Diabetic Breakfast on the Run – Diabetic Breakfast Tips

DIABETIC BREAKFAST ON THE RUN

The blood sugars are at their lowest when we wake up in the morning, this is because we haven’t eaten since the night before.  The most important thing is to start the day out right by eating breakfast with protein and good carbs to fuel the brain and muscles most especially for a good diabetic breakfast on the run. 

Most of us just need to eat something to kick our body and brain into action which is why we buy a bagel or pastry on our way to work because we have to leave the house early.

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Instead of waiting for minutes in the queue, why not use that time to make a quick breakfast yourself which is cheaper, tastier and healthier. 

Some people consider a cup of coffee or a cup of tea as breakfast which is not a bad idea. If you are the type that binge eats at night, this is another great reason why you should consider making your own breakfast.

The main cause of binge eating at night is a result of accumulated stress and hunger that is built up during the day, this can be reduced or ward off by keeping your energy levels consistent throughout the day starting with a healthy and nutritious breakfast.

For a diabetic patient, a good healthy diabetic breakfast on the run is very important which is why it’s advisable to start the day with a wholesome breakfast. Eating a healthy breakfast also supports weight loss, which can positively improve blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity.

Every diabetic patient is expected to know their Carbs number or the number of carbohydrates they should aim to eat at every meal for them to achieve a good diabetic breakfast on the run.

Knowing your number helps to plan your meal and once you know your number, you can start stocking your kitchen with diabetes-friendly breakfast staples. This will also help you to avoid impulse eating.

When you eat breakfast that has a low glycemic index which helps prevent a spike in blood sugar all morning long and even after lunch, also a good breakfast helps start your morning by building your metabolism and keeps your energy up throughout the day.

There are four major things to keep in mind when planning a diabetes-friendly meal, breakfast or otherwise. They consist of:

• Fiber: oatmeal, whole-grain bread, and whole-wheat/bran muffins
• Lean protein: eggs, fish, beans, or nuts
• Healthy fats: olive oil, avocado, grass-fed butter and dairy, coconut, and nuts
• Vegetables: peppers, tomatoes, onions, and especially dark leafy greens

Focusing on these four categories of food will ensure that your plate checks all the boxes of a satisfying, nutrient-dense meal. Also, setting up yourself to make better meal choices throughout the rest of the day.

The food cravings and most symptoms of pregnancy often make meal planning and eating a bit more difficult, and gestational diabetes only adds to this complexity. 

Talking about meal ideas and recipes, a gestational diabetes patient need to be more careful of carbohydrates being the nutrient that impacts blood sugar the most

Gestational diabetes is also known to diabetes mellitus (also called “diabetes”) that occurs in women for the first time during pregnancy. Diabetes simply means that the glucose (sugar) levels in a person’s bloodstream are too high.

Usually, the hormone insulin produced by an organ called the pancreas absorbs and uses the glucose that comes from your food. A pregnant woman’s hormone makes it difficult for her to use insulin (this is called insulin resistance). 

To say it better, she has to use a lot more insulin, up to three times as much, to bring down glucose levels in the blood. If she is unable to make enough insulin to keep her glucose in the normal range, she has gestational diabetes.

Breakfast can be the most difficult meal to plan. Most women with gestational diabetes struggle with blood sugar levels in the morning. The fact is carbohydrates can make your blood sugar levels skyrocket which is why good control of your blood sugar at breakfast can make it easier to maintain your blood sugar throughout the rest of the day.

Here are some example of meal options

• 2 eggs with 1 whole-grain corn tortillas, 1/3 avocado, and salsa
• 2 eggs (hard-boiled) with 1-2 servings of whole-grain toast
• A 2-egg omelet with vegetables with 1 ¼ cup strawberries
• For 1 smoothie: ½ banana, 2 strawberries, 1 cup almond milk, 1 teaspoon nut butter, 1 tablespoon flaxseed
• ½ cup cooked oatmeal (made with water) with 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts and ¾ cup blueberries
• A low-fat plain Greek yogurt with 1 cup raspberries and 2 Tablespoons slivered almonds

Other breakfast recipes include:

• Easy Eggs Florentine Recipe
• Easy Flax Breakfast Pudding Recipe
• Easy Low-Carb Pancakes with Almond Meal Recipe

Talking about the number of calories per meal for diabetics, eating no more than 1800 calories per day means an 1800 calorie diabetic diet, this diet is needed to control your blood sugar or weight loss. It also lowers the risk of heart problems.

HOW MANY EGGS CAN A DIABETIC HAVE IN A DAY?

When you eat egg daily, your blood sugar level is impacted positively but the number of eggs consumed per day should be noted.

Eggs have a lot of health benefits and also help to reduce heart diseases, it has also been found that eggs decrease inflammation, improve cholesterol levels and also improve insulin.

The Major source of the egg is potassium, which supports nerve and muscle health. Potassium also helps balance sodium levels in the body and improves your cardiovascular health. 

Boiled egg also is a great breakfast on the run option. It saves you time in the morning, all you need do is to make a batch early in the week and eat one before leaving home to work every morning.

Research has shown that eating six or fewer weeks a week doesn’t increase the cholesterol even though people with diabetes are at a higher risk but that doesn’t mean they can’t eat eggs at all as far as it is not more than six in a week. The omega 3 rich eggs which are anti-inflammatory is even better if one can buy it.

WHAT IS THE BEST CEREAL FOR A DIABETIC TO EAT?

Talking about cereal, it is very important to choose a cereal that is low in sugar and high in fiber, choose a cereal that has less than six grams of sugar and the fiber should be at least three grams.

Studies have shown that eating a diet rich in whole grains cereals made with healthy ingredients such as nuts are healthy and can reduce the risk of heart disease. It can also be rich in calories and fat for a small portion. Many kinds of cereal contain vitamins and minerals which can help people meet their nutritional needs.

Tips to lower carb content in cereals

• Choose a hot cereal like oatmeal, quinoa or another whole grain blend and add chopped nuts or nut butter for added fiber, protein, and healthy fat. For example, 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal with 3/4 cup blueberries, and 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, topped with cinnamon. 

If you are choosing a cold cereal: 

• Read the label and stick to one serving, measure it with a measuring cup and use a small bowl to make the portion appear larger
• Choose a whole-grain cereal
• Choose a cereal that has at least three grams of fiber and also grams of sugar at most.
• Do not add dried fruit, sugar, or other calorie sweeteners, such as agave, honey, table sugar 
• Ensure to add one serving of high fiber fruit to increase fiber content such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries
• Choose unsweetened almond milk for less carbohydrate than cow’s milk 
• Using low-fat Greek yogurt which will boost protein content and reduce carbohydrate content, Skipping the milk altogether and make a yogurt parfait

What are the good brands of cereal you can take?

If you are someone with diabetes, you can assess which cereals work best for you by testing your blood sugar before and two hours after you eat, here are the few you can take which is best for a diabetes patient

• Cascadian Farm Organic Purely O’s
• Cheerios 
• Post Bran Flakes
• Wheaties
• Quaker Crunchy Corn Bran
• Kix
• Fiber One
• Barbara’s Bakery Puffins (Cinnamon and Honey Rice)   
• Kashi (certain varieties), such as Puffed Rice, GoLean
• Kellogg’s Special K High Protein
• Kellogg’s All-Bran

When cereal is being added with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, it prevents low blood sugars, it is advisable to stick to one and watch your add-ons.

Best Cereal for People with Diabetes

• Steer clear of cereals that manufacturers market to children, which tend to contain a lot of sugar. Frosted cereals offer little nutritional value. Try a shredded whole-wheat cereal instead.
• Oatmeal is a very good high-fiber which can be used instead of cold cereal. sprinkling cinnamon or adding a bit of honey or maple syrup also adds more flavor to it for more.  Make sure you avoid the highly processed instant oatmeal with lots of added sugar or better still choose a low-sugar variety.
• Cereals containing fruit and nuts. There is a possibility of increasing the nutritional value of cereal by sprinkling berries or dried fruit on top.
• Cereals are rich in bran or whole grains. These ones have fewer carbs, high fiber, and less sugar than many other brands of cereal.

Diabetes patient can make use of the following strategies if they want to continue eating cereal:

• Limit portion sizes. serving sizes is highly recommendable to use because it tends to be smaller than that which the average person may eat, so try measuring a serving.
• Reduce the intake of other sugary and carb-rich foods. If you want to enjoy cereal for breakfast, you should avoid eating sugary snacks and other carb-heavy foods that day.
• Choose whole-grain or bran cereal. These fiber-rich ingredients may help control blood sugar. 
• Monitor blood glucose. Most diabetes patients might find that their bodies cannot process even relatively low-carb cereals, while others will be able to manage an occasional sugary treat.
• Eat a balanced diet. No single food can make or break a person’s diet. Just focus on eating lots of fruits and vegetables and lean proteins.
• Stay physically active. Regular exercise can help a person lower and manage their blood glucose.
• Be mindful of calorie content. Cereal may be low in carbs and high in calories. This is most difficult for those that want to lose weight.

IS SHREDDED WHEAT CEREAL GOOD FOR DIABETICS?

The simplest cereal is Shredded cereal. It’s nothing but wheat and a little bit of BHT as a preservative. It has no sodium and no sugar and one cup of Shredded Wheat has 6 grams’ fiber and 6 grams’ protein, which makes it the top choice here and also good for diabetes patients.

Shredded cereal is considered a high carbohydrate food, the carbohydrates turn to sugar once its eaten, that’s why it raises the blood sugars but it is considered low sugars and surprisingly a good cereal for diabetes because it contains fiber.

A large number of people have chosen to reduce the number of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels 

There are carbohydrates that tend to have the highest effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates like rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour-based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food and so on) and certain fruits.

IS OATMEAL GOOD FOR DIABETICS?

Oatmeal made from grain Oats is a helpful addition to the diet of a diabetes patient. Oatmeal is a hot cereal which is made from broken-down oat groats, it is eaten by mixing it with hot water or milk to give it a pleasant consistency and also makes it look smooth.

Considering the fact that Oatmeal has a low glycemic index (GI) score and the beneficial vitamins and nutrients including fiber help people control markers of diabetes which makes it good for diabetes patients.

Oatmeal is considered to be very good food for diabetes patients also because they are loaded with dietary fiber (containing more than many other grains and have a healthy lower cholesterol property). 

Oats (specifically oat bran and oatmeal) is a wholesome, high fiber grain that has a positive effect on lowering Cholesterol and also decreases blood sugar spikes plus inflammation in the body which is one of the main focuses in treating diabetes and heart diseases.

There are also other benefits of oats which includes:

• Oatmeal helps to lose weight by delaying the time it takes your stomach to empty the food, the beta-glucan in the oatmeal increases your feeling of fullness. It happens by slowing down the emptying of the stomach and increasing the production of the satiety hormone.
• Oats acts as antioxidants; it contains a range of molecules which includes avenanthramides which are polyphenols. Avenenthramides also help in keeping the blood pressure low increasing nitric oxide production. They also prevent inflammatory and itching when applied to the skin.
• Oatmeal is nutrient-dense with iron, zinc, selenium, and magnesium. Even though it may not qualify as a full-blown superfood, it’s more nutritious than most morning meals.

WHAT BREAD IS FOR DIABETICS?

Bread can sometimes be high in carb, some are overly processed, high in sugar and filled with no calories.

When you make bread at home with specific, diabetes-friendly ingredients will also reduce the impact that bread can have on blood sugar levels. The best type of bread is the whole-grain bread with high-fiber ingredients, such as oats and bran which are usually the best option for people with diabetes.

There are four major types of bread for diabetics

1. FIBER-ENRICHED WHOLE GRAIN BREAD

Fiber which is also known as roughage is part of plant-based foods (grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans) that the body cannot break down. It passes through the body undigested leaving the digestive system healthy and clean, it also eases bowel movements, flushes cholesterol and harmful carcinogens out of the body.

However, fiber-enriched whole-grain bread still has a high amount of carbohydrates, so it’s very important to eat in moderation, also adding soluble fiber to bread helps a person manage blood sugar and also lowers the glycemic index score of food.

2. MULTI-GRAIN SANDWICH BREAD

This type of bread has a high carbohydrates and also tends to contain whole, unrefined grains that are high in naturally occurring fiber which reduces the impact of carbohydrates on blood sugar.

In choosing whole-grain bread, it is advisable to find one that includes ingredients such as oats, quinoa, buckwheat, whole-grain wheat, brown rice, barley, and bran. Other nutrients such as Zinc, Vitamin E and protein can be found in most grains also

3. LOW CARBOHYDRATE TORTILLAS

Manufacturers nowadays are now increasing the provision of a wide range of low-carbohydrate tortillas to appeal to health-conscious consumers. Tortillas also provide a tasty, versatile and sometimes healthier choice for sandwiches.

Low-carbohydrate tortillas have added fiber to reduce carbohydrate counts and this is why diabetes patients can make use of low-carbohydrate tortillas they would use bread, wrapping their favorite sandwich ingredients in the tortilla, tortillas can also be used for mini pizzas, homemade burritos, and tacos.

4. GRAIN-FREE BREAD

This is the best choice for a diabetes-friendly bread, it contains no flour or grains, there is also a flourless sprouted-grain bread and they are also a good source of fiber and also rich in carbohydrates.

It is also important to check nutrition facts on products as they may contain high calories. A type 1 diabetes patient should have a diet of about 35 calories per kg of body weight per day (or 16 calories per pound of body weight per day).

Also, patients with type 3 diabetes are to put on 1,500 or 1,800 calories per day to promote weight loss and then maintain the ideal body weight. However, this varies depending on the individual’s age, sex, activity level, body weight, and body style.

Lower carbohydrate is associated intake is related to lower sugar levels in the blood, carbohydrates make up to 50% of the daily calories (with an accepted range of 40% to 60%).

Although more obese individuals need more calories until their weight is less because the body takes more calories to maintain a larger body and a 1,600 calorie diet for them encourages weight loss that is too fast to be healthy.

ARE BANANAS GOOD FOR DIABETES?

Bananas are safe and nutritious fruit for people that has diabetes and also provide plenty of nutrition without adding many calories. A diabetes patient should always include fresh plant food options in their diets such as vegetables and fruits like banana but should be eaten in moderation as part of a balanced and individualized diet plan.

Another good option if a diabetes patient must eat a banana is to pair a banana with a protein source such as Greek Yoghurt. This helps the person to feel full for longer and reduce the urge to eat snacks throughout the day helping them to regulate the blood sugar.

Also banana contains some fiber in addition to the sugar and starch, this means that the sugars in banana get digested slowly and absorbed which prevents blood sugar spikes, these are what make bananas good for diabetes.

An average banana has about 30g of carbohydrates which is mostly from sugars, therefore the amount of sugar is determined by the amount of banana consumed. Banana is good for diabetes patients but must be eaten in moderation.

A diabetes patient has to keep the blood sugar level very stable because when there is a good blood sugar control, the progression of the main medical complications of diabetes can be prevented or slowed, this is why it is advisable to avoid foods that can cause blood sugar spikes

WHICH MILK IS BEST FOR DIABETICS?

Diabetes makes some people more susceptible to bone fractures and the best way to keep the bones strong is by taking a diet that is high in calcium and one way to achieve this is by drinking milk daily.

Creating a good meal specifically diabetes-friendly is a good place to start, adding calcium-rich milk into your diet may take a bit of planning but no matter what you choose, consider starting out with 45 – 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal. The carbohydrate found in milk should be tailed towards that number.

For example, a person who aims to reduce their carbohydrate intake can go for almond and flax milk because they contain nearly zero carbohydrates. Though all cow’s milk contains carbohydrates, it is important for diabetes patients to factor this into their carbs count.

Lower-fat foods and beverages like skimmed milk can be a lower-fat, lower-calorie option for people who are not lactose intolerant and prefer cow’s milk, therefore, glucose monitoring might be helpful to determine if and what kind of cow milk is the best.

For type 2 diabetes, the diet needed is specific and requires daily planning.  The following guidelines are needed when it comes to choosing milk;

• Calcium –  From ages of 19-51 need 1,000 mg of calcium each day. A glass of low-fat cow’s milk has about 300 mg. Some alternative milk can fall behind their dairy rival in this area. Some only have a small fraction of the calcium found in milk, while others add calcium and Vitamin D.

• Insulin, blood sugar, and carbs – Carbs has the greatest influence act on blood sugar, for someone with type 2 diabetes or type 1 diabetes, your optimal daily amount of carbs can vary. It has been shown through research that limiting carb consumption to between 25–45 percent of calories per day is effective for improving blood sugar control. 

Diabetic Breakfast on the Run has been one of the best ways for people to prepare their food on time and have proper intervals in meals.