Fruit smoothies are convenient, quick, and easy to make. They also can benutrition powerhouses—or sugar bombs. If you havediabetes, it’s important to know how much fruit is in a smoothie and whether it has added sugar or other sweeteners before you take a sip.
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One way to do this: Make your own at home. It’s easy to do if you have a blender, and whipping up your own smoothies allows you to control the ingredients and keep them in line with adiabetes-friendly approach to eating—low in carbs and with ample fiber, protein, and healthy fat to help keep blood glucose levels in balance.
Prep Tip For A.M. SmoothiesPut all ingredients (fruit chunks, nut butter, seeds, leafy greens, etc.) into the blender at night and store it in the fridge. All you’ll have to do is add ice the next morning.
Prep Tip For A.M. Smoothies
Put all ingredients (fruit chunks, nut butter, seeds, leafy greens, etc.) into the blender at night and store it in the fridge. All you’ll have to do is add ice the next morning.
Components of a Diabetes-Friendly Smoothie
Crafting a smoothie that’s compatible with a diabetes meal plan involves choosing nutritious and tasty ingredients that won’t lead to glucose spike, but will keep you full.
Fiber
Look to add 8 grams of fiber or more to your smoothies.That’s about the amount in 1 cup of blackberries.
Good sources include:
Getting Your Vegetables From Leafy and Non-Leafy Greens
Protein
Like fiber, protein slows the rate at which glucose enters the bloodstream,making for an even, long-lasting source of energy. Ideal sources of protein for a fruit smoothie include:
Fat
If you follow a plant-based diet, you can substitute unsweetened nut milk or vegan yogurt for dairy products. Some fortified vegan yogurts and milks have as much, or more fat and/or protein as dairy products.
Flavor Add-ins
Carefully selected herbs, spices, and other flavor enhancers include:
Green Smoothie Tips
If you like veggie-forward smoothies, in addition to leafy greens experiment with neutral-tasting vegetables such as chopped cauliflower, cucumber, zucchini, yellow squash, or even a small amount of cooked beets or sweet potatoes. All will add a hefty dose of vitamins and minerals. Matcha (powdered green tea) can also amp up the green quotient of your smoothies.
Sweeteners
Fruit should provide plenty of natural sweetness, but if you’re using a predominantly vegetable-based blend a pitted date will do the trick. Besides a punch of sweetness, dates offer minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and fiber.
Stevia is another good option for adding sweetness, but avoid artificial sweeteners, which may negatively affect gut bacteriaand can worsen blood sugar control.
5 Best Sweeteners for People With Diabetes
17 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Diabetes Association.Best fruit choices for diabetes.Weickert MO, Pfeiffer AFH.Impact of Dietary Fiber Consumption on Insulin Resistance and the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes.J Nutr.2018;148(1):7-12. doi:10.1093/jn/nxx008MedlinePlus.Dietary fiber.Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.Easy ways to boost fiber in your daily diet.FoodData Central.Blackberries,raw.American Heart Association.Fuzzy and full of nutrients, peachs are a summertime staple.Michigan State University.Seeds are healthy sources of fiber.Joslin Diabetes Center.Carbs, proteins, and fats—their effect on glucose levels.Mignone LE, Wu T, Horowitz M, Rayner CK.Whey protein: The “whey” forward for treatment of type 2 diabetes?World J Diabetes. 2015;6(14):1274-84. doi:10.4239/wjd.v6.i14.1274FoodData Central.Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat.Icelandic Provisions.Plain skyr.FoodData Central.Seeds, hemp seeds, hulled.Maher T, Clegg ME.Dietary lipids with potential to affect satiety: mechanisms and evidence.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(10):1619-1644. doi:10.1080/10408398.2017.1423277De souza RGM, Schincaglia RM, Pimentel GD, Mota JF.Nuts and human health outcomes: a systematic review.Nutrients. 2017;9(12). doi:10.3390/nu9121311FoodData Central.Dates, medjool.Ruiz-Ojeda FJ, Plaza-Díaz J, Sáez-Lara MJ, Gil A.Effects of sweeteners on the gut microbiota: a review of experimental studies and clinical trials.Adv Nutr. 2019;10(suppl_1):S31-S48. doi:10.1093/advances/nmy037Iizuka K.Is the use of artificial sweeteners beneficial for patients with diabetes mellitus? The advantages and disadvantages of artificial sweeteners.Nutrients. 2022;14(21):4446. doi:10.3390/nu14214446
17 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Diabetes Association.Best fruit choices for diabetes.Weickert MO, Pfeiffer AFH.Impact of Dietary Fiber Consumption on Insulin Resistance and the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes.J Nutr.2018;148(1):7-12. doi:10.1093/jn/nxx008MedlinePlus.Dietary fiber.Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.Easy ways to boost fiber in your daily diet.FoodData Central.Blackberries,raw.American Heart Association.Fuzzy and full of nutrients, peachs are a summertime staple.Michigan State University.Seeds are healthy sources of fiber.Joslin Diabetes Center.Carbs, proteins, and fats—their effect on glucose levels.Mignone LE, Wu T, Horowitz M, Rayner CK.Whey protein: The “whey” forward for treatment of type 2 diabetes?World J Diabetes. 2015;6(14):1274-84. doi:10.4239/wjd.v6.i14.1274FoodData Central.Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat.Icelandic Provisions.Plain skyr.FoodData Central.Seeds, hemp seeds, hulled.Maher T, Clegg ME.Dietary lipids with potential to affect satiety: mechanisms and evidence.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(10):1619-1644. doi:10.1080/10408398.2017.1423277De souza RGM, Schincaglia RM, Pimentel GD, Mota JF.Nuts and human health outcomes: a systematic review.Nutrients. 2017;9(12). doi:10.3390/nu9121311FoodData Central.Dates, medjool.Ruiz-Ojeda FJ, Plaza-Díaz J, Sáez-Lara MJ, Gil A.Effects of sweeteners on the gut microbiota: a review of experimental studies and clinical trials.Adv Nutr. 2019;10(suppl_1):S31-S48. doi:10.1093/advances/nmy037Iizuka K.Is the use of artificial sweeteners beneficial for patients with diabetes mellitus? The advantages and disadvantages of artificial sweeteners.Nutrients. 2022;14(21):4446. doi:10.3390/nu14214446
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Diabetes Association.Best fruit choices for diabetes.Weickert MO, Pfeiffer AFH.Impact of Dietary Fiber Consumption on Insulin Resistance and the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes.J Nutr.2018;148(1):7-12. doi:10.1093/jn/nxx008MedlinePlus.Dietary fiber.Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.Easy ways to boost fiber in your daily diet.FoodData Central.Blackberries,raw.American Heart Association.Fuzzy and full of nutrients, peachs are a summertime staple.Michigan State University.Seeds are healthy sources of fiber.Joslin Diabetes Center.Carbs, proteins, and fats—their effect on glucose levels.Mignone LE, Wu T, Horowitz M, Rayner CK.Whey protein: The “whey” forward for treatment of type 2 diabetes?World J Diabetes. 2015;6(14):1274-84. doi:10.4239/wjd.v6.i14.1274FoodData Central.Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat.Icelandic Provisions.Plain skyr.FoodData Central.Seeds, hemp seeds, hulled.Maher T, Clegg ME.Dietary lipids with potential to affect satiety: mechanisms and evidence.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(10):1619-1644. doi:10.1080/10408398.2017.1423277De souza RGM, Schincaglia RM, Pimentel GD, Mota JF.Nuts and human health outcomes: a systematic review.Nutrients. 2017;9(12). doi:10.3390/nu9121311FoodData Central.Dates, medjool.Ruiz-Ojeda FJ, Plaza-Díaz J, Sáez-Lara MJ, Gil A.Effects of sweeteners on the gut microbiota: a review of experimental studies and clinical trials.Adv Nutr. 2019;10(suppl_1):S31-S48. doi:10.1093/advances/nmy037Iizuka K.Is the use of artificial sweeteners beneficial for patients with diabetes mellitus? The advantages and disadvantages of artificial sweeteners.Nutrients. 2022;14(21):4446. doi:10.3390/nu14214446
American Diabetes Association.Best fruit choices for diabetes.
Weickert MO, Pfeiffer AFH.Impact of Dietary Fiber Consumption on Insulin Resistance and the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes.J Nutr.2018;148(1):7-12. doi:10.1093/jn/nxx008
MedlinePlus.Dietary fiber.
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.Easy ways to boost fiber in your daily diet.
FoodData Central.Blackberries,raw.
American Heart Association.Fuzzy and full of nutrients, peachs are a summertime staple.
Michigan State University.Seeds are healthy sources of fiber.
Joslin Diabetes Center.Carbs, proteins, and fats—their effect on glucose levels.
Mignone LE, Wu T, Horowitz M, Rayner CK.Whey protein: The “whey” forward for treatment of type 2 diabetes?World J Diabetes. 2015;6(14):1274-84. doi:10.4239/wjd.v6.i14.1274
FoodData Central.Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat.
Icelandic Provisions.Plain skyr.
FoodData Central.Seeds, hemp seeds, hulled.
Maher T, Clegg ME.Dietary lipids with potential to affect satiety: mechanisms and evidence.Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(10):1619-1644. doi:10.1080/10408398.2017.1423277
De souza RGM, Schincaglia RM, Pimentel GD, Mota JF.Nuts and human health outcomes: a systematic review.Nutrients. 2017;9(12). doi:10.3390/nu9121311
FoodData Central.Dates, medjool.
Ruiz-Ojeda FJ, Plaza-Díaz J, Sáez-Lara MJ, Gil A.Effects of sweeteners on the gut microbiota: a review of experimental studies and clinical trials.Adv Nutr. 2019;10(suppl_1):S31-S48. doi:10.1093/advances/nmy037
Iizuka K.Is the use of artificial sweeteners beneficial for patients with diabetes mellitus? The advantages and disadvantages of artificial sweeteners.Nutrients. 2022;14(21):4446. doi:10.3390/nu14214446
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