About 95% of Americans have type 2 diabetes, making it a global health concern. Usually, this variant of diabetes affects obese and overweight people; thus, weight loss has been identified as a practical approach to treatment.
Consequently, shakes for weight loss are an excellent place to start. Meal shakes are a safe way for people with diabetes to replace one or two meals a day.
Meal replacement shakes have shown advantages over self-selective weight-loss diets, but not all of them. The trick is knowing which diet shakes are ideal for type 2 diabetics.
This will help avoid disrupting glycemic control. Better still, learning how to integrate healthy drinks properly into a daily diabetic meal plan is crucial. Keep reading to learn more.
How Do Meal Replacement Shakes Work For Diabetes?
Typically, exceptionally high levels of blood sugar cause diabetes. Carbohydrates are digested and turned into sugar. So, overeating carbohydrates build up sugar levels, causing high A1C levels that lead to diabetes. Therefore, controlling carbohydrate intake in your diet is a proven way to naturally regulate blood sugar levels.
There are some best meal replacement shakes that are suitable for people with diabetes because they reduce the intake of carbs and naturally enhance healthy blood sugar levels. By substituting two meals a day with two healthy smoothies, you can successfully reduce the number of carbs you eat daily.
With meal shakes, you can reduce your carb intake consistently and control your weight, A1C, and blood sugar levels. Thus, it becomes easy to achieve a healthy lifestyle.
What Constitutes The Best Diet Shakes For Diabetes?
Even though meal supplement drinks are perfect for controlling diabetes, you must ensure that you’re doing the right thing. Some must-haves to avail in your meal shakes include;
Protein and Fiber
When choosing a meal replacement shake, it’s best to consider the nutritional facts on the label or the ingredients. Protein fibers are vital nutrients to integrate into your shake because they promote a feeling of fullness.
Also, protein and fiber help to control and reduce frequent blood sugar spikes. This occurs by slowing down the release of sugar in the blood. That way, the blood sugar rises slowly and steadily, not causing spikes that are usually emergencies.
Portion Control and Calorie Control
Weight loss shakes feature portion control, an essential tool for obese and diabetic people to lose weight. Again, portion control promotes energy balance, which is a critical factor in losing weight.
Regarding calorie control, make sure your diet shake contains about 200 calories. This is not a low-calorie intake because it only acts as a replacement, not a full meal. So, if the calories and portions in one shake don’t provide enough energy for sustenance, eat healthy fruits or vegetables. This way, your diet will be complete to promote a healthy lifestyle.
Glycemic Control
Proper glycemic control is essential. Meal replacement shakes help significantly with hypoglycemia by providing adequate carbs that normalize blood sugar levels. With diabetes, extremely high and low blood sugar levels are risky and sometimes even fatal.
Benefits of Diet Shakes for Diabetics
Homemade meal replacement shakes help diabetics in many ways, such as;
Safe Weight Loss
Type 2 diabetes is common among overweight or obese individuals. That’s why losing weight is beneficial in lowering blood sugar and blood pressure. It also improves energy levels, lowers cholesterol levels, and enhances a good mood.
Aside from low-calorie portions, meal replacement shakes also have high protein and fiber content. This works best for shedding excess weight without much need to work out and reducing muscle mass. Still, these nutrients help make you feel full for longer periods than the hunger pangs you get shortly after eating solid meals.
When you’re feeling full, you’ll take small meal portions and eat fewer calories per day, making you lose weight without dropping your sugar levels drastically. A drastic drop in sugar levels is usually an effect of losing weight in an unhealthy manner.
Still, the weight loss shakes are not enough, as you have to boost the weight loss procedure with other nutrients and minerals, that are not in your shake.
Sugar Level Management
By helping an obese person lose weight to manage diabetes, meal supplement drinks also regulate your sugar levels. These healthy drinks help you avoid high-carb foods and provide an alternative to low-carb foods and proteins.
Ultimately, you’ll have achieved a healthier lifestyle once you lose weight and reduce blood sugar levels; even as little as 2% can help significantly.
Essential Nutrients in a Drink
The problem with strict diets is that people tend to deprive themselves of vital nutrients that maintain a healthy body. So, instead of skipping meals and staying hungry, you should incorporate healthy energy drinks into your weight loss program.
Meal shakes offer nutritional balance because they have much-needed nutrients that encourage healthy weight loss processes. You won’t be picking out foods you should avoid because of the extreme hunger pangs. Better still, you can make homemade meal replacement shakes with everything from proteins, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Convenience
A significant benefit of incorporating diet shakes is that they are easier and more convenient to make and carry than the usual meals. Within 5 minutes, you’re ready to go, unlike regular meals that take time and several processes to complete.
Also, meal replacement shakes prevent the habit of indulging in unhealthy food and snacks. Because you have your shake bottle ready, you can sip throughout the day, keeping you full until it’s time for a healthy meal. Still, carrying diet shakes allows you to use your time reasonably in the workplace rather than preparing your meal.
Long Shelf Life
A common issue with traditional fresh foods is their short life span or shelf life. Because consistency is critical, it would be best to also get meal replacement powder mixes.
These powder mixes will help you with quick preparations and prolong shelf life. Still, some healthy fruits you may want in your shakes might be out of season, causing an inconvenience that powder mixes don’t.
Final Words
If you want to improve your diabetic lifestyle, consider taking meal replacement shakes as part of your daily diet routine. These meal shakes are not just healthy drinks but have several benefits.
Even though diabetes is incurable, it’s possible to manage it and avoid emergencies because of high and low blood sugar levels. The best way is to take control of your diet, and a diet shake is an ideal meal option.