Breakfast for Diabetics

You’ve heard it before, if not from your mother than certainly someplace else – breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast for diabetics, either Type I or II, is even more important. Missing that morning meal or eating the wrong things can send your blood sugars soaring or plummeting, depending on what’s consumed.

The one thing all diabetics must remember, is when it comes to eating there are no absolutes. There are some carb-heavy foods that might spike blood sugar, but for the diabetic who can cover it with insulin, that may not be a problem.

Each diabetic has to find what works and doesn’t work for him. That takes research, education and trial and error. The most important thing a diabetic can do is use her blood glucose meter often to determine how her body reacts to certain foods.

Most diabetics watch their carbohydrate intake in one form or another. Some follow a diet higher (but not extreme) in carbohydrates like the American Diabetes Association diet, while others take the low-carb route with diets designed around Doctors Atkins and Bernstein plans.

Many people think a low-carbohydrate breakfast for diabetics has to revolve around one type of food – eggs, eggs and more eggs. While eggs are an important part of low-carb eating, they are not the only thing to eat for breakfast. Think outside the traditional breakfast-food box and you will find many options:

• Use the leftover protein from your dinner the night before
• Try some cottage cheese or yogurt with low-glycemic fruit like strawberries or raspberries
• Tuna-fish salad (I said think outside the breakfast food box)
• Chicken nuggets (the less breading the better)
• And yes, eggs and a breakfast for diabetics can even include eggs with steak, sausages, ham or bacon. (some people swear by the real thing, but if you’re concerned with cholesterol then think turkey sausage or bacon and Eggbeaters).

Some people couldn’t consider an egg without a piece of toast. Depending on what side of the low-carb fence you live on, regular bread may be an option. For the rest of us, fortunately, there are a number of low-carb options. Some are regular bread, but made with fewer carbohydrates. Flax meal is another choice for diabetics. This seed is low in carbs and high in fiber, a great combination for diabetics. You can use flax meal is all types of diabetic recipes, such as a creamy morning cereal or even create a low-low-carb type bread. I swear by this recipe for keeping down the carbs, but giving you a real bed feel and taste.

Oatmeal is another good breakfast for diabetics and many swear by for its cholesterol-lowering properties. For others, however, it’s a glucose spike inducer. This again, is where the diabetic has to do his or her own due diligence and test, test, test.

For diabetics who like their cereal cold, there are a number of high-fiber, low-sugar brands to try or some makers produce low-carb type of cereal. You may have to do a taste taste of many brands to find one that don't taste like cardboard.

For diabetics who don’t have time to prepare breakfast, there are a couple of healthy (and quick) options. Blend up a breakfast shake with milk, yogurt, fruit and a little flax. Pour it into a travel mug and you’re off. Or grab a couple of string cheese sticks as you run out the door.

If that’s too complicated, just make sure you have a cupboard full of low-carb protein bars. In fact, carrying a snack bar with you may be a lifesaver and keep you from munching on the wrong thing later in the day.

• Peanut or almond butter on Wasa crackers
• Cream cheese rolled in a piece of deli meat like turkey or roast beef
• Ricotta cheese and cantaloupe
• Granola and flax seed parfait with yogurt
• Faux Danish with cottage cheese spread on a Wasa cracker, sprinkled with cinnamon and Splenda. Broil until cheese starts to bubble.
• Steel cut oatmeal made in a cock pot the night before (& ready for you to eat in the morning)
• Wrap scrambled eggs and cheese in a low-carb tortilla
• Sliced apple with cheese
• Egg muffins (not McMuffins), mix up a dozen eggs with your favorite diced vegetables, fill a muffin tray (sprayed with Pam first) and bake
• A bean burrito (low-carb tortilla, of course)

Remember to experiment with different foods, but take you blood sugars often. Testing the results of what you eat is the only way to know which foods will work for you.