When you are managing diabetes, your diet can be the biggest struggle in keeping your blood glucose numbers balanced. With so many shortcut items on the market, it can be difficult to see through the marketing claims to determine the true nutritional value. Understand what diabetic nutritional shakes are, how they can benefit your diet plan, and learn the proper way to integrate the shakes into your meal plan for the best results.
Nutrition Information
The average diabetic nutritional shake contains 16-25 g of carbohydrates. Some include 5 g or more of fiber, which reduces the net carbohydrate impact. Most shakes contribute between 100-200 calories to your meal plan with approximately 50 calories from fat. There is little to no saturated fat in the shakes and minimal cholesterol, making them a heart-healthy choice. Each shake contains approximately 20 percent of your daily recommended protein intake and 24 or more additional vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins and Minerals
Diabetic nutritional drinks are prepared with additional nutrients to supplement your diet plan. Most of the diabetic drinks contain 25 percent of your daily requirement of iron and vitamin D as well as 50 percent of your requirement of B vitamins and folic acid. Most diabetic shakes also contain 10 percent of your daily requirement of potassium.
Blood Glucose Benefits
Diabetic nutritional shakes contain significant amounts of dietary fiber and protein to slow the carbohydrate absorption and provide a more gradual blood glucose increase. The shakes are marketed to help balance blood sugar by reducing the risk of blood glucose spikes. The snacks also provide flavors that can help satisfy sweet cravings, reducing the likelihood of irresponsible snacking on high-carbohydrate sweets.
Integration
Diabetic nutritional shakes are ideal for carbohydrate contributions to your mid-day or evening snack. If you are on a restricted diet plan, these shakes are an alternative to obtain many of the needed vitamins and minerals with controlled caloric impact. Supplement your daily meal plan with a shake when necessary and keep your blood glucose more balanced throughout the day. Drink a nutritional shake before bed to provide the carbohydrate and protein contribution recommended by diabetic nutritionists to help keep blood sugar stable overnight.
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