Best Cereal Diabetics Can Eat

Healthful Vitality | 09/11/2021 | By NP Team | Best Cereal Diabetics Can Eat

Selecting cereals can be pretty complicated for those living with diabetes, as most have ample carbs. In some cultures, high consumption of carbs-rich grains like wheat bread and rice contributes to high blood glucose levels.

However, cereals should be part of every healthy diet. They are a good source of calories, moderately high in proteins, an excellent source of minerals like iron, magnesium, phosphorus. They are also high in specific vitamins like folate, group B vitamins.

Are cereals good for those living with diabetes?

Cereals are suitable for moderate consumption by those living with diabetes. Despite their high carb content, they have complex carbs that digest slowly. Additionally, they are rich in dietary fiber, some bioactive compounds. Thus, despite being high in carbs, they do not essentially raise blood glucose levels.

Two things to pay attention to when choosing any cereal are glycemic index and glycemic load. If unsure, one may search various databases providing detailed information. Sidney University maintains one such excellent searchable database.

Glycemic index (GI) tells how fast any product would raise blood glucose levels. Products with a glycemic index below 55 are excellent. Those with 55 to 69 are moderately good. Foods with GI above 70 should be consumed sparingly.

However, there is another vital concept that is glycemic load (GL). Which tells how much blood glucose a food will raise. Products with GL below 10 are excellent. Those between 10-20 are moderately good. Products above 20 are not so good.

GL is generally more important than GI, which is why most fruits, despite high sugar content, are suitable for consumption. Just take an example of watermelon, which has a GI of 80, but a GL of just 4.

Cereals to prefer when living with diabetes

When selecting cereals, things could be tricky as there are so many of them. However, whole grains with added bran have high dietary fiber and are excellent for those living with diabetes.

Best cereal diabetics can eat

Here are some cereals to consider:

Buckwheat:

Buckwheat has a glycemic index of 55, which is moderately good, but has a glycemic load of around 11, making it a good choice.

Oats:

Oats are love in many parts of the word. Evidently, oats have a GI of about 55. However, one should not consume instant oat porridge, a highly processed food with a GI of 79. Rolled oats are suitable for diabetics. However, there is another reason why many experts recommend oats in diabetes. They have a high amount of beta-glucan, a kind of dietary fiber that lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Barley:

Barley stands out among all the cereals with one of the lowest GI at 28. It would not cause spikes in blood glucose levels after consumption. However, one should still be careful and consume it in small portions as it has a high GL due to its high carb content.

Millets:

Millets have a moderate GI of 54-55 and are suitable for consumption in moderate amounts.

Muesli:

Muesli has a GI of 57 and moderate GL. Thus, it is suitable for regular consumption.

High bran breakfast cereals:

Different brands of high bran cereals are available for breakfast (like Kellogg’s All-Bran). These cereals are excellent as they have a low glycemic index and load. It is because they have added dietary fiber, which slows down the absorption of carbs in the intestine.

To conclude, cereals are a vital part of the daily diet. However, one should avoid highly processed cereals like white bread, corn flakes. Instead, one should choose products made from whole grains with less processing. Some cereals are naturally low in GI and GL and thus good in diabetes. In addition, some companies produce cereals specifically for diabetes with added dietary fiber or bran.