My Top Three Favorite Breakfast Carb Sources

Today I’m here to talk about breakfast – the meal of the day that everyone should be looking forward to. While there are some people who choose to skip breakfast – especially in today’s day and age where intermittent fasting seems to be incredibly popular – I want to say that I definitely do not recommend doing so.

For anyone with diabetes, eating something first thing in the morning is necessary to get blood glucose levels on track and your body feeling its best.

This being said, what should you eat? What are the best foods to consume at this point in the day? Contrary to what you may believe, you don’t want to avoid carbs entirely. If you avoid carbs for breakfast, you’re going to find that your energy level is exceptionally low, your brain isn’t functioning optimally, and you may actually get dropping blood glucose levels that aren’t healthy either.

Instead, the solution is to choose smart carbohydrates. Choose carbohydrates that will help fuel your body while giving your blood glucose levels stabilization during this time.

Which are the best sources? Glad you asked. Let me walk you through my three favorite sources of carbohydrates to consume in the morning.

1. Oats

When it comes to complex carbohydrates, you simply cannot beat oatmeal. I don’t care how much you weigh, how active you are, whether you’re male or female, young or old, oats take the cake.

As long as you buy regular oats, that is. Oatmeal is a high-volume food, meaning it’ll fill you up fast for few calories. Also, it’s completely sugar-free, it provides a good dose of dietary fiber, and it contains no sodium either.

It simply cannot be beat. So really focus on including oats in your daily diet plan.

2. Berries

Next, you have berries. Berries are another can’t-be-beat food because they’re so rich in antioxidants and fiber. These will fill you up for hours after you eat them, and while they do contain some sugar, they contain about half fructose and half glucose.

Glucose is the only one that spikes blood sugar levels, so you really aren’t getting all that much from one serving of berries. Berries on their own contain the least sugar out of most fruits, so you’re already doing well choosing them.

Blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries – any will do just fine. They’re also very easy to incorporate into your morning meal and will help satisfy that sweet tooth many of you have for something first thing in the morning.

3. Ezekiel Bread

Finally, if you’re a toast-and-eggs kind of person, I’d recommend Ezekiel bread. This type of bread is made from a variety of whole grains and seeds, which will help stabilize blood glucose levels and provide you with a nice blend of complex carbohydrates and dietary fats.

This bread contains about the same calorie count as regular bread – about 100 calories per slice (some varieties may be slightly higher) – so it’s also relatively easy to work one or two slices into most diet plans.

And even better, this bread will contain more protein per slice than your average wheat bread, so that’s a nice added benefit.

So, there you have my three favorite carb sources to help get your day started. Ideally, you want to keep your carb intake at this morning meal to around 20-50 grams depending on your body weight and target calorie intake. And then make sure that you balance out the carbohydrate intake with some proteins and fats as well. Those two macronutrients are key for making sure digestion proceeds slowly and insulin is not released in high volumes.

Hope that helps guide your morning meals.