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Diabetic Breakfast Diet
Breakfast
is the first meal of the day. It is the break from the overnight fast which is
usually 8-10 hours without food in our stomach.
Diabetic
diet breakfast will help me think differently about this meal and
hopefully convince you to take time to nourish your body before you
start your day.
Food turns to
glucose and is the
primary fuel to run your body. During a night's rest, your body
requires a small amount of glucose from the heart to beat, lungs to
breathe and the brain cells to function. If you wake up and run out the
door without breakfast (no fuel) and if you take a diabetes medicine,
you are putting yourself at risk for low blood sugar (too little
glucose in the blood is known as hypoglycemia).
There
is a
small amount of glucose (about 400 calories worth) stored in the liver
but most of the glucose is used by the body during the night and in
between meals. Breakfast gives the body fuel for the
morning's
activities and to restock the stored glucose in the liver that we use
to keep the body working during the night.
Do
yourself a
favor and eat a nourishing breakfast to supply the body with a new
supply of glucose. Take care of your body and your diabetes!
Frequent
uses are made for why we don't eat breakfast. Here are some suggestions
for the most common excuses.
1. Not hungry first thing in the
morning.- Start small - A
small glass of juice or one slice of
whole grain toast. Keep in mind this will only fuel your body for about
one hour because fruit and bread are carbohydrates that quickly digest
and supply a small amount of glucose. Midmorning eat a snack
that
contains carbohydrates, protein and a little fat.
Example:
1
ounce of lowfat cheese and 4 crackers
or
1 apple
and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
or
1/2
cup of dry cereal (higher fiber one) mixed with 1/4 cup of nuts |
- Review your nighttime eating - Munching
on snacks through
 out
the evening might take away your appetite for food the next
morning
and result in a higher blood sugar readings when you wake up.
It
is best to eat most of the food your body needs during the
most
active part of your day and avoid eating a lot of food when you are
less active (end of your day and near bedtime).
2. No time for breakfast. - Plan ahead - Keep quick
foods to prepare at home such as hot cereal packets, cold cereal,
frozen waffles to supply your body with carbohydrates. Hard-boiled
eggs, lowfat milk or yogurt will provide protein and fat.
- Pack
a breakfast the night before.
Example:
Tortilla
with peanut butter and fruit or whole grain bread with lowfat, low
sodium deli meats. |
- Eat
leftovers from the night before instead of raditional
breakfast foods.
- Keep a homemade trail mix in snack
bags that you can grab as you leave home.
Example:
Easy Trail
Mix - (makes 6 servings)
2 cups of dry cereal
mixed with 1/2 cup of raisins and 1/2 cup of unsalted dry roasted nuts. |
3. Cook on your day off. Many
foods can be stored for several days and frozen for many weeks.
- French
toast can be made ahead and frozen in freezer bags. Remove
from freezer bag and defrost in toaster or microwave.
- Cook
oatmeal (longer cooking types such as old-fashioned)
ahead of time. Keep in refrigerator for several days or freeze in
appropriate amounts for 1 breakfast. Microwave to reheat. Add milk,
yogurt or nuts for protein and fat calories. Oatmeal provides the
carbohydrates and fruit can be added for additional carbohydrates as
well as different vitamins and minerals compared to plain oatmeal.
- Eggs
with vegetables and a small amount of cheese baked in a casserole dish
will keep in the refrigerator for 2 days or frozen for 1 to 2 weeks.
This can easily be receded in the microwave. Add a piece of whole grain
toast and you have all the components of a healthy breakfast!
4.  Set your alarm 10 minutes ahead
and make time to eat breakfast at home.
This suggestion
may be the hardest to do, but the following suggestions may inspire you
to try this.
- Foods
from home are always lower in calories especially fat calories, lower
in sodium and can contain more vitamins and minerals compared to foods
from
a restaurant.
- Eating
breakfast before you leave home and
especially if you can sit at your table sends a powerful message to
your
body. It provides nourishment/fuel to your body before you
demand your
muscles and organs (brain, heart, lungs, etc.) to work hard for you!
- Breakfast
can be a very simple and easy meal to prepare.
 Health Tip - The
success to eating breakfast is having the foods in your home. If you
don't have the items you like at your fingertips, chances are you will
skip this meal or buy an unhealthy food when your body sends the hunger
signal.
Build a Diabetic Diet Breakfast
Build
a well-balanced breakfast by selecting 1 food item from the first
column and 1 food item from the second column. The first column lists
foods that provide protein  and fat
calories and the second column lists foods with carbohydrates .
Combining all 3 calories at a meal
supplies fuel for the body for 3-4 hours and usually keeps blood sugars
steady (not too low or high).
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 Foods containing Protein and
Fat Calories
1 Tablespoon of peanut
butter
1 Egg any style
1
Handful of nuts (almonds, peanuts, walnuts)
1
Lowfat cheese slice
Lowfat cottage cheese
Lowfat
ricotta cheese
Fatfree
skim milk
Lowfat yogurt
Canadian
bacon (high sodium)
Lean ham or turkey
(high
sodium)
Silken tofu
Meatless
breakfast patties or links ( high sodium)
| Foods containing
Carbohydrate Calories
Whole wheat
toast
Whole wheat pita half
Frozen
whole-grain waffle
Whole grain mini bagel
Whole
wheat tortilla
Low
sugar whole grain cereal (<5 grams sugar with
>3 grams fiber/serving)
Oatmeal
Fresh
fruit
100% fruit juice (1/2cup)
Dried
fruit (1/4 cup only) |
Easy
ideas for breakfast:
- Cold
cereal (unsweetened with fiber), low-fat milk and fruit.
- Fruit
smoothie - blend lowfat milk, light yogurt and fruit in a blender.
Pour into a travel mug for a quick breakfast.
- Yogurt
parfait - add lowfat, low sugar yogurt to 1/4 cup of high fiber cereal
and mix in a 1/4 cup of almonds or walnuts.
- Lowfat
cottage cheese or ricotta with 1/2 cup of berries (fresh or
frozen).
- Whole grain bread, toasted; spread 1
tablespoon of peanut butter on top.
Health Tip - If
your blood sugar is elevated in the morning (above 130 mg/dl), eat a
breakfast with more protein and less carbohydrates. Many breakfast
foods are high in carbohydrates and can provide more glucose to the
body than other meals of the day. When blood sugars are higher than
they should be, adding mostly
glucose from the foods of the meal can
push the blood sugar even higher. Learn more
about low carbohydrate diet.
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|
 Join us in our support for diabetes research.
Sponsor one of our riders in the Tour de
Cure bicycle ride fundraiser for diabetes on June 22,
2008. To sponsor a rider go to our personal webpage named diabetic-diet-coach. |
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