Breakfast for Diabetics – Three Ideas

This article will talk about breakfast for diabetics and giving you three diabetic breakfast ideas.

First of all, we look at why breakfast is important to diabetic. Our body goes without food when we are sleeping, these will result in lower blood sugar levels in our body. Breakfast will help us restore our blood sugar level. Thus, these will put diabetics at risk if they are skipping breakfast.

Researchers have already classified breakfast as the most important meal of the day whether you are a diabetic or not.

At night our body typically goes without food, which is a source of glucose, for upto 12 hours. This prolong period of fasting in the body mobilizes its glucose stores in the form of glycogen. The gradually breaking down of glycogen help maintains blood glucose levels during the night but the supply of glycogen stores may be used up by the next morning.

This could mean trouble for diabetics who have taken blood glucose-lowering drugs the night before, whereby these drugs could still be effective in the next morning, this will result in blood glucose levels dropping further, increasing the risk of hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar. Hypoglycaemia symptoms include giddiness and irritability. One may even fall into a coma in severe cases.

This is why diabetics should start the day with a new supply of glucose by taking breakfast instead of skipping. A good breakfast will also prevent diabetics from overeating during lunch. Overeating could lead to an increase in their blood sugar levels.

Diabetic should have a well-planned breakfast menu that is nutritionally balanced and provides adequate energy. Diabetics should not avoid carbohydrates.

Some diabetics may avoid carbohydrates thinking that the body converts them into blood glucose. However, carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body and the only source of energy for the brain.

Hence, it is best to choose slow release carbohydrates food like kidney beans, chickpeas and wholegrain bread. Such foods reduce the possibility for spikes in blood glucose as they are being digested slowly.

Diabetics should also take note to include other food groups, like low-fat protein, fruit and vegetables and a small amount of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which is commonly known as the good fats.

These following are three breakfast ideas for diabetics:

• Take in breakfast shakes make by low-fat milk, yogurt or soya bean milk, which supply good quality protein and calcium for healthy bones. Diabetic can also add with high-fibre wholegrain cereals (oats or muesli) and blend it with fruit and flax seeds.

• Take sandwiches breakfast with wholegrain bread together with low-fat cheese or lean ham, sliced tomatoes, cucumber and celery. A sandwich with two slices of wholegrain bread, may get up to 5g of dietary fibre or approximately 20% of a daily needs.

• Consume brown rice vermicelli which is higher in fibre and use less oil for frying. Adding vegetables and some firm soya bean cake to it will increase more nutrients, fibre and protein for the breakfast.