation.

2. Fudge

Now we’re getting into the meat (or sweet) of this list. I love fudge, but I’ve learned this is one food that doesn’t take much consumption to really zap my energy and sap the reserves too. It’s because of this that I avoid the urge to even take a sample from the shops that offer them. The struggle is real with this one, but the willpower has grown stronger with each passing visit to Gatlinburg.

I picked a picture of the one place we’ve never bought fudge from:)

3. Wine

I have never been a big fan of wine. It doesn’t really make sense. I have an undeniable sweet tooth, and I enjoy an occasional alcoholic drink. But the two of them together never really equaled anything too enjoyable for me. So despite the fact you can get free samples at the many available wineries and wine shops in town, I can easily stroll on past without even an invisible arm attempting to pull me in.

4. Ice Cream

Ice cream falls into the same category as fudge when it comes to its effect on me. Out of all the things on this list, ice cream probably has the most negative influence on my blood sugar. The effect is not only immediate, but it keeps it hanging above the clouds even the next day. But boy do I love it! I’ll be honest – during a week’s stay in Gatlinburg, I may sneak in a kiddie cup from Chocolate Monkey on one occasion, but it pales in comparison to what I used to ingest. The opening of The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar is a brand new test I’m still passing…for now.

I had no part of this dairy behemoth.

5. Pancakes

I saved the most egregious violation for last because…well, you ARE aware that Gatlinburg and the whole of the tourism area is pancake central (If you don’t, well, welcome to my blog:). As a kid, whenever we went out for breakfast I would shun any and all protein choices for the sweet round pillows. I also made sure I had fresh syrup globs on every bite, because what kid wants their syrup dried on or in their pancakes. It’s just way too much sugar for me now, and I would feel awful for at least half a day before recovering. By far this has been the toughest one to replace, but I manage…barely.

This Baked Apple Pancake from the Atrium is the second best pancake I’ve had and no longer eat in Gatlinburg.

I will end by saying I do still have to get my Donut Friar favorites. As long as I just eat one for breakfast, I’m not too bad. Couple it with some coffee and I’m walking faster, curbing the blood sugar ascent much more efficiently.

Thanks for reading! And never stop the dreaming!