Diabetes: what to eat for breakfast to feel better according to a study

About 400 million people worldwide suffer from type 2 diabetes, a chronic disease in which the body becomes resistant to insulin or fails to produce enough. It is a disease that you have to live with, above all through a great attention to nutrition. A study by the University of British Columbia, published in theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutritionanalyzed perhaps the most important meal of the day, breakfast, trying to provide guidelines on how it should be managed by those suffering from diabetes, on what to eat in the morning and above all on what to avoid.

diabetes and nutrition: the study

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The study participants were divided into two groups, who over a 12-week period ate two completely different types of breakfast, but both about 450 calories. The first group hired very few carbohydrates, 8 grams, while the second took as many as 56. The first group also took 25 grams of protein and 37 of fat, while the second 20 grams of protein and 15 of fat. The researchers found that the low-carb breakfast group saw an improvement in HbA1C values, a key measure of average blood sugar control. Additionally, the researchers noted that blood sugar levels did not vary widely throughout the day, suggesting that a low-carb breakfast helps stabilize sugar levels throughout the day. Finally, some participants were able to reduce their glucose-lowering medications after following this diet.

Diabetes: breakfast tips

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The lead author of the study, Dr. Jonathan Little, director of the Center for Chronic Diseases at the University of British Columbia, spoke about what to eat for breakfast if you have diabetes, and proposed the main options for a balanced breakfast: “Scrambled eggs, egg omelets, or unsweetened Greek yogurt”. Furthermore, he said that the results of this study can help doctors recommend better and more suitable diets for patients suffering from diabetes. The decision to reduce carbohydrates at breakfast is linked, Dr. Little always explains, to the fact that a general low-carbohydrate diet is difficult to maintain in the long term: “By adapting this reduction only to the breakfast meal, one avoids the higher glycemic peak and it is easier to regulate the sugar level over time”.