Making healthy choices can be a challenge for anyone and also a challenge to be consistent too.
But if you add on a diagnosis of diabetes, it can become even more complex!
The good news is that you can still include frozen smoothies as a convenient meal or snack option.
But there are just a few things you’ll want to keep in mind when making a frozen smoothie if you are diabetic.
By the way, this information isn’t intended to replace advice from your qualified nutrition professional.
Instead, it’s to inspire you with ingredients that are generally healthy, but could also be beneficial for diabetics.
With that said, let’s look at the properties that someone with diabetes might want for a frozen smoothie.
Low GI
One of the main problems with diabetes is the fluctuating blood sugar levels, which can damage the body’s tissues over time.
Therefore, the goal is to give you steady blood sugar levels throughout the day.
That’s why you would want to include low GI (glycaemic index) foods in your frozen smoothies.
These foods will slowly feed sugar into the body, rather than a big hit of sugar all in one go.
Full of antioxidant-rich and anti-inflammatory foods
Unfortunately, diabetes can cause inflammation and oxidative stress throughout the body, which can cause more damage and contribute to further illness.
But some foods contain compounds that can reverse or prevent the damage caused by inflammation and oxidative stress.
The rule of thumb with antioxidants is to look for (naturally) bright colours, and also aim for a variety of colours over your day.
Different colours have different actions and benefits, so it’s best to have some of each.
I always say: to be healthy and happy, eat the rainbow every day!
Includes blood sugar balancing ingredients
There are specific ingredients that have been found to help with regulating your sugar levels and cinnamon is one of the best-known blood sugar balancing ingredients.
But there are also others ingredients to consider that work well, these include bitter melon, green tea, fenugreek seeds and more.
Time to create your own frozen smoothie recipe!
We all have different taste preferences, so rather than giving you one diabetic-friendly recipe, I’m going to encourage you to create your own!
So try combining some of these ingredients below to create your dream frozen diabetic smoothie recipe.
Liquid base options:
- Non-dairy milks – go for no added sugar options. Head here to learn more about plant-based milk options
- Water
- Ice
- Coconut or almond yoghurt – make sure they don’t contain added sugars
- Green tea
- Other herbal teas
Fruit options:
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Other berries that are available seasonally, such as boysenberries
- Cherries
- Apples
- Pears
- Stone fruit such as peaches and plums
- Bitter melon
If you do want to include a higher sugar or higher GI fruit, add a smaller serve and make sure you include other fibre-rich foods.
For example, add half a banana instead of a whole banana, then include some chia seeds and also some green leafy vegetables.
Vegetable options:
- Any green leafy veg – spinach is a good place to start if you’re new to green smoothies
- Zucchini
- Cucumber
- Celery
- Beetroot – goes beautifully in a chocolate flavoured smoothie
- Avocado
- Pumpkin
- Carrot
- Cauliflower
- Capsicum (any colour)
Protein & fat options:
- Protein powder – a protein powder with only a few ingredients is best. Ideally, go for one that is naturally sweetened with stevia, rather than artificial sweeteners such as aspartame
- Avocado
- Nuts, including almonds, walnuts, macadamias, hazelnuts and pistachios
- Seeds, including chia, flax, sunflower and pumpkin seeds
- Nut/seed butters
- Beans
- Peas
Flavour & superfood options:
- Cinnamon – Ceylon cinnamon is best, as it is lower in a substance called coumarin, which can be toxic in high dosages
- Fenugreek seeds
- Turmeric
- Cocoa/cacao powder
- Maca powder
- Mesquite powder
- Matcha powder
- Spirulina
- Chlorella
- Coconut flakes
Looking for an even easier diabetic frozen smoothie option?
Super Cubes is your go-to for frozen smoothie cubes as each flavour contains less than 10g of sugar per serve and is packed full of nutrient-dense, low GI ingredients!
You can have a look at the ingredient profiles and also the nutritional values of each type of frozen smoothie cube on the shop page and make your own choice from there.
Easy, convenient and it takes the guess work out of a meal for yourself.
If you have any extra questions, make sure to ask via the contact page or on any of the Super Cubes social media pages.
Author | Samantha Gemmell
Sam is a Nutritionist, Health Writer and Wellness Speaker as well as being an Author for Super Cubes.
She is passionate about sharing her knowledge and helping people through their journey to health and wellness combining their mindset, nutrition and lifestyle. When she’s not helping people, she enjoys dancing in the rain and cuddling dogs.
Sometimes she does both at the same time.
