You probably remember hearing your mother say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. With diabetes, it's important to have a breakfast that contains just enough carbohydrates to start the day off right without compromising your diabetes control. A healthy diabetic breakfast should also provide some protein to keep you satiated and energized until lunch and to prevent you from hitting the snack machine mid-morning.
Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar Levels
Carbohydrates is a primary concern for diabetics. Eating too many carbohydrates can result in high blood sugar levels, while not eating enough could lead to low energy levels and hypoglycemia, or a low blood sugar, especially if you are taking diabetes medication or insulin. American Diabetes Association recommends that diabetics consume 45 to 60 g of carbohydrates at each meal. For most diabetics, this amount is sufficient to supply the energy you need while keeping your blood sugar levels in check.
Available Carbohydrates
Only available carbohydrates, which corresponds to the total carbohydrates minus the fiber, have the ability to raise your blood sugar levels. Don't be afraid to choose high-fiber foods, because you can subtract their fiber content from the total carbohydrate content to obtain the available carbohydrate content. Track available carbohydrates, rather than total carbs, to get a better picture of how your breakfast will influence your blood sugars. For example, if a bran breakfast cereal may contain 25 g of total carbohydrates and 14 g of fiber per 1/2 cup, its available carbohydrate content will correspond to 11 g. This means that of the 25 g of carbohydrates, only 11 g can elevate your blood sugar levels.
Carbohydrates at Breakfast
A lot of breakfast foods are rich in carbohydrates and you need to be aware of the carbohydrate content of these foods, especially breakfast cereals, oatmeal, bread, muffins, milk, yogurt, fruits, jam, syrup and even the sugar you put in your coffee. Look the label of these foods and find out how many grams of carbohydrates and fiber are present per serving. Some breakfast cereals have 10 to 15 g of available carbohydrates per 1/2 cup, while other can have up to 35 g of carbohydrates in the same serving. Look for foods that have more fiber and less sugar to help you keep your available carbohydrate intake and blood sugar levels low. Foods that provide about 15 g of carbohydrate per serving include 1 slice of bread, 1 small 6-inch tortilla, 1/2 an English muffin, 2/3 cup of sugar-free yogurt, 1/2 cup of plain cooked oatmeal, 1 small piece of fruit, 1/2 cup of canned fruit, 1 cup of milk or 1 tbsp. of sugar, jam or syrup. Peanut butter, eggs, cheese, deli meat, sausages, smoked salmon, avocado, butter, margarine and nuts and seeds do not contain significant amounts of carbohydrates.
Breakfast Ideas
You can mix and match different foods to develop various breakfast menus that will help you manage your blood sugar levels so you can stay healthy with diabetes. For example, you can have 1 slice of whole grain bread with 1 tbsp. of peanut butter and a cup of milk for 45 g of carbohydrates. If you add half a banana to this breakfast, your carb count will be at 60 g, which is within the recommended range. Peanut butter and milk provides you with some satiating protein. Another alternative is 1 cup of fresh fruits mixed with 2/3 cup of sugar-free yogurt and 1 oz. of almonds, which corresponds to 45 g of carbohydrates. Add 1/4 cup of granola and you will get approximately 60 g of carbohydrates. In this case, yogurt and almonds are your protein sources.
