Not sure if this has been discussed before…did a quick search but nothing really came up in this area…
So now that I’ve been on a CGM, I’m aware that one of the main things we should do is try to curb the big peaks and valleys (this goes for all diabetics, not just those on a CGM). I’ve been able to successfully do so (more or less) with lunch and dinner, but breakfast…sheesh. I used to eat cereal until I saw how quickly my sugar rises, even a slice of bread makes it rise so quickly. I never have time in the morning to make a “balanced” breakfast with some fats etc to slow down the rise in BG, so do you guys have any suggestions on what is a decent breakfast that will not make my BG rise so quickly? Thanks!
If you go to Forum on the top banner, and go to “recipes and eating”, then search for “breakfast” you will find several others. I don’t always eat “traditional” breakfast foods, except for eggs. This morning, I had a big green salad with cottage cheese and garbanzo beans. Sometimes, I have a vegetable or chicken soup - very nice to clear your head.
I have low fat yogurt with a little granola on top almost every morning and my BGs don’t spike. I wore a CGM for a few days over the summer to find out. My diabetes educator suggests some fat for breakfast because it slows down digestion.
Also, I have Tropicana’s “Trop 50” orange juice pretty often, too. It’s got 13 carbs in 8 ounces – half the carbs of regular OJ. It’s sweetened with stevia, a natural sweetener. It does make my BGs rise faster but not nearly like the spikes with other juices.
Do you like tomato or V8 juice? Those don’t spike my BGs, either, and are relatively low in carbs.
I have to avoid cereal and I miss it dearly. With one exception: Oatmeal. Especially the ‘steel cut’ type. One brand available at Costco is “Coach’s”. One serving is 27g of carbs.
My most frequent breakfast, though, is high protien. Two eggs, bacon and either one slice of high fiber bread or one small fruit or one small tomatoe. Drink it down with coffee.
Both of these strategies help me keep my BG in control in the a.m.
I have done wheat waffles that you buy in the store with sugar free syrup and eggs with greenpepper and onion or sometimes put a little peanutbutter on the waffles(really good). I am also trying to steer away from cereal bc of the bs spike
Breakfast has ended up being a pivotal meal to me as a diabetic. I suffer from a wicked case of Darn Phenomenon (DP) and eating an appropriate breakfast really helps arrest the continued morning blood sugar rise. I actually have two breakfasts, my first is a whey protein shake made with milk containing about 25g protein and about 15g carbs (from the milk). My favorite second breakfast is a bunch of eggs (2-6), either easy over or in an omellete, a couple of sausages and then if I am going to have any carbs, I’ll have a modest serving of oatmeal, an english muffin or slice of toast. I try to get whole or sprouted grains if possible as well as the steel cut oatmeal. The key to evading the huge blood sugar spike is to avoid a high carb breakfast. Unfortunately, that rules out most “cereals,” donuts, danish, croissants, and bagels. Other good things I sometimes have for breakfast include cottage cheese, greek style yogurt, and cheese. You do need to remember that if you eat high protein as I do that the protein will be digested over hours and the protein alone will raise your blood sugar. If you bolus properly, there is no reason that you cannot tolerate a modest and measured amount of carbs in your breakfast.
I agree with Marie, one of the best things you can do for breakfast is to not eat “breakfast”. Traditional breakfast foods tend to be a starch and carb nightmare. After months (ok, years) of hearing the endo say I should eat breakfast to help create a more stable bg throughout the day, I had a bit of an epiphany when I realized I could just eat “normal” food at the breakfast time.
For me, 2 eggs scrambled with any combination mushrooms/onions/tomatos/cheese/zuchini plus 1-2 corn tortillas winds up with less than 30g carbs. A little dash of tabasco or cholula sauce makes it even better. Sometimes I have a glass of skim milk (if so, I’d have only 1 tortilla) or a small can of V8 juice. I can avoid big post-meal spikes if my carbs stay under 30g. If I eat more than that, for breakfast or any other meal, I wind up with BS spikes.
Corn tortillas are great b/c they have 1/2 the carbs of flour tortillas (10g corn vs. 20g flour), and they taste just as good.
I've been eating dinner for breakfast lately, good question, and I'm definitely looking for the same answers. One dish I make, I call it a Chinese omelet, is basically an omelet with thing like spinach, celery, peas, etc. very tasty too. But, that's one meal I need options. I think it would be a good addition to this site to have a menu area separated into the three basic meals.
If I had more time I would eat eggs and sausage every morning. That said, most of my mornings I eat a Detour Protein Bar. Detour protein bar has 16 g carbs with 2 from fiber and 6 from sugar. It also has 15 g protein.
I use another “trick” to help fight my Dawn Phenomena and associated morning insulin resistance. I wake and bolus for my protein bar, but I do not eat it until my CGM alerts me of a predictive low. I can wake at 100 and sometimes get my predictive low alert to eat breakfast 15 minutes after bolusing and sometimes it takes 40+ minutes. DP and IR are crazy sometimes! I will then eat and add back (bolus)the portion of the bolus that has expired by checking the active insulin on my pump.
I eat a flax seed meal muffin. I found the recipe on this site about 6 months ago, and I have been making it ever since. It's quick and easy, and it fills me up. The best is that I now only take 1 unit of humalog for the muffin and my morning coffee. I make as follows:
1) Spray the inside of a coffee mug with non-stick spray. 2) Measure 1/3 cup flax seed meal, 1 teaspoon baking powder, Splenda (I just pour some of the powdered stuff in or use 2 packets) and cinnamon (again I don't measure this) 3) Mix these dry ingredients. 4) Pour this mixture into coffee mug, add 1 egg (or egg substitute) and mix until it is like a batter. 5) Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds on high.
The muffin comes right out of the mug. You can use butter or sugar free jam on top of sliced muffin. You can also add nuts, berries, banana, pumpkin or sugar free syrup or applesauce to mixture before you microwave it. Just adjust insulin for added carbs.
I'm sure you can find the real recipe somewhere online. I find the muffin really good.
If you like toast, consider acquiring a taste for sprouted grain bread. The brand Ezekiel carries it and can be found at most health food stores. If there is a trader joes where you live, they have a great variety of sprouted grain bread, some as low as 11 gm of net carbs per slice! Try this with some peanut or almond butter for protein and maybe throw in a piece of low sugar fruit, such as an apple or berries. Also, as someone else has said, oatmeal (especially steel cut), is a good choice and will generally hit your blood sugar much slower=no peak.
What type of cereal have you been eating? Is there extra sugar and white flower? Perhaps try something with little to no sugar, with bran and other whole grains with extra fiber.
Also, plain yogurt with berries and a sprinkle of raw oats and nuts can be good. Yogurt has carbs, but because the fat content, it’s a slower absorption.
I love seasoned rye crisp! Especially since they took the BHT out of it. Sometines I make a big mug of broth from Rapunzel bouillon cubes (yummy), press a whole clove of raw garlic into it (I know, I know, HALITOSIS!) and dip my rye crisp in while I'm sipping it. Makes me feel cosy and full for just a few carbs.
