If you’re a type 2 diabetic (T2D), skip the cereal, and eat something higher in protein and fat, and lower in carbohydrates for breakfast. At least that’s what a recent research study concludes. A high-fat, low-carb breakfast (LCBF) can help T2D control their blood sugar throughout the day.
Skip the cereal!
Associate Professor Jonathan Little, who teaches in UBC Okanagan’s School of Health and Exercise Sciences, says, “the large blood sugar spike that follows breakfast is due to the combination of pronounced insulin resistance in the morning in people with T2D and because typical Western breakfast foods–cereal, oatmeal, toast and fruit–are high in carbohydrates.”
Breakfast is often a problem for those with T2D
Breakfast is often a problem for T2D because it can lead to the highest spikes in blood sugar. However, by eating a low-carbohydrate, and high-fat meal in the morning this blood sugar spike can be prevented. This also improves glycemic control throughout the day.
Here’s what the study looked at for individuals with well controlled T2D
The study looked at individuals with well-controlled T2D on two different experimental feeding days. On one day, the participants ate an omelette and, on another day, they ate oatmeal and fruit. On both days they ate identical meals for the rest of the day. A continuous glucose meter was used to measure blood sugar throughout the day.
This is what surprised the researchers
The researchers were surprised that the effect the high-fat diet had on blood sugar spike in the morning helped improve the overall stability of glucose readings for the following 24 hours.
“We expected that limiting carbohydrates to less than 10 percent at breakfast would help prevent the spike after this meal,” Little said. “But we were a bit surprised that this had enough of an effect and that the overall glucose control and stability were improved. We know that large swings in blood sugar are damaging to our blood vessels, eyes, and kidneys. The inclusion of a very low-carbohydrate high-fat breakfast meal in T2D patients may be a practical and easy way to target the large morning glucose spike and reduce associated complications.”
Razi Berry is the founder and publisher of the journal Naturopathic Doctor News & Review, which has been in print since 2005, and the premier consumer-faced website of naturopathic medicine, NaturalPath. She is the host of The Natural Cancer Prevention Summit and The Heart Revolution-Heal, Empower and Follow Your Heart, and the popular 10 week Sugar Free Summer program. From a near death experience as a young girl that healed her failing heart, to later overcoming infertility and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia through naturopathic medicine, Razi has lived the mind/body healing paradigm. Her projects uniquely capture the tradition and philosophy of naturopathy: The healing power of nature, the vital life force in every living thing and the undeniable role that science and mind/body medicine have in creating health and overcoming dis-ease. Follow Razi on Facebook at Razi Berry and join us at Love is Medicine to explore the convergence of love and health.