Diabetic Breakfast Recipes

Ten easy breakfast ideas to create in minutes !

It can be hard to find healthy low sugar cereals or create a healthy breakfast!

Initially when my daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, we did struggle to find foods which were a healthy choice for breakfast.

In fact, for many months she started her day by eating a bowl of Cheerios!

10 Easy Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Here's a few easy suggestions as to what healthy foods you can easily eat for breakfast as a diabetic .

1. Wholemeal or whole wheat toast with jam (The Bonne Maman range available in the UK is so full of flavour that you only need a little)
2. Weetabix or similar wholewheat cereal
3. Porridge (see ideas below)
4. Savoury breakfast - bacon & eggs or sardine patties
5. Toast topped with a chopped, cooked bacon and slices of grilled tomato
6. Yogurt topped with fresh fruit compote
7. Wholewheat or buckwheat pancake topped with yogurt and chopped fresh fruit
8. Scrambled eggs, grilled tomato and mushrooms
9. Wholemeal pancakes drizzled with honey
10. and, of course, fresh fruit smoothies!

More Healthy Fruit & Topping Ideas

If you want to liven up your daily porridge, yogurt or cereal, simply add healthy toppings:-

• dried apricots, pears or prunes
• fresh chopped fruits, such as apples, bananas and oranges, topped with a spoonful of yogurt or low fat fromage frais
• orange segments with natural or greek yoghurt
• raisins or sultanas
• stewed apples, fresh fruit compote or apple sauce (easy to make at home)

Did you know that you can make porridge from oats or oatmeal - mix with milk before bedtime, leave overnite and microwave or cook in the morning - serve hot and steaming!  This is a true Scottish meal that's great for cold winter mornings.

Finding Healthy Cereals

If you're prepared to read the dietary information presented on cereal packets - you can be quite surprised as to the carbohydrate and sugar contents of some popular cereals.  It's not always what you might think it is.

As always, some of the foods labelled "healthy" may have a high sugar content - healthy can be awarded simply because an item is low in fat or high in fibre. 

Get used to reading the labelling or packaging to see how many calories, carbohydrates are in an average helping - also, check out the sugar and fibre contents.  This is a great way to compare products and can help you to evaluate new products or cereals which come on to the market.

Find more Healthy Recipes or contact us with your own suggestions for low carb, low sugar recipies.

Healthy Fresh Fruit Smoothies - Recipe Ideas

What are smoothies ? 

They are one of the most healthy and tasty breakfast ideas to be created. 

They're easy to make - as long as you have a blender or liquidiser - ideal for people with special diets too.

Kids love " eating " them and won't even realise how good they are for their health ! 
Did you know that milk contains protein, carbohydrate (such as sugars), fats, minerals, and vitamins?  Your kids won't !

You can also create dairy free recipes by using soya milk - and it tastes just as good .  Some of the most tasty fruits to use are strawberry and banana, though if you feel adventurous, creating your own tropical fruit smoothies using fresh fruits such as mango or kiwi could be awesome.

With the advent of superfoods such as blueberry and other fresh berrys , you can create homemade smoothies that are bursting with flavour, for far less than you can buy them in the store.

Always use the best, freshest ingredients and drink immediately.

Tasty Homemade Pancakes

Although these aren't recommended for every day - they can be great to start the day on a special occasion.

The addition of fresh fruit and berries turns this into a healthier meal.

By changing from white to wholemeal or buckwheat flour, you can make this recipe fairly low GI. 

Here's Alissa's easy recipe:-

• 4oz (125g) wholemeal self-raising flour
• 1 large egg
• ½ pint (280ml) of fresh semi-skimmed milk

1. Mix together until smooth.
2. Add drop of olive oil to frying pan and heat.
3. Drop in large spoonfuls - cook three small pancakes at a time.  Serve hot.

Why not mix it up and either use the Doves Farm gluten and wheat free flour, mixed half and half with the wholemeal, or try some buckwheat which has a great taste.

Serve with fresh fruit - sliced bananas, chopped apples, sliced kiwi or a drizzle of greek honey.

Sample breakfast menu for diabetics

People can tend to panic if they've got a diabetic coming to visit - but you probably won't have to go out and buy a whole selection of foods.

The good news is that you've probably already got what you need in the fridge or store cupboard.

As a guide, low carb foods can help manage a diabetics sugar levels - so don't choose foods that have lots of sugar in.  Try and have low fat foods too.  These can be a better guide than the calories a food contains.

For example, our sample menu would read as follows:-

• weetabix or unsweetened wholewheat cereal with fresh milk or organic soya milk
• toast with marmite or jam
• yogurt (greek, natural or homemade) topped with fresh fruit

For something special for the Christmas or other holiday occasions:-

• Toasted muffin with poached egg
• Grilled egg, sausage and a slice of wholemeal toast
• Cranberry and vanilla smoothie
• Fresh fruit salad - melon, grapes & kiwi fruit topped with a dollop of yogurt or creme fraiche
• Fresh wholewheat pancakes topped with blueberries and a spoonful of yogurt
• Freshly squeezed carrot juice mixed half and half with shop-bought tropical fruit juice to accompany

These are just a few ideas you can make, from our own kitchen, we'd love to have any of your recipe suggestions.

Useful Resources

Diabetic Christmas Recipes - ideas for cooking & baking for the holiday

Quick Toast - tips on livening up this easy morning quickfix