By VERA AWUAH –
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Having diabetes doesn’t mean you need to deny yourself all the foods you love, but you do want to make heathier food choices.
One good choice is to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, which are heavy in nutrition but light in calories or low in fats.
Some fruits and vegetables are better for managing your diabetes than others.
Look to produce that’s low on the glycemic index and load, meaning it won’t spike your blood sugar.
It’s also important to get plenty of calcium and probiotic rich dairy foods, to fortify your bones and provide good gut bacteria. Good sources are low-fat milk kefir and Greek yogurt. These foods are essential to any diabetes diet, yet you don’t need to eat them with a fork or even a spoon. You can pack a lot of nutrition into one smoothie and get a delicious treat. As long as you stick with healthy ingredients and don’t add extra sweeteners, you can enjoy these treats on regular basis. Just remember, when you do blend or mix fruits into your smoothie to count them as part of your daily fruit allowance so you don’t overdo it on carbohydrates.
Even natural sugar can drive up your blood sugar if you eat too much of it.
Here are seven diabetes-friendly smoothie ideas to get started:
Diabetic Oatmeal breakfast smoothie:
What better way to start your day than with some hearty, fiber dense whole grains, plus potassium and vitamin C? The uncooked oats also provide resistant starch which is an excellent source of fuel to gut bacteria and can improve insulin levels. This breakfast smoothie packs a lot of nutrition into one glass.
Here are a few tips to make this smoothie to work better for your blood sugar: (i) Choose smaller bananas and don’t forget to add those carbs to your daily count so you don’t go over your allotment; (ii)Turn this recipe into four servings rather than two; (iii) Use unsweetened almond or soymilk instead of skim milk or whole milk to further reduce the carbs
Chia seeds, coconut and spinach smoothie:
This rich and creamy smoothie contains only 5 grams of carbohydrates. To keep the carbs down, use unsweetened light coconut milk for added sweetness.
Superfood smoothie:
This smoothie has it all antioxidants-rich berries, healthy fat from avocado, greens and protein. Just be sure, when you buy berry yogurt that you choose a brand that is low in sugar, such as siggi or stevia sweetened yogurt. This food recipe has about 404 calories so use it as a meal replacement instead of snack.
Peach Smoothie:
This smoothie makes for the perfect afternoon refresher. It’s simple to make with only five ingredients plus it’s loaded with calcium and is light enough that it won’t weigh you down. Add one tablespoon of Chia seeds and keep the peel on the peach for more fiber. More fiber is helpful in this smoothie because this recipe calls for 4 ounces of sweetened yogurt, which has the potential to raise your blood sugar.
Smoothies Creator:
This recipe was discovered after some careful experimentation. Not only does it taste great, but also it won’t wreak havoc on your blood sugar. The soymilk and Greek yogurt make it smooth and creamy without adding much extra sugar. You can even bump up the fiber more with a tablespoon of Chia seeds.
Veggies:
If you are having trouble meeting your daily green requirements, but aren’t a big fan of salads as most people in Africa do, why not drink your veggies? This takes on the increasingly popular green smoothie uses Nutrient-dense kale or spinach balanced with tart apple and pear. Add lime and Mint complement then blend adding a burst of flavor and freshness.
Barry Delicious Nutty Milkshake:
Nuts are important components of any healthy eating plan, and a recipe like this combines some of the most Nutritious varieties, almonds and walnuts plus. You get greens from veggies, calcium from milk and antioxidants from strawberries. All these for only 45 grams of carbohydrates.
Having diabetes does not stop you from enjoying your smoothies.
Happy healthy eating.
- (First published in NATIONAL ACCORD on September 23, 2020)