Type 2 diabetes is the most prevalent form of diabetes and can often be treated by lifestyle changes, such as a proper diet and regular exercise, at least in the beginning. Most people with Type 2 diabetes will eventually need the help of diabetes medications or insulin to keep their blood sugar levels in check, but a healthy diet always remains an important part of the treatment plan. Eating a healthy breakfast is important to start the day off right with plenty of energy without compromising your blood sugar levels.
Appropriate Carbohydrate Intake
Controlling your carbohydrate intake will help you control your blood sugar levels. Carbohydrate, by being broken down into sugar during the digestion process, is the main nutrient contributing to elevating your blood sugar levels after a meal. Carbohydrates are in many foods, but especially in grains, starchy vegetables, legumes, fruits, milk, yogurt and sugar. For most people with Type 2 diabetes, aiming for 45 g to 60 g of carbohydrates per meal, as advised by the American Diabetes Association, is a good starting point. You may need to adjust your carbohydrate target, depending on your blood sugar levels or your health care team's recommendations. Read food labels to find out how many grams of carbohydrate are in each serving.
Choose Better Carbohydrates
To help you stay healthy with diabetes, you should only include the best quality carbohydrates in your diet. Avoid processed and refined grains, such as many sugary breakfast cereals, granola bars, instant flavored oatmeal, pancakes, syrups, jams, sugar, chocolate spreads, sugary drinks, juices and specialty coffees loaded with sugar. Instead, make most of your carbs come from whole fresh fruits, whole grains, such as whole-grain bread, whole-grain breakfast cereals and steel-cut oats, as well as milk and plain yogurt. These foods deliver a lot more nutrition, such as antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals, that can hep protect your health.
Combining With Protein
Your breakfast should also include a source of protein to make it more satiating and complete. Many people with Type 2 diabetes simply have plain toast with a coffee with sugar or breakfast cereals and milk for breakfast, which is almost 100 percent pure carbohydrates. Add protein, whether it is from eggs, hard cheeses, cottage cheese, smoked salmon, deli meat, sausages, nuts, seeds or nut butter, such as almond butter or peanut butter.
Breakfast Menus
For your breakfast, you can have half a banana with two slices of whole grain toast and peanut butter, which would provide you with approximately 45 g of carbohydrates. You could also cook a serving of 1/3 cup of dry steel-cut oats and serve it with 1/4 cup of plain yogurt, 1 cup of strawberries and 1/2 oz. of almonds for a total of 45 g of carbohydrates. You can also have scrambled eggs with spinach and mushrooms and some cheese. Eggs, cheese and nonstarchy vegetables do not contain a significant amount of carbohydrates. You could therefore serve this breakfast with 2/3 cup of plain yogurt and 1 cup of blueberries to increase your carbohydrate intake close to 45 g.
