Forming Better Breakfast Habits

I have been compensated by Glucerna for this post; however, I am sharing my own thoughts.
All opinions are my own. Talk with your health care provider
about a diabetes management plan that’s right for you.
#GlucernaHungerSmart #CollectiveBias

“Lifestyle changes, not a diet.” Ever heard that one before? That’s what my nutritionist told me last year when I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I’m now predisposed to Type 2 diabetes while my husband is prediabetic. As you may probably already know, lifestyle changes begin with healthy habits. For us, it started with forming better breakfast habits and establishing a morning routine. Today, we’re sharing some tips on how we got our nutrition-filled and energy-packed mornings back!

Tips on forming better breakfast habits

Forming a set of good, healthy habits has helped us beat out the bad. Isn’t it amazing how one good habit leads to the next just as much as one bad habit leads to another? One of our biggest challenges used to be keeping our glucose numbers steady before and after breakfast. We battled with what’s known as the dawn phenomenon. While managing blood sugar can be a challenge, little wins do happen after positive choices. It’s often the little wins that count! Over time, these little changes will turn into big wins that you and others will notice.

Tip #1: Start slow and steady

In the process of managing diabetes, my husband and I have learned to set smaller, more attainable goals by tackling one bad habit at a time. This slow and steady mindset has worked really well for us (when you live with diabetes, steady is exciting). We didn’t want to set lofty goals that would only make us feel defeated and discouraged. Forming healthy habits takes time, effort, and a good dose of commitment.

Tip #2: Look for low-hanging fruit

In plotting out our path to victory, we sat down to make a list of some low-hanging fruit. We searched for the easiest things to change. Remember, little wins matter–and what better way to start off with what could possibly be an instant win?

3 of our low-hanging fruit action items:

Action item #1: Strategically place nutritious shakes (we like Glucerna® Hunger Smart™ Rich Chocolate Shakes*) and healthy snacks (like homemade trail mix or healthy snack bars) in places where we’d typically find ourselves hungry in the mornings and tempted to either skip breakfast or grab any snack that strikes our fancy before lunch.

Action item #2: Choose nutritious shakes that are designed to manage hunger.

Since my husband and I were medically advised to lose a little bit of weight, we were happy to have found a delicious shake that’s specially designed for people with diabetes–Glucerna® Hunger Smart™ Shakes*! These shakes are a delicious way to stick to our weight loss plan, plus they have 50% more protein than the leading weight loss shakes and 66% less sugars–a smart choice to help manage hunger in between meals.

Wanna know the numbers?

Each satisfying Glucerna® Hunger Smart™ Shake* (Chocolate and Vanilla) has 15 grams of protein to help manage hunger and CARBSTEADY®, which includes slowly digestible carbohydrates designed to help minimize blood sugar spikes (this is very helpful in managing our blood glucose levels in the morning). Our favorite Glucerna Hunger Smart Rich Chocolate Shake has only 6 grams of sugars and 1 carb choice per bottle, plus it provides a good source of fiber to help support digestive tract health. It’s also an excellent source of 25 vitamins and minerals.

*Use under medical supervision. Do consult with your healthcare provider or nutritionist regarding which diet / lifestyle is appropriate for your condition.

Action item #3: Purchase fruits and veggies that require little to no prep work.

We can’t just talk about low-hanging fruit without mentioning any actual fruit. Kidding aside, we all know that we have to eat more fruits and veggies. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends adults to eat 1.5 to 2.5 cups/day of fruits and 2.0-3.5 cups/day of vegetables. But… ever bought a bunch of fresh fruit and vegetables from the grocery store or farmer’s market only to find them withering away in the fridge because you’re too busy to do the prep work? Seeing produce go to waste makes us feel discouraged. When we know we’re going to have a busy week, we fill our shopping cart with mixed berries, avocado, small carrots, mini cucumbers–oh, and a jar of kimchi. Who ever said we can’t have veggies (or kimchi) in our breakfast?

Tip #3: Prepare the night before

If you’ve been following our posts for a while, you already know that we make it a point to prepare the night before. It reduces stress and saves time, especially in the morning. We discuss routine activities for the next day, schedules, whereabouts, and also take some time to prepare make-ahead breakfast (like overnight oats) and breakfast-to-go bags. This is a great time to sneak in–or swap in–whole grains for the following day’s breakfast.

Tip #4: Don’t forget to celebrate the small successes

Small successes do count and they do rack up! Celebrate each and every small success–go to the beach, read a book, get a mani or pedi, or go buy some crafting loot. You’re on your way to forming healthier habits, starting with breakfast!

Getting started

Here are some sample goals you can set for this week:

• I will plan my breakfast the night before.
• I will drink at least 64 ounces of water every day.
• I will choose nutritious shakes that are designed to manage hunger.

To help you get started, here’s a coupon: Buy any 2 large packs of Glucerna and get up to $3 off (we picked up our Glucerna® Hunger Smart™ Shakes* from Walmart).

*Use under medical supervision. Do consult with your healthcare provider or nutritionist regarding which diet / lifestyle is appropriate for your condition.

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