Diabetic: what is the ideal breakfast menu?

The first meal of the day represents an excellent opportunity to stock up on fiber, vitamins and calcium. This reflex is beneficial for any person, but especially for those who suffer from diabetes. Here are some tips to activate your metabolism in the best possible way, as soon as you wake up.

An integral part of a balanced diet, breakfast covers between 20 and 25% of daily energy needs. It allows you to stock up on energy and avoid the famous “shot of fatigue” at 11 a.m. This figure also concerns people with diabetes: even if your sugar level is high in the morning, don’t skip breakfast, recalls the American site Reader’s Digest (source 1). Studies have shown that starting the day on an empty stomach increases the risk of obesity and insulin resistance.

Several studies show that breakfast allows you to better regulate caloric intake throughout the day. Followers of this meal are able to better control their carbohydrate consumption throughout the day. The best solution to adopt is therefore to eat every morning, if possible at the same time to better regulate blood sugar levels.

Not eating in the morning can lead to micronutrient deficiencies (calcium, vitamins B and C, magnesium, etc.) which cannot be compensated by other meals of the day. “Deprived of breakfast, the body tries to compensate. It sends messages to the brain, hunger is then felt and encourages us to snack and consume fatty and/or sweet products, not very satiating,” explains Mélanie Mercier, dietician-nutritionist, in an article for the French Federation of Diabetics (FFD) (source 2).

Ideally, a complete and balanced breakfast consists of at least three elements she writes for the French Federation of Diabetics.

• A hot beverage (or lukewarm preferably) “to hydrate and warm the body: tea, coffee, infusion, milk (plain or chocolate) to satisfy all tastes, provided you limit sugar” ;
• Complex carbohydrates “composed of fiber, cereals (rather complete) for better digestion, energy supply and lasting satiety”;
• A simple natural dairy product: “yogurt, fromage blanc, fromage frais, petit-suisses, etc. or hard salty cheese (Emmental, Gouda, Comté, etc., respecting the 30 g portion), avoiding whole milk products, which are richer in lipids”.

To make this meal even more suitable for diabetics, you can consume half a cup of fresh fruits, like strawberries or blueberries. To top it all off, sprinkle with one to two teaspoons of linseed, rich in protein, fiber, and omega-3.

You can also add a little butter or margarine (10 to 20 g maximum) on the bread, and a sweet product like jam or honey (15 g maximum).

Another key breakfast food for diabetics: is oatmeal. They also contain a lot of fiber, essential for keeping blood sugar levels low. Oatmeal also allows you to consume fewer calories during the day.

According to several studies cited by Reader’s Digest, the calcium and vitamin D which are present in some skimmed milk help the metabolism of diabetics to function well by lowering cholesterol and increasing calcium levels. For yogurt, watch out for the pitfalls: don’t go for the fruit versions, which are much too sweet. Consuming dairy products also helps you better control your weight.

Avoid 0% products, more expensive and not very filling, advises Mélanie Mercier. “Regular plain yogurt contains around 1.6% fat. However, read the labels: dairy products with more than 4% fat should be consumed occasionally.”

Another tip for lowering blood sugar is to add a touch of cinnamon to his hot morning drinks. Let a cinnamon stick infuse in your thé or directly in hot water. Are you more of a coffee person? Mix half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder in your coffee can before making it.

Prefer one pain complete campaign to cereals brown bread or even whole wheat rusks… with white baguette which quickly increases blood sugar, advises the FFD.

To properly control your blood sugar, it is recommended to avoid fruits that are too rich in sugar, which increases blood glucose levels. Choose the least sweet fruits like strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, plum, redcurrant…

Moreover, fresh fruit is much better than pressed fruit, recalls the FFD. “Pressed fruit juices, even 100% pure juice, have lower micronutrient and fiber contents and raise blood sugar levels more quickly,” indicates the latter.

“If you can’t do without your fruit juice in the morning, limit your quantity to a small glass (150 ml) and favor 100% pure juice. The best is to squeeze your own orange and drink the juice immediately in order to benefit from the vitamin C intake.”

Typical products bagged pastries, milk breads, and industrial brioches “are not the best allies of breakfast,” notes Mélanie Mercier in her article for the FFD (source 3). “They contain many preservatives. They are often made with highly refined flours (which therefore raise blood sugar levels) and oils of poor nutritional quality (rich in saturated fatty acids).”

Result: they are not satisfied and are poorly digestible. In idea, it is better limitate brioches, milk breads, and industrial pastries. If you can’t do without your Sunday croissant, buy a real one directly in the bakery and try to consume it occasionally!