5 diabetes-friendly breakfast ideas

Your diabetic breakfast food choices can help fuel your day and keep you healthy. Fortunately, being a diabetic doesn't relegate you to boring foods.

Choose from a wide selection in the meat department including steak, turkey bacon and sausage, which have high protein levels and low carbohydrates. Eggs are another source of protein you can fix a multitude of ways to prevent boredom. Scramble eggs and add shredded cheese and mushrooms. Add tablespoon of salsa to the eggs to provide a kick of flavour. Avoid fried eggs and poach them instead. Fatty meats such as regular bacon and hot dogs should also be avoided because of their high levels of saturated fats that could cause heart problems for diabetics.

If you don't have time to spend making breakfast, prepare diabetic breakfast shakes ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. Diabetic shake ingredients can include non-fat Greek yogurt, your choice of fruit such as raspberries, blueberries and peaches, and non-fat milk. You can add a dash of cinnamon for extra flavour to the shake. Avoid putting sugar or heavy cream into the shakes as it could increase your blood glucose levels.

You don't have to get your protein from meat and eggs. Change up your breakfast by incorporating peanut butter into the mix. Peanut butter is a low-carb protein source, making it a good selection for diabetics. Spread peanut butter over whole-wheat toast. You can slice half a banana onto the peanut butter for your daily dose of potassium, which is great for diabetics who have lower levels of potassium due to insulin intake.

Hot oatmeal or cold cereals, like bran with unsweetened almond milk with a sprinkling of blueberries, provide a fast yet nutritious meal for a diabetic. You can add fruit like peaches or kiwi to low-fat cottage cheese. The cottage cheese provides both protein and calcium for healthy bones.

Many fast food establishments realize people want to eat healthy, so they're offering more in the way of salads and other low-fat choices. When you find yourself at the fast food counter during breakfast, opt for the yogurt parfait or oatmeal. Some may offer fresh fruit as well. Stick with black coffee or low-fat skim milk.

Carb-heavy flour is not a diabetic's friend, but you can partake in muffins and pancakes by using protein powder instead of flour. Substitute protein powder for regular flour to make muffins with fruit or nuts. Protein powder contains fewer carbohydrates than regular flour, something a diabetic regularly needs to control within their diet.

A diabetic breakfast doesn't have to be boring. You still have numerous choices in the food department whether you're eating in or out while on the run.