Regulating your blood sugar levels helps you to have healthy blood sugar levels at any age, keep your metabolism running smoothly, maintain your ideal weight and a good mood.
Smoothies can be nutritious, tasty and helpful in regulating blood sugar when made with the right ingredients. However, when you use too much fruit and high-glycemic sweeteners, and not enough fiber, you’ll achieve the exact opposite. Which means that your smoothie isn’t contributing to the healthy lifestyle you intend.
Below we share the secret to making a filling smoothie that will taste delicious and keep your blood sugar under control, according to an endocrinologist quoted by MindBodyGreen.
How to avoid a sudden rise in blood sugar levels when drinking a smoothie
When a smoothie contains too much fruit and sweeteners, it can end up spiking (and then dropping) your blood sugar levels, leaving you even hungrier than before.
According to endocrinologist Brittany Henderson, to avoid this sudden rise and drop, you should rely on high-fiber, low-glycemic index fruits such as berries and apples. “I also recommend adding insoluble fiber like psyllium husk or prebiotic fibers to help reduce the blood sugar spike, or flax/chia seeds,” Henderson told MindBodyGreen.
Dietitian Jessica Cording adds that it’s good to make sure to keep your fruit servings in check and to add a good amount of healthy fats and protein. She recommends about 2 parts vegetable for every 1-part fruit, and shares a smoothie recipe that achieves all these requirements.
The smoothie bowl that balances blood sugar
The next formula recommended by the two specialists contains an optimal amount of protein and healthy fats, as well as frozen cauliflower rice for a smooth consistency and added fiber and minerals.
Ingredients
- 250 ml water (or your favorite plant-based milk)
- 1 cup ice cubes (optional)
- 1 tbsp pea protein powder (or peanut butter, almond butter, etc.)
- 1/4 ripe avocado
- 150 g cauliflower
- 1 cup frozen spinach or 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 1/2 cup frozen berries
- For topping: 1 tablespoon chia seeds or your favorite mix of seeds, coconut flakes, nuts, or cocoa flakes
Preparation
Add water or vegetable milk, ice, pea protein powder, avocado, cauliflower, spinach, banana and berries to a blender and pulse until smooth. Pour into a bowl and garnish with chia seeds or any of the mixtures listed above.