Do diabetic-friendly food and drinks have to taste awful? Not at all. You don’t need to sacrifice taste when it comes to smoothies for diabetics.
Look for ingredients that have a low glycemic index and are packed with nutrients. Some fruits and veggies are better than others when it comes to managing diabetes. It’s also important to pick a good dairy source of calcium and probiotics.
Five Delicious Smoothies for Diabetics
Simply grab your blender and try one of these refreshing diabetes smoothies:
1. Berry Blast Smoothie
Do you have a sweet tooth? This berry based-smoothie is sweet while still maintaining a low GI. It also contains a large dose of omega-3 fatty acids from the flax seeds.
Blend this berry blast smoothie with these ingredients:
- 1 cup of frozen blueberries
- 1 cup of frozen raspberries
- 1 cup of frozen blackberries
- A few frozen mango chunks
- 3 kale leaves
- 2 Tbsp of flax meal
- 2 cups of unsweetened pure coconut water
This recipe makes two smoothies.
2. Low-Carb Strawberry Smoothie
Why not throw a taste of sunshine into a blender? This is one of the simpler diabetes smoothies you can make, and yet it is simple and very tasty. Strawberry lovers will make this recipe a mainstay.
Make this frothy treat by using the following ingredients:
- 5 strawberries, medium-sized
- ½ cup of low-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup of soy milk, unsweetened (or unsweetened almond milk)
- 6 ice cubes
3. Greenie Green Smoothie
Are you having trouble consuming your daily serving of veggies? If so, you can drink them instead. Green smoothies for diabetics are a great way to get in some much-needed nutrients, even if you aren’t usually a salad lover.
Serve yourself this fresh take on the green smoothie. Grab your blender and mix these ingredients:
- 1 green apple, cored and cut
- 1 pear, cored and cut
- 2 cups of kale or spinach, roughly cut
- 1 ½ cups of water
- ½ cup of fresh mint, roughly cut
- 20 green or Moscato grapes, chilled
- Cinnamon, to taste
- 1 tsp of Stevia
- 1 lime, juiced
- 12 ice cubes
4. Diabetic Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie
Diabetic friendly smoothies like this give you hearty servings of fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. Make small tweaks to the standard recipe by using unsweetened soy or almond milk.
Blend the following ingredients to start your mornings off right:
- 1 cup of uncooked oats, ground in a spice grinder
- 2 bananas, frozen and cut
- 3 cups of soy or almond milk, unsweetened
- 1 Tbsp of flax-seed, ground
- 2 tsp of coffee extract (optional)
- Sugar substitute, to taste
5. Peach Smoothie
Peach smoothies make a great snack. However, the recipe does call for 4 oz. of sweetened yogurt. To counteract this, add more fiber into the smoothie by keeping the peel on the peaches and using chia seeds.
Get ready for a delicious diabetes-friendly smoothie with these ingredients:
- 1 medium peach, chopped
- ½ cup of skim milk
- 4 oz. of non-fat vanilla yogurt
- 1 tbsp of chia seeds
- 1 cup of ice cubes
- Cinnamon,
to taste
Let’s Get Blending
You can make smoothies for diabetics based on regular smoothie recipes, simply substitute some ingredients with diabetic-friendly ones. Be sure to check the calorie and carb count, too.
Diabetic friendly smoothies can improve your diet and boost your mood. But make sure the servings aren’t too big, and check if all the ingredients fit your diet plan.
