Best Cereal for Diabetics Patients [Updated 2022]

Do you spend hours at grocery stores selecting a healthy breakfast cereal for yourself? Well, that’s normal, especially in the case of diabetics. Indeed it’s an overwhelming process. Though, via the following help, you can conveniently find the best cereal for diabetics.

Undeniably, cereals are the most popular breakfast among Americans. But let’s get a reality check, we all know they are extremely high in processed sugars and not fit for daily consumption. They can spike blood sugar levels in a bowl or two.

That being said, they are easy to consume in great quantities in just a single serving. That comprehends that you have increasing carbs in your daily breakfast. But here’s good news, you don’t have to give up on cereals just to maintain your blood glucose goals. Yes, you read it right. Skim through this guide and learn all the diabetic-friendly cereals for a healthy breakfast.

What makes a Cereal fit for consumption for Diabetics?

Following are the essential things that you must check before buying breakfast cereal.

• It must be sugar-free
• It must be high in protein.
• It must be grain-free
• It must be gluten-free

The American Diabetic Association

The American Diabetic Association has laid down these research reports that identify roll-oatmeal, steel-cut oatmeal, and oat bran is foods with glycemic index (GI) levels that are low. The (GI) values of these foods are 55 or lower. Quick oats have a medium GI value of 56 to 59. While corn flakes, puffed rice, bran flakes, and instant oatmeal can have GI values of the excess of 70.

So when choosing a cereal, compare these values for any cereal you might be buying for your breakfast or for any other time to eat.

For diabetic patients, it’s worth noting what glycemic index is all about is. The glycemic index tells a person how quick food can make the sugar in the blood go up. Note this too, that only foods of carbohydrates are considered by the GI measuring scale. Foods that are of meat, oil or fats are not measured by a GI scale worth considering. Meats and oils raise the sugar in the blood very slowly. The GI values of these foods are all very low. This data was from research and testing done in 2018.

The Best Cereals for a Diabetic Person

The best breakfast cereal will be a cereal made from whole grains. Make sure you read the label that clearly states that the cereal is made from whole grain in which the germ and the bran have not been stripped away when the cereal was getting processed.

The whole-grain cereal will always have grain kernel intact, this is the source of that fiber that’s healthy for a diabetic patient. Remember, meats, oil, and fats have no fiber that is needed by the digestive system. Only fruits and vegetables mainly give people that. But in the case of diabetic people, whole grain can easily be consumed, and the person can still get the fiber level needed.

Whole grain is also known to keep blood sugar in check because of the fiber level in it. Whole grain can even prevent heart problems again because of the fiber content in it. And the last but not least benefit that whole grain gives a diabetic is the number of vitamins and minerals that can be obtained from it.

Whole Grains that make a Perfect Cereal Bowl

Oatmeal, whole wheat bran, wheat bran, barley, whole cornmeal, brown and wild rice, and buckwheat are whole grains that many good bowls of cereal are made up of.

A diabetic just has to check out the label on a cereal box or tin. Check if it’s made of whole grain and if it’s one of the above whole grains. The diabetic person will be as safe as he/she can be.

When reading the label make sure it states that there will be at least three grams of fiber and less than six grams of sugar per serving. Where sugar is a concern, sugar can go by a number of names. The labels on the cereal boxes do inform a customer how many sugars are in the cereal under different names. What a diabetic must watch out for is how many sugars are being used in the cereal. 3 different sugars in the recipe are too much for a diabetic person.

The diabetic would fare well if the names of some of these sugars are learned up by heart. Learning the list up will help the diabetic with any type of food that does contain some type of sugar in them.

The different types of sugar are Agave nectar, brown sugar, cane crystals, cane sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, crystalline fructose, dextrose, evaporated can juice, fructose, fruit juice concentrates, glucose, honey, high fructose corn syrup, malt syrup maple syrup, maltose, invert sugar, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, and syrup.

Also, the diabetic must watch how much sodium is in the cereal too. Not more than 2300 mg of sodium (salt) must be consumed per day.

Considering all the above guidelines, the last to consider the diabetic’s personal taste of flavor, and the diabetic will know which the best breakfast cereal is for him/her.

The Best Diabetic Cereal for the Morning – FAQs

Conclusion

Cereals can be the easiest yet healthiest breakfast if you choose the right one. However, diabetics have to be specific about their cereals as wrong choices can lead to severe health implications. Moreover, if the condition persists, it can lead to feet damage, bad dizzy spells hearing impairment, or unhealed wounds. Therefore, you must look closely at the nutritional facts behind a cereal box before buying. Or, if you are not a cereal person, oatmeal is another best option for breakfast.

Check out Kaitlin Williams Eckstein’s recipe demo on low glucose Raisin Bran cereal if you are still confused.