To start the day off on the right foot, a breakfast for diabetics should include sufficient protein.

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If you are living with type 2 diabetes, you are probably all too familiar with the ups and downs of blood sugar. Controlling your blood sugar can be difficult when you have diabetes, but simple lifestyle changes can go a long way in making things easier. Making conscious decisions about what you eat, and when you eat it, can help you regulate your blood sugar throughout the day. To start the day off on the right foot, a breakfast for diabetics should include sufficient protein.

The importance of what you eat and when you eat it

If you have already begun to make healthy lifestyle changes to take control of your diabetes, you know that what you put in your body can greatly impact your symptoms. Limiting carbohydrates, increasing healthy fats, eating plenty of non-starchy fruits and vegetables, and getting sufficient fiber are all generally healthy choices for people with type 2 diabetes. Eating a well-rounded diet that has a low glycemic load can do a lot in helping to manage your condition. But it isn’t just what you eat that is important. The timing of your food intake is also essential.

Why you need protein at breakfast

A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition provides compelling evidence that what you eat in the morning can greatly impact your blood sugar control later in the day. In the study, people with type 2 diabetes consumed a high-protein or a high-carbohydrate breakfast for seven days. After a washout period of two weeks, the groups then switched diets. On the last day of each trial, blood sampling was taken to measure glucose and insulin levels. The authors found that glucose levels after breakfast were significantly lower in the group that ate protein compared to the group that ate carbohydrates.[1]

But what might be even more important is that the effects of eating protein at breakfast also positively impacted the participant’s blood sugar at lunch. In the protein group, insulin levels were slightly increased at lunchtime, which allowed the body to respond more appropriately to the meal. Ultimately, the researchers found that protein at breakfast “primed” the body for the second meal of the day, allowing more appropriate regulation of blood sugar later on.[1]

This doesn’t mean you should be eating too much protein, however. The authors of the study recommend that people with diabetes should include protein in their breakfast regularly, but they do not need to consume excessive amounts. They suggest 25 to 30 g at breakfast, which is within the general recommended range.[2]

Don’t skimp on protein at breakfast

Healthy sources of protein at breakfast include nuts, eggs, quinoa, yogurt, whey protein, and more. Try breakfast scrambles with healthy veggies mixed in with your eggs, oats with mixed nuts and berries, or whey protein smoothies.

Eating a healthy breakfast regularly is important for everyone, not just diabetics. Read more about the importance of breakfast here. Tomorrow morning, try a healthy, protein-filled breakfast and see how much better you feel!

Share your experience

What are your best dietary tips for helping manage blood sugar? Do you have a favorite recipe for a healthy breakfast for diabetics? Share your experience in the comments section below.

[1]J Nutr. 2015 Mar;145(3):452-8.

[2] ScienceDaily News Release. 2015 March 4.