Can a diabetic eat cereals?
Cereal is the most common breakfast for many people. A diabetic can eat cereal in moderate portions. As many cereals are high in carbohydrates, a diabetic must watch portion size when eating cereals. Moreover, many commercially sold breakfast cereals come with added sugar. As a result, it is very likely that eating cereal can cause high blood sugar levels in diabetics. So, it is always a good idea to cut down carbohydrates or sugars from other areas of your diet to compensate for any cereal that you eat.
Also, a diabetic must choose the right cereal to eat. Though cereal is what a diabetic can eat for breakfast, some clever choices can make it more healthful. For example, cereals based on whole grain and those with no added sugar can be good for a diabetic to eat.
Why is cereal so popular for breakfast?
Though cereals come in many forms, shapes and tastes, everyone loves to eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Though the main reason for cereal being so popular for breakfast is that cereal is a quick breakfast, cereal is also delicious. Many breakfast cereals are based on corn, wheat, rice, barley, millet, oats, sorghum and rye etc. Some of these cereals are main staple for people in many countries.
What cereal can a diabetic eat?
When choosing cereal for diabetics, one needs to pay attention to carbohydrate or sugar content as well as glycaemic index or GI. For example, many cereals based on oats have medium GI that is less than 55. Such cereal with medium GI is better than other cereal with higher GI. Cereals based on corm=n flakes, bran flakes, rice etc. have higher GI.
One of the best breakfast cereals for diabetics is muesli. Muesli is both healthful and delicious. Granola, cinnamon cereal, whole grain nuggets etc. are also good for diabetics. A diabetic must always make sure the cereal comes with no added sugar or salt.
To make sure your blood sugar levels remain in healthy range, you can always check your blood sugar levels and change your cereal. I normally check my blood sugar levels using a glucometer before and after eating any new cereal. In an ideal world, I do not like to see much difference between the two readings. You may find this diabetes testing kit or glucometer helpful to check your blood sugar levels at home.
