4 Delicious (and Diabetes-Friendly!) Smoothie Recipes

Having diabetes doesn’t mean you need to deny yourself all the foods you love, but you do want to make healthier food choices.

One good choice is to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, which are heavy in nutrition but light in calories.

Some fruits and vegetables are better for managing your diabetes than others. Look for produce that’s low on the glycemic index and load, meaning it won’t spike your blood sugar.

It’s also important to get plenty of calcium- and probiotic-rich dairy foods to fortify your bones and provide good gut bacteria. Good sources are low-fat milk, kefir, and Greek yogurt.

These foods are essential to any diabetes diet, yet you don’t need to eat them with a fork or even a spoon. You can pack a lot of nutrition into one smoothie and get a delicious treat. As long as you stick with healthy ingredients and don’t add extra sweeteners, you can enjoy these treats on a regular basis.

Just remember when you do blend fruit into your smoothies to count them as part of your daily fruit allowance so you don’t overdo it on carbohydrates. Even natural sugar can drive up your blood sugar if you eat too much of it.

Here are 4 diabetes-friendly smoothie ideas to get you started.

1. Superfood smoothie

This smoothie has it all — antioxidant-rich berries, healthy fat from the avocado, greens, and protein. Just be careful when buying berry yogurt that you choose a brand that’s low in sugar, such as Siggi, or stevia-sweetened. Or opt for unsweetened yogurt.

This recipe has 404 calories, so use it as a meal replacement instead of a snack.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup organic, wild blueberries, frozen
• 1/3 cup organic strawberries, frozen
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 tsp. organic flaxseed
• 1 handful organic spinach
• 100g berry yogurt (1 small container)
• 1 tbsp. chia seeds
• 1 scoop Vega Sports Protein*
• 1 scoop greens superfood
• 4 ice cubes

*or whatever protein powder you like

Blend, drink, and go!

2. Berry Blast Smoothie

The berry base of this smoothie makes it sweet, yet it’s still low on the glycemic index. If your berries are tart, the coconut milk and mango will add some natural sweetness. You’ll also get a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids from the flax.

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 cup frozen blackberries
• 1 cup frozen raspberries
• Small handful frozen mango chunks
• 2 cups unsweetened, pure coconut water
• 3 kale leaves
• 2 tbsp. flax meal

Method

1. Place all ingredients into a high-powdered blender and blend until smooth.
2. Serve topped with some fresh berries (they will eventually sink and it’s fun to scoop them out at the end!)

3. The Greenie Green Smoothie

If you’re having trouble meeting your daily green requirements but aren’t a big fan of salads, why not drink your veggies? This take on the increasingly popular green smoothie uses nutrient-dense kale or spinach balanced with tart apple and pear. Lime juice and mint complement the blend, adding a burst of flavor and freshness.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 organic ripe green apple cut into chunks, core discarded
• 1 organic ripe green pear cut into chunks, core discarded
• 2 cups organic roughly chopped fresh kale or spinach
• 1/2 cup organic roughly chopped fresh mint
• 20 chilled green or moscato grapes
• 12 ice cubes
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp stevia or 1 tbsp agave nectar, or more to taste
• 1 lime (juiced, or more to taste)

Method

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups cold water into the blender. Add one small handful of the apple and pear chunks. Blend till the mixture is thoroughly liquid. Continue adding the apple and pear chunks in small handfuls, blending each handful one at a time, until all of the fruit chunks are blended in.
2. Add the greens and mint, one handful at a time, and blend in batches till all of the greens have been blended in. Add the grapes, ice cubes, cinnamon, agave or stevia and lime juice. Blend until the ice cubes are thoroughly crushed and the mixture is smooth. I blend it for at least 1 minute to make sure all of the greens are totally pulverized.
3. Serve.
4. Note: Make sure you follow the steps in the order suggested. If you simply cram all the ingredients into the blender at once, they won’t blend properly.

4. Diabetic Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie

What better way to start your day than with some hearty, fiber-dense whole grains, plus potassium and vitamin C? The uncooked oats also provide resistant starch, which is an excellent source of fuel for gut bacteria and can improve insulin levels.

This breakfast smoothie packs a lot of nutrition into one glass. Here are a few tips to make this smoothie work better for your blood sugar:

• Choose smaller bananas and don’t forget to add those carbs to your daily count so you don’t go over your allotment.
• Turn this recipe into four servings rather than two.
• Use unsweetened almond or soymilk instead of skim milk to further reduce the carbs.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked oats, ground in spice or coffee grinder or food processor
• 2 frozen banana, cut into small chunks first
• 3 cup skim milk
• 2 Tbsp ground flax-seed
• Sugar substitute
• 2 tsp instant coffee (optional)

Yum! Now who’s hungry?