Diabetic Breakfast Menu Introduction Healthy Breakfast Ideas Healthy Fruit & Topping Ideas Healthy Cereals Healthy Fresh Fruit Smoothies Tasty Homemade Pancakes
Introduction 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. Our sample menu... Choice #1 Whole grain cereal with fresh milk or organic soy milk Toast (grain or sprouted) Yogurt (greek, natural or homemade) topped with fresh fruit Choice #2 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 tropical fruits
Healthy Breakfast Ideas Here's a few suggestions as to what healthy foods you can eat for breakfast... Wholemeal or whole wheat toast Weetabix or similar wholewheat cereal Porridge (see ideas below) Savoury breakfast - bacon & eggs or sardine patties Toast topped with a chopped, cooked bacon and slices of grilled tomato Yogurt topped with fresh fruit compote Wholewheat or buckwheat pancake topped with yogurt and chopped fresh fruit Scrambled eggs, grilled tomato and mushrooms Wholemeal pancakes drizzled with honey Fresh fruit smoothies! 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 and oranges Orange segments with natural or greek yoghurt Raisins or sultanas Stewed apples 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.
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. Healthy Fresh Fruit Smoothies 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 in carbs. Here's the recipe... 4oz (125g) wholemeal self-raising flour 1 large egg ½ pint (280ml) of fresh semi-skimmed milk Mix together until smooth. Add drop of olive oil to frying pan and heat. Drop in large spoonfuls - cook three small pancakes at a time. Serve hot. Doves Farm gluten and wheat free flour, mixed half and half with the wholemeal Serve with fresh fruit - chopped apples, sliced kiwi or a drizzle of greek honey.