You have to check out this video! This is one of my favorite recipes for a diabetes-friendly smoothie. I know you are going to love it! Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel.
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A couple of weeks ago, we posted an overview of best practices if you want to have a smoothie as you manage your blood sugar levels. In today’s video, I will share a recipe for a smoothie that follows the guidelines I mentioned.
Let’s Review…
Make sure the smoothie with all the ingredients you add does not run your caloric intake too high and cause weight gain; to help blunt sharp rises in blood sugar from fruit or juice;
- Add protein as one of the ingredients, like peanut butter,
- or plant-based milk that has only 1 gram or less of carb but contains 8 grams of protein,
- or add whey protein (because there was a small study done on people with type 2 diabetes that showed whey protein could have a glucose-lowering effect)
Be Sure To Check Out-Are Smoothies Good For My Diabetes?
Now To Make The Smoothie
My ingredients today are:
- 1 cup plant-based milk, containing 1 gram of carb or less (or use 1 ounce of this whey protein powder and 1 cup of water)
- 3/4 cup blueberries
- 3/4 cup strawberries
- 1 T peanut or almond butter
The recipe directions are as simple as it gets…
Combine all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. I’m going to go with the whey powder and water
The nutrition info for this whey powder and almond butter version is:
- 254 calories
- 26 grams of carbs
- 15 grams proteins
- 9 grams of fat
- 56 mg sodium
If I wanted to increase the volume of this recipe, I can just add more water…. Water will not change the nutrition information.
For one serving using the plant-based milk and almond butter recipe the numbers are:
- 254 calories
- 26 grams carb
- 11 grams protein
- 12grams fat
- 226 mg sodium
Remember, the calories and carbohydrates we drink have precisely the same effects as the calories and carbohydrates we eat. Smoothies are a great option as long as we remember that simple truth.
Don’t forget to take a look at our most frequently asked questions.
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I made your smoothie today! I used a whey protein powder I have, water, blueberries, strawberries and peanut butter powder. I used the labels and Calorie King to calculate these numbers…calories 159, sodium 42mg, carbs 28.9 g and protein 17.6g. Calorie King put 16.1g carbs in 3/4 cup blueberries, which drove the carb count higher. I will try another with a bit more protein powder, maybe a bit of spinach and a slice of avocado for fat. Personally I want more calories (I am pretty thin)!
Hi Steven,
Thanks for watching the video. Glad you tried the smoothie. Calorie King is on target with a 3/4 c blueberries serving of 15-16 grams of carb. Adding spinach won’t boost your calories very much but avocado, a nut butter or hemp seeds can be good options. Three tablespoons of hemp seeds (a serving) will give you 180 calories, 15 g fat 10 g protein and only 1 gram of carb. Hope this offers more options for you. Take care- Toby