What can I have for breakfast?

Food
1

Everything I have for breakfast makes my bg shoot for the sky!! At the moment I have a shredded wheat cereal that has absolutely nothing added to it, it is just wheat. But my bg goes from 6.9 (124) to 18 (324) in a matter of half an hour!!! I am on a pump and although I am bolusing for the correct amount of carbs, it still happens whether I take it as a bolus or extend.


I've tried various cereals, porridge, and toast.

I do like to have a decent breakfast in the morning, and don't want to be making eggs etc because I need to eat low fat, so any suggestions?? I'm in the UK.
Dee
2

You could have 1 or 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of low fat cottage cheese, (1 slice of cheese or 2 pieces of cheddar cheese). There are low fat cheeses. I wouldn’t eat that much in the morning cuz I don’t.

I love shredded wheat also. I usually eat that later though. I get the bigger biscuits in the envelopes. I pour hot water on it then nuke it(drain) and sprinkle sweetener and cinnamon on it. Then add 1/4 cup of milk OR some unsweetened applesauce. Of course, you have to calculate the carbs.

Usually I have a fruit yogurt and a couple cups of coffee and a glass of water for brekky. Then I’ll have a bosc pear and a piece of cheese an hour later, etc.

Low carb/low fat yogurt is okay too but I need something else with it like a piece of havarti and herb cheese or a 1/2 slice of bread with low carb jelly. All depends what my tummy says.

Sorry, I don’t usually use low fat except for my 2% milk. There are lots of other items for breakfast. I’m sure someone else will add their favourites.

3

I have 1/2 cup of Fiber One with fruit (strawberries & blueberries) and nuts but I also have a protein shake (28g protein) with it too. If I just have the cereal my numbers can be 180 (8.9), 1 hr after but with the shake it is usually 117 (6.5) so the protein really helps and keeps me full until lunch…

I’d suggest having some protein with brekky and maybe a walk right after if possible…

Paul

4

I have a truly mammoth breakfast that consists of a mixture of 50gr of muesli, 30gr of bran flakes and 30gr of dried fruit, 1 slice of toast, a boiled egg, 1 croissant and a pot of coffee. I adore breakfast; for me it’s the simplest, tastiest and best meal of the day. My BG also tends to be in the normal range at lunchtime too, so my QA:CP ratios at breakfast time are generally on target.

Perhaps you need to increase your QA:CP ratio at breakfast time? Could it be dawn phenomenon that for you continues well into the morning? My own QA:CP ratios vary depending on the time of day and how active I am.

5

I tend to like variety so breakfast foods were my first challenge upon being DX with D. Here are a few ideas of what I’ve found satisfies both me & my bg meter! Add or decrease quantities, depending on your specific readings.

Note: Always use regular oatmeal, never instant or quick cooking. It is “scrubbed” of the outer fibrous husk (to make them cook faster) and you don’t get the fiber benefits. If you must eat the instant, add 2 Tbsp (not sure of metric measurement, sorry) of GROUND flax seed meal (whole seeds do not give you the full benefit as they pass through your body whole and do not get digested and the fiber count is much lower).

Hope this “menu” helps you out.

Day 1: 1/2 cup (dry measure) oatmeal cooked with 1 Tbsp ground flax meal (I love the extra fiber), 1 Tbsp sunflower seeds & 1 Tbsp raisins & and sometimes a little maple syrup, omit the raisins. Also 1 small carton of low fat, sugar free yogurt. (Don’t cook the yogurt LOL - it’s to eat in addition to the oatmeal.

Day 2: 2 eggs (large, not jumbo) cooked in a couple of drops of olive oil , 1/2 whole grain bagel with 1 Tbsp low fat cream cheese or Neufchatel, 1/4 cup FRESH berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or strawberries- all have more fiber and lower sugars).

Day 3: 1/2 whole wheat English muffin with 1 Tbsp (or 2, if I am “cheating”) no sugar added “natural” peanut or cashew butter, lightly sprinkled with low fat, low sugar granola (I don’t measure), 1 cup low fat, sugar free yogurt.

Day 4: 2 eggs, scrambled in a few drops of olive oil, 1/2 whole grain bagel with 1Tbsp cream cheese or Neufchatel, a few slices of nova smoked salmon (I don’t measure, I just cover top of bagel), a few capers. 4-5 celery sticks.

Day 5: 1cup Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs cereal, 1 Tbsp ground flax seed meal, 1/2 cup fresh berries, 1/2 cup (sometimes more) milk (I use 2%). NOTE: This is my lowest PROTEIN breakfast so I usually add a high protein snack about 2 hours later.

Day 6: 1 slice of whole grain toast or English muffin with (yikes) real butter & a “Freezer Bag Omelet” Whisk 2 eggs in a bowl, mix in whatever you want in your omelet - diced green pepper, chopped onion, diced ham or canadian bacon or cooked sausage, shredded low fat cheese, salsa, etc… Pour it into a 1 quart size zippered FREEZER bag (the regular kind MELT!). Put bag in boiling water for about 12 minutes and then slide the omelet out of the bag.

Those are my best breakfasts… Others include “on the run” munchie type breakfasts like low sugar breakfast bars, string cheese, kefir, and probably the worst: an egg McMuffin with 1/2 the english muffin thrown away.

Good morning, Good luck and Happy days ahead for you. :slight_smile:

6

I am also on a pump and have the same problem. Breakfast is the hardest for me by far. I find I need to have a good amount of protein in the AM, and modest carbs. I usually have 1 piece of 100% whole wheat toast with peanut butter or almond butter. Or a piece of toast and a slice of cheese. Sometimes, eggs too.You could make egg white and veggie omelets if you are worried about eating whole eggs.

If I ever eat cereal, it is a small amount of steel cut oats with nuts. It still isn’t the greatest for me though.

7

I have some good news and bad news and perhaps utterly bad news. The good news is you have a lot of flexibility in what you have to eat for breakfast, the bad news is that you many not have been dosing your insulin properly.

I don’t know how experienced you are as an insulin user, but most people find that they actually have markedly different basal rrequirements throughout the day and that they also have markedly different insulin to carb ratios. So you may not be dosing correctly. But I could be utterly wrong, and I hope not, and here is why.

Now for the potentially bad bad news. Unfortunately, many autoimmune T1s also suffer from other autoimmune conditions. One of the more common ones is Celiac’s. You may be having a huge blood sugar surge because you basically have a huge inflammatory reaction to wheat and gluten. And everything you list that you tried to eat is a trigger food.

8

forgot to mention, you can use egg whites or an egg substitute products instead of whole eggs.

9

Wow, thats a tonne of carbs…

I’m type 2 with no medication and this breakfast would probably send me well past 500 :frowning:

Paul

10

Yeah, I recommend never having cereal at breakfast. I divide up my breakfast, sometimes, and have some eggs around 8 am, and then some cereal at 10:30ish am… BUT, and this is a big but… I always go exercising right after the cereal, for like 45 min to an hour. Otherwise, I never recommend eating that at all… It spikes me so much. The protein of the milk adds to the spike, and then the fat from the milk (unless it’s fat free, I guess) and the fiber of the cereal, slow down digestion and keep ya high for a long time. Just not worth the hassle.

Sometimes, if I’m in a hurry, and I have to run out, I can have one cup of yogurt, with nothing else… and that responds okay. But, mostly, I just make an omelet. :slight_smile:

11

I’ve been tested quite recently for coeliac, and I don;t have it. I do have mild gastroparesis but that should slow my digestion!
I’ve been on a pump for 6 years but have a fear of hypos and run high deliberately. But I want to deal with this now so that’s why I’m trying to iron out these peaks. My bg stays steady if I don’t eat breakfast so my basal rate must be correct, so maybe it is the ratio thing?
I also think I need to throw out ALL the breakfast cereal!!!

12

Thanks Cat, I think the cereals need to go!

13

I’m a type 1 (newly on the pump, formerly on MDI), and I always had problems with spikes after my breakfast cereal, so I switched from cow’s milk to unsweetened almond milk on my cereal.

Almond milk (unsweetened) has almost no carbohydrate, and keeps my post-breakfast blood sugar a lot lower than regular milk (which has about 6 g sugar [lactose] in 1/2 cup).

I have had great success with this, and really love almond milk now. It tastes different from milk, but not in a bad way. And you don’t notice the difference as much when it’s on cereal.

14

I have 1/2 whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter and spreadable fruit, 1 cup special K with a tbsp raisins and 1/2 cup fat free non dairy creamer. I eat it every day, so far so good.

15

Hi John

I don’t know what it is 1 hour after breakfast - I’ve never tested it that early after a meal. But after 4-5 hours, i.e. before lunch, at the lowest it is around 3.5 mmol/l and at the highest 6 - 7 mmol/l. BTW, I’m on MDI.

16

I’ve found that sometimes its just how your particular body processes food. I can eat the same foods as my friends eat, and all our blood sugar levels will be different. However, I started eating Vegan for breakfast. This has really helped with my blood sugars a lot…

17

I agree Lizmari… And unfortunately, cereal was one of my weaknesses… Even with soy milk my sugar still spikes (regardless of what kind of cereal I eat)… I recommend exercise too… It really does wonders!!!

18

If I eat cereal, I bolus for twice as many carbs as the package says… If it says 44 carbs for 1 cup of cereal and I eat 1 cup then I bolus for 88 carbs…

Often I eat granola with yogurt and berries on top for breakfast. Or a slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter

19

I have a friend who doesn’t measure his blood sugar until before the next meal. You could be spiking enormously and still come back down by then. All spikes cause complications. That is an incredible amount of carbs for breakfast.

To the OP: I can’t eat any cereal at all, it will send me up to 200. I eat eggs with vegies and 1 piece of good bread (I’m picky about bread, but sometimes substitute low carb/high fiber bread).

20

Breakfast! Yum-yum. My favorite meal of the day. Here are two of my frequent morning meals:

1 - Scrambled Eggwhites, 3 bacon, 1 high fiber toast. About 15 grams. Substitute 15 grams of fruit or raw veggies for the toast.

2.- 1 serving of steel cut oats and one fruit or veggie. About 40 grams total.

Coffee always.

Terry