smoothies

[mandie]

hi, guys, I need to ask I have been having smoothies fruit ie berries only and veg ones to make sure I get and have my 5 a day but now I've been told its bad for diabetics how can that be so it's your 5 a day and all i add is milk or a fat-free yoghurt please say where I am going wrong if i am

 

[Thebearcametoo]

If you add up all the carbs then it can be more than you think but it depends on the fruit and veg you use and the portion size. Berries tend to be low carb and greens are low carb. If you’re adding banana then it can hugely increase the carb count. Milk and yogurt have carbs in and low fat tends to be less good for diabetics because of that. If you weigh each element and use a carb counting site so you can work out the total carbs I’m sure you can build a smoothie that is ok for you. You may want to use water, green tea or something like that instead of milk or use full fat milk but it will depend on your particular ability to cope with carbs. If you do finger pricks then you’ll see what the impact is for you.

 

[Robin]

As always, it depends on what’s in them and what your body can tolerate.
Oh, @Thebearcametoo has put exactly what I was going to, I don’t type fast enough! So...What they said, and welcome to the forum!

 

[Drummer]

By pulverising the fruit or veges you are making the contents of the plant cells even more quickly available, and 'all' you are adding are more carbs from the milk and yoghurt.
The five a day advice is just something someone dreamed up - like the low fat advice - nothing scientific about it.

 

[mandie]

By pulverising the fruit or veges you are making the contents of the plant cells even more quickly available, and 'all' you are adding are more carbs from the milk and yoghurt.
The five a day advice is just something someone dreamed up - like the low fat advice - nothing scientific about it.

so it not bad or good just a low carb berry drink and a carrot and leek smoothie just watch what you add thank you i can still have them

 

[Inka]

Smoothies often seem to have a fair few carbs for their size. I do have some occasionally but measure out a portion rather than have the whole small bottle at one time.

As @Drummer says, they’re absorbed faster than if you ate the fruit components whole, and we don’t often need that quick rush of carbs.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

so it not bad or good just a low carb berry drink and a carrot and leek smoothie just watch what you add thank you i can still have them

Do you have a BG meter @mandie ?

That would be the easiest way to tell for sure. Check before and again after 1hrs and 2hrs a couple of times, and you will be able to see how your body responds. The 1hr check will show you if there’s a rapid hike in BG that then comes back down with your 2nd phase insulin which will have been working by 2hrs.

Any prophecies of doom, or reassurance that it will be fine are just guesses really. What matters more is how your body reacts, and this can vary from person to person. So it’s about finding your individual tolerances really 🙂