Fruit smoothie for lunch?

[hikiwari]

Hello,
I'd like to start replacing lunch with a fruit smoothie to lose weight and lower my sugars and carbs
I put a small apple, 1/4 banana, a kiwi fruit and some strawberries in and blend with unsweetened soya milk.
Is this a good idea?

 

[rebrascora]

The problem with fruit is that it is full of sugar and by blitzing it into a smoothie you make that sugar more instantly available to enter your blood stream, so it will spike your Blood Glucose (BG) levels more quickly. Conversely chewing fruit slows down the digestive process and is supposed to be physically more satisfying so you are less likely to feel hungry after chewing food than you are after pureeing it and drinking it. If you do decide to go for a smoothie I would limit the fruit a bit more and add some lower carb veggies (broccoli, kale spinach, cauliflower, maybe a bit of carrot or beetroot) and maybe some fat.... like an avocado to thicken it and make it more sustaining.

I haven't used my Smoothie maker since diagnosis and I really should get rid of it as I believe it is not helpful to my diabetes management. I approach soups with the same policy now. Chunky soups are better than smooth soups for slowing the release of the carbs they contain and actually more satisfying to eat in my opinion.

 

[Lucyr]

Hello,
I'd like to start replacing lunch with a fruit smoothie to lose weight and lower my sugars and carbs
I put a small apple, 1/4 banana, a kiwi fruit and some strawberries in and blend with unsweetened soya milk.
Is this a good idea?

What do you have for lunch at the moment? Have you counted up the carbs/sugar in your current lunch compared to the smoothie you’ve planned? You can use an app like myfitnesspal or nutracheck to help you compare

 

[hikiwari]

Thanks for your answers.
I'm a bit overwhelmed by how this all works tbh.
For years I've been T2 but managing to keep myself in the green by simply watching what I eat and having smaller portions. It's something that I don't even think about but my HbA1c is now too high apparently and I need to reduce it.

Reading what you both have written it's clear I need to start from scratch and understand what's happening to me and how I eat food. I'm not quite sure how to start but what you say about fruit @rebrascora makes sense and getting an app will also help me understand the food I'm eating. Thanks @Lucyr.

I've seen mentioned test strips and a meter that people use to test themselves before and after food to get an understanding of blood sugars and meals. Are these given out by your diabetic nurse or are they purchased?

Thanks.

 

[Kaylz]

Are these given out by your diabetic nurse or are they purchased?

If you haven''t been given a meter by your nurse in the previous years of being Type 2 then unfortunately you are highly unlikely to get one now but it wouldn't hurt to ask but of course they don't have to agree, they only HAVE to provide to those on hypo causing medication

There are 2 relatively cheap ones to self fund which are the GlucoNavii and the TEE2 xx

 

[Drummer]

I have found I don't need lunch - I eat at around 12 hour intervals.
It is some time since I was diagnosed, and I don't need much to eat, so this morning I had beef and strawberries, coffee with cream, and last night I had chicken and strawberries, and coffee with cream. Tonight - it being warm, I'll have a salad with eggs and cheese I think. Then it will be off to play the music for longsword dancing at the Silent Woman in Wareham.
I don't eat grain, or potatoes, no fruit other than berries and a few apples when they are ripe from the trees in the garden.
I use swede rather than potatoes - I prefer it and it makes nice bubble and squeak, or I bake it with cheese. For curries I roughly chop up cauliflower to have instead of rice. I seem to do well on it.

 

[Thebearcametoo]

If you want to do a smoothie then use avocado instead of banana (you can buy it frozen) which will give you some creaminess and the fat helps slow down the absorption of sugars. Then add berries which are low carb for fruit (again you can buy frozen). The kiwi and apple are pretty carby. Check the carbs in your soya milk as it varies. Almond milk (unsweetened) tends to be lower carb. Or green tea is nice in smoothies. Everyone has covered other stuff about carbs. Good luck.

 

[rebrascora]

I believe a kiwi can be just about 5g carbs so not too bad but will depend on size and level of ripeness. A whole small apple might be 10g or more depending upon variety and just how small. The more sour the less sugar. Bananas are obviously sweeter and more starchy.... depending upon level of ripeness. A quarter is probably between 5-10g depending upon the size of the banana.

I find sour fruits benefit from something creamy to take the edge off the acidity, so the avocado might do that or some creamy Greek natural yoghurt or double cream.