Are you tired of reading articles about type 2 diabetes diets written by people who don’t understand what you’re going through? If so, this is the article for you. It was written by someone who can empathize as I’m struggling to incorporate the best breakfast meal plan. This is not written by a health care professional. Rather, someone with a family history of type 2 diabetes and overweight.

I won’t mention foods you probably don’t like such as skim milk, or no fat. I am on a quest to learn about natural unaltered foods that taste great and promote health! I’m not a guru. I’m only a student. Let’s begin!

Processed vs. Unprocessed Foods

Before suggesting to you some good recipes to incorporate, let’s take some time to understand some concepts. At the same time, you should be able to easily recall some history. OK, you probably know what the number one risk factor is for getting Type 2 Diabetes. In case you don’t, I’ll save you some time guessing. It is obesity!

Never mind the other factors for now. Focus on obesity. There is a saying that goes “Kill the body and the head will die.” In other words, focus on the most important thing to achieve your intended goal. That goal as far as eliminating Type 2 Diabetes goes should be to eliminate obesity.

The CDC published a study showing obesity trends among adults from 1985 – 2010. You can get the PDF here. It shows how obesity has risen at an alarming rate. Well you might me wondering what obesity has to do with processed foods. And that’s a great question considering that word was not mentioned in the research.

Never fear, Type 2 Diabetes Diets will uncover the facts in due time. For now, let’s focus on grasping the concept and implication of processed food.

Processed food is defined as “the transformation of raw ingredients, by physical or chemical means into food, or of food into other forms.” Putting a tomato into a food processor for a kid technically fits the definition of processed food. Does that mean that the tomato is now bad to eat? No it doesn’t. Keep in mind that the term “food processing” covers a broad term. This part of the article focuses on the bad type of food processing.

What we mean by processed food is the bread you buy, or table sugar. Also, soft drinks, fast food, and many other kinds of convenience items. Those are examples of bad types of processed food.

Processed food usually contains loads of sugar and high fructose corn syrup. HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) is one of the main culprits behind the obesity epidemic. The effects of too much sugar not only contribute to diabetes, but also an array of other negative health conditions. But how much is too much? The average person may add one or two teaspoons of sugar to tea or coffee. Is that too much?

Consider this, one can of Coke has about ten teaspoons of sugar. When I was younger, I would drink about three or four sodas on a hot day… at least. Now let me ask you again, is two teaspoons of sugar in tea or coffee too much for the average person?

Many processed foods contain a high amount of sugar. And we unfortunately don’t find out until it’s too late!

Unprocessed food on the other hand is quite healthy. Let’s take bread for example. Several years ago I thought I learned the truth about processed bread. I stopped eating it, got a bread machine, and used store bought flour to make bread. Well that was only half the battle. Store bought bread contains HFCS for the most part. Some breads offer an alternative as of late.

Homemade bread with store bought flour includes your own ingredients. At the time I was using white table sugar. It was healthier, but here’s a tidbit about the flour making process. Wheat in it’s original from is very healthy.  It is composed of bran, germ, and endosperm.  The bran and germ get removed from white flour. Bran helps to absorb sugar!

The same can be said for other unprocessed foods as far as the health factor goes. The closer it is to its natural state, the better for you.

Starting the Day Off Right

You’ve heard the age old saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” right? Some religions that incorporate fasting even highly recommend the person begin with a light breakfast. Please keep in mind that your breakfast portion should be optimal for you. You don’t want to go too heavy.

Most people are active in the early part of the day. For example, going to work or school. So you will use more energy at this time vs. just before bed. Additionally, research suggests that a person with type 2 diabetes is better off when eating a daily breakfast.

Amount of Time Needed to Cook

Now the question becomes, “how long does it take to cook a healthy breakfast?” Not long at all depending on what you cook! Just because the food isn’t doesn’t mean cooking will take ages.  It will take longer than going through a drive-thru, or popping something in the microwave. But with proper planning, you can maximize productivity.

Anything worth doing takes time. Think about some of your most important life accomplishments, college degree, raising kids, career, etc. They all required a significant investment of your time. Turning your health around is no different.

And there will be ups and downs. Two weeks ago I decided to give up carbs for one month. I was eating meat, cheese, vegetables, and smoothies. I lost some weight, but I only lasted two weeks. That is no reason to quit. I’m happy to say that I’m not eating as much carbs as before. So that is progress. And I’ll continue to research and consult on the optimal diet for excellent health. In fact, I intend to make an appointment with my physician within the next week.

I’m trying to say that you may not always have the time to cook a healthy and satisfying breakfast. Don’t let that stop you from starting, or continuing. If you don’t currently prepare your own breakfast and are able to work your way up to cooking twice a week, that’s a great step. As you continue to educate yourself on the best diets, you will see dramatic results.

Besides, today’s technology always to prepare quick healthy meals in a fraction of the time. I just finished a delicious Glowing Green Smoothie (recipe will follow) prepared by the Vitamix (not an affiliate link). Eight ounces of this drink packs a punch and will fuel my family and I for the next few hours. You can look into that device or something similar to suit your needs. Don’t be swayed by the price. It’s an investment in your health.

I’ll list the ingredients for the smoothie below, but you should know that it makes seven cups. It also last up to 2 & ½ days when properly covered and refrigerated. So you can enjoy one the next day with no time cost to you. You can also plan ahead for other breakfast meals and hack your time. For example, I’ve been eating beans (from dry beans) lately. This is a super healthy food.

Anyway, you can make enough to last a few days. And they’re a great complement to breakfast. You may also research other great tasting breakfast foods that can be prepared in a minimal time consuming manner.

It Will Be Hard at Times

We need to mention something you won’t hear from other blogs. There are going to be some hard times along this path. Other sites leave this out and will have you thinking it’s easy to not only eat healthy food, but to also invest time in cooking it. Years ago, I got myself into top notch shape (not these days) and it wasn’t easy.

I ate unhealthy foods for most of my life, smoked, drank too much coffee, etc., As I began to learn about health my mindset began to change. In fact, it’s still change because I’m still learning. I decided to get into shape. I didn’t start out by running several miles a day. First I gave up some bad habits, then started walking to work. Then I incorporated bike riding. This evolved to jogging. Then finally joining a gym and running.

It was difficult, but not impossible. I say that because I’m a regular person and not some natural born health “nut.” I worked to improve my health and you can too. You will too! And trust me, you’ll make mistakes. But just know there are others like you on this same journey. You are not alone with this.

Health is the new wealth these days. No longer are you content with health “care.” You want and deserve accurate educational information for health prevention. You need access to tools enabling you to discern true nutritious foods and exercise methods. And like building wealth, an investment is required.

With that in mind, you should have an idea of what it takes to turn your health around. Start simple. You now know the key difference between processed vs. non processed foods. You also know that breakfast is an important meal. Finally, you know that a serious commitment is needed to turn things around. And this is possible to achieve. Now let’s get to three breakfast recipes to get you started on this path.

3 Breakfast Meal Plans for Type 2 Diabetes

First up is the Glowing Green Smoothie that I mentioned earlier. I started drinking it this week, and it’s FANTASTIC. It does contain sugar from fruit so I would not exceed the recommended serving and consult with your physician. I made the mistake of not looking at the nutritional facts and consuming three servings. That was approximately 24 grams of sugar. Boy did I have a crash.

Ingredients

• 1-2 cups very cold, filtered water
• ¾ pound organic romaine lettuce, rough chopped, about 1 head
• ½ head large bunch or small bunch organic spinach
• 3-4 organic celery stalks, halved
• 1 organic apple, cored, seeded, quartered
• 1 organic pear, cored, seeded, quartered
• 1 organic banana, peeled
• ½ fresh organic lemon, peeled, seeded
• bunch organic cilantro with stems (optional)
• bunch organic parsley with stems (optional)

Instructions

1. Place water, romaine, spinach, celery, and optional ingredients, if using, into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.
2. Starting the blender on a low speed, blend until smooth.
3. Gradually moving to higher speeds Add apple, pear, banana and lemon to the blender and blend until smooth.

Next up is poached eggs, avocado, and toast. I haven’t tried this yet, but it’s next on my list.  Check out the video below demonstrating how to make this.

Lastly is oatmeal. Is great for maintaining blood glucose levels. Stay away from the instant stuff! I’m pasting the dos and don’ts from article, but be sure to give the article a quick once over.

The Do’s

• Add cinnamon, nuts, or berries.
• Choose Irish or steel cut oats.
• Use low-fat milk or water

The Don’ts

• Don’t use prepackaged or instant oatmeal.
• Don’t add too much dried fruit or sweetener.
• Don’t use cream.

You basically want to add items the following to maximize the health benefit:

• Nuts
• Cinnamon
• Berries
• Water

Conclusion

We discussed three healthy and tasty breakfast ideas in this article. We led up to that by offering information to shift your mindset regarding food. You should now know that unprocessed food is the best for you. You should also know what is meant by processed food. We talked about why breakfast is the most important meal, the time needed to cook it, and the reality of it being a hard journey at first.

I hope this article will be helpful and welcome your comments. What are your experiences with preparing healthy breakfasts? And what type of breakfasts do you enjoy?

Update! I tried the poached egg, avocado, and toast recipe. It was most excellent!!!