The Single Best Low-Sugar Breakfast
No need for the morning rush to be a sugar rush, too.
Matt Armendariz
When you are monitoring your sugar or have diabetes, it makes sense to plan out your meals to make sure you're eating a combo of ingredients that will stick with you and not cause your blood sugar to crash.
"My favorite non-cereal breakfast option for people with diabetes is avocado," says Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDE, who is a certified diabetes educator, the author of 2-Day Diabetes Diet and a nutrition consultant with the Hass Avocado Board. She recommends serving the avocado with an egg and veggies to round out the breakfast.
What makes avocado such a solid breakfast choice? For one thing, avocado's ability to improve satiety — the feeling of being full and not hungry — has been specifically studied. In a clinical trial published in Nutrients, overweight and obese adults who ate a whole avocado as part of their breakfast experienced suppressed hunger and improved meal satisfaction. "For individuals looking to reduce hunger to help with portion control later in the day, this research suggests avocado with breakfast may help," says Palinski-Wade. Avocado also boasts heart-healthy fats and cholesterol-helping fiber, as well as satiating protein.
You don't have to eat an entire avocado; you can add just half or a third of the millennial-beloved fruit to your breakfast. No matter what you pair your avocado with, add plenty of nonstarchy vegetables — think onions, bell peppers and tomatoes. Saute them in low-sodium vegetable broth for lots of taste but few added calories.
If you're going for avocado toast, choose whole-grain bread, as this type of bread boasts more filling fiber than white bread. When shopping, simply choose a loaf with "whole grains" or "whole-wheat flour" as the first ingredient.
"I love that there are so many ways to add avocado to breakfast so you never get bored," Palinski-Wade says. "You can enjoy it sliced or mashed on top of toast or scrambled in with an egg — or even added to a breakfast smoothie."
Ready to start your day with some avocado? Try these avocado breakfast recipes:
Amy Gorin, MS, RDN, is a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in the New York City area. She's a regular contributor to many publications, including EverydayHealth.com, ReadersDigest.com, NBCNews.com, and more. She also pens a recipe-focused blog, Amy's Eat List, where she shares easy, healthy recipes. Connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
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