Blood Sugar Levels In Small Dogs

One of THE biggest questions I get is about whether or not diabetics should consume green smoothies. I will attempt to answer this question in this post.

First, you should know that I am not a doctor, and that absolutely nothing in this post should be taken as medical advice. Always work with your doctor before making any dietary or lifestyle changes when you have a medical condition, such as diabetes. Keep in mind that your results may vary from somebody else’s.

Okay, now with that out of the way…

The biggest concern that diabetics have about green smoothies is their sugar content. It is true that fruit contains glucose (and fructose). People with metabolic disorders such as diabetes should strictly monitor their carbohydrate intake – including the amount of sugar that they get from each meal. But this doesn’t mean that you can’t have any fruit, or that green smoothies are not for you.

Fresh, whole fruits, as well as blended green smoothies not only provide a healthy way for diabetics to get more fruits and vegetables in their diet, green smoothies also may help reverse some of the diet and lifestyle problems that exacerbate diabetes, or contributes to its progression.

How Green Smoothies Have Helped My Readers With Diabetes

I have collected countless testimonies from readers here on Incredible Smoothies who have told me about how green smoothies have benefited their diabetic condition. I have heard from people who no longer need anti-diabetes medication, and who have brought their high blood sugar into the normal range!

One of the most striking green smoothie success stories I’ve published on Incredible Smoothies was from a reader named Charles. He told me about how green smoothies helped him lose 35 pounds in 11 weeks, and his doctor took him off insulin! You can read his inspiring story .

Two other stories I’ve published came from two women who were pre-diabetic and taking Metformin (an anti-diabetes medication). , while and her blood sugar went from high to normal.

And then there’s . Her fasting glucose went from 169 (high) to 94 (normal).

These stories are pretty typical of what I hear from type 2 diabetics who start drinking green smoothies.

Potential Ways Green Smoothies Benefit Diabetics

I can’t precisely tell you exactly what it is about green smoothies that lower (and normalize) abnormal blood sugar in certain individuals with type 2 diabetes. I don’t believe that there is a specific fruit or vegetable combination that does the trick. Instead, a daily green smoothie kicks off a chain-reaction of lifestyle changes that reduce or eliminate the factors that exacerbate the disease, and reverses the condition in some individuals.

The top three benefits of green smoothies for type 2 diabetes are:

1 – Weight Loss: Excess weight is a known risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Those who lose weight through diet and exercise are often able to reverse and effectively manage their diabetes. Green smoothies are a potent weight loss strategy that boosts fruit and vegetable intake.

2 – Energy to Exercise: Exercise is another method that is known to reduce the symptoms and severity of diabetes. The overwhelming majority of those I’ve interviewed who drink green smoothies report having more energy and exercising. Green smoothies are fitness food! Check out of how her daily green smoothie habit lead to her entire family running a 5K, and her running a half marathon!

3 – Healthier Diet Overall: Green smoothies are a step toward a diet and lifestyle overhaul that inevitably follows. The overwhelming majority of people I’ve interviewed who drink green smoothies on a regular basis also consume much less processed foods. Their diet evolves in a direction of plant-based, lower calorie, higher nutrition, health-supporting. I have experienced this in my own life as well. Before green smoothies, I’d be lucky to get one serving of vegetables a day. Today, I will consume more than 12 servings of fruits and vegetables, most of which are in my green smoothies!

Green Smoothie Recipes By Diabetics

I reached out to my readers with type 2 diabetes for green smoothie recipes. I’ve compiled the list here, along with some anecdotes about how each recipe affects their blood sugar.

Lana’s Green Smoothie

• Handful of spinach
• 3 slices of cucumber
• 1/2 stalk of celery
• 1 teaspoon of organic cinnamon
• 2 frozen strawberries
• 1 tablespoon of flax seed
• 1/2 cup of blueberries(frozen or fresh)
• 3 tablespoon of organic rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon of raw cacao
• 6 ounces of unsweetened almond milk

Blast all the ingredients in a Nutri Bullet and enjoy! Makes around 8 to 10 ounces.

Calories: 343 | Fat: 12g | Protein: 13g | Carbs: 45g | Sugar: 10g | Calcium: 13% | Iron: 4.8mg | Vitamin A: 21% | Vitamin C: 41% |

I drink one green smoothie every morning. I have tested before having a green smoothie in the morning and then went to an exercise class, tested again, and it made blood sugar go into the normal range. Example: Morning blood sugar was 130, two or three hours later it was 95! Normal range!

Barbara’s Green Smoothie

I have a green smoothie every morning for breakfast and it is:

• 1 small orange, peeled
• 2 big handfuls of spinach
• 1 large kale or chard leaf or 2 baby bok choi (nutrition info is for 1 kale leaf)
• 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (nutrition info is for blueberries)
• 1 serving vegan protein powder
• 1 teaspoon goji berries, soaked for 10 minutes
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• 1 cup unsweetened organic coconut milk

water to adjust consistency to personal preference

Calories: 239 | Fat: 6g | Protein: 13g | Carbs: 39g | Sugar: 21g | Calcium: 15% | Iron: 3.2mg | Vitamin A: 91% | Vitamin C: 219% |

This makes approximately 4 cups of finished smoothie.

To change it up, I will add a small handful of cilantro, a sprinkle of cayenne pepper, a tblsp of pureed pumpkin, or a tblsp of shredded coconut.

I am Type 2 (since 2008 when I quit smoking and gained 20 lbs), but am NOT on any medications for it, and never have been nor will I be if I can prevent it.

Because I add the protein powder to my smoothies, they don’t affect my blood sugar very much (well within the acceptable 2 point increase two hours after eating – Canadian measurements), certainly much less than a “conventional” breakfast did before. In general my blood sugar numbers have been steadily getting better since adding green smoothies to my lifestyle.

Joann’s Green Smoothie

• 2 cups spinach
• 1/2 cup strawberries, with tops still on
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 scoop of sugar free chocolate protein powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
• 1/4 cup soaked chia seed (it will be thick and gelatinous) [about 2 tablespoons dry seeds]
• A small handful of raw pumpkin seed or walnuts [nutrition information below is for 2 tablespoons walnuts]

Calories: 275 | Fat: 13g | Protein: 18g | Carbs: 27g | Sugar: 13g | Calcium: 11% | Iron: 3.2mg | Vitamin A: 41% | Vitamin C: 89% |

I add water and blend. There’s nothing better than a Nutriblast in the morning!

The more careful I am with the ingredients, the less impact green smoothies have on my blood sugar level. Since I have been making green smoothies and eating at least a 50% raw diet raw (fruits and veggies), I have cut my insulin use in more than half! I can’t wait to see my A1C next month!

I drink one every morning when I wake up and take my medication. My diabetes is Prednisone-induced, so I have to take insulin (Novalin NPH 26 units) immediately after I take my Prednisone. I have a nutritious green smoothie and it has minimal impact on my blood sugar. As a result, I don’t have to take my Novalog Pen like I would with a normal breakfast.

Suzanna’s Green Smoothie

• 2 ounces of spinach
• 2 ounces of kale
• 1 ounce of hemp seeds
• 136 grams of banana (1 large)
• a tiny bit of Stevia if I wish to have it sweeter.
• 1.5-2 cups of water

Calories: 345 | Fat: 15g | Protein: 14g | Carbs: 41g | Sugar: 17g | Calcium: 14% | Iron: 4.1mg | Vitamin A: 79% | Vitamin C: 128% |

I blend it in NutriBullet until it becomes deliciously smooth and thick. Makes the full Bullet, about 24 ounces and 300 calories.

I drink two shakes per day. Sometimes three during the hot days as I make them ice cold and they are very refreshing.

They keep the blood sugar stable, yet deliver an extreme burst of energy. I can play tennis for two hours after having this little shake, performing at high level. Never feel any high-followed-by-crash. It’s amazing how great the green shakes work.

Chris’ Green Smoothie

• 8oz unsweetened almond milk
• 2-3 cups spinach (or any green. I use Kale and arugula too) (recipe is for 2 cups spinach)
• 1 medium banana, peeled
• 1/2 small avocado

Calories: 282 | Fat: 13g | Protein: 6g | Carbs: 36g | Sugar: 15g | Calcium: 6% | Iron: 2.4mg | Vitamin A: 41% | Vitamin C: 47% |

I blend the milk and greens first. add the banana the avocado last as it thickens the smoothie.

I drink 1 or two green smoothies each day, always for breakfast. I see less of a spike with smoothies than eating a “traditional” meal that is supposed to be for diabetics.

Sherri’s Green Smoothie

• 2 cups Kale
• 1 cucumber
• 1 stalk of celery
• 2 cups frozen fruit chunks (peaches,mango,pineapple) (nutrition info is for 2 cups peaches)
• 1 frozen banana, peeled
• 1/2 small avocado
• 1 lemon, peeled
• 16 ounces water

Makes 2 quarts. Protein powder & Chia seeds added last.

Calories: 476 | Fat: 15g | Protein: 14g | Carbs: 89g | Sugar: 47g | Calcium: 27% | Iron: 4.5mg | Vitamin A: 107% | Vitamin C: 309% |

My husband turned 62 on 4/29. He has type 2 diabetes & all the major issues that come with never being able to get control. Last November, we made some changes. Green Smoothies top the list. He no longer takes Humalog (was taking 150 units a day). He is still taking Lantus (100 units a day), but cutting that back soon. His blood sugar is under control!!! His average is 124. No more spikes!

He has lost 50 pounds and is down to 260 now & feels good. We just finished a 4 day cleanse Fruits & veggies ONLY He did great if anything his sugar ran a bit low & had to eat more & often. I kept track of everything & checked his sugar hourly. Morning lemon water and chia seeds are a big key.

Roz’s Green Smoothie

Current blend (Autumn in Australia) is –

• Ice water
• Handful dandelion greens*
• Handful chickweed*
• Several sprigs of mint and parsley*
• 3 small leaves spinach*
• Half large avocado
• Chia seeds – 2 teaspoons
• Plain yogurt – about 1/2 cup
• Frozen berries

* Fresh from my garden.

Blend using more yogurt to thicken or more water to dilute as required.

I have home made green smoothies every second day on average, usually for breakfast, as this suits my lifestyle best. My blood sugar levels are good following this sort of blend. If other fruit (e.g. banana or mango) is used, my readings are higher.

Diabetic-Friendly Green Smoothie Recipes Submitted by Deb C.

Banana-Avo-Plum

• 1 head baby bok choy
• 1 cup kale
• 1 red plum, pitted
• 1 medium banana, peeled
• 1/4 avocado

Calories: 258 | Fat: 9g | Protein:7g | Carbs: 46g | Sugar: 22g | Calcium: 16% | Iron: 2.2 mg | Vitamin A: 185% | Vitamin C: 178% |

Strawberry-Banana

• 2 heads baby bok choy
• 1 medium banana, peeled
• 2 cups whole strawberries
• 1/4 avocado

Calories: 296 | Fat: 9g | Protein:6g | Carbs: 56g | Sugar: 31g | Calcium: 17% | Iron: 2.9 mg | Vitamin A: 270% | Vitamin C: 330% |

Pineapple-Strawberry Green Smoothie

• 1 and 1/2 cups kale
• 1/2 cup parsley
• 2 cups fresh pineapple
• 1 cups whole strawberries
• 1 medium banana, peeled
• 1 Tbsp Hemp seeds

Calories: 449 | Fat: 8g | Protein: 14g | Carbs: 96g | Sugar: 54g | Calcium: 27% | Iron: 7.2mg | Vitamin A: 116% | Vitamin C: 605% |

I was one of those people who was worried about how my [blood] sugar would react to the smoothies since I am diabetic type 2. For the first week, I checked my blood sugar before and one hour and two hours after my green smoothies. My fingers were so sore that week but what I learned is that the smoothies seem to have a normalizing affect on my blood sugar level instead of increasing it.

After the smoothies, my one and two hour blood sugar measurements never increased by more than 20 points over the before smoothie level. That’s amazing!

Diabetic-Friendly “Green Ice Creams” Submitted by Kathleen

Chocolate Ice Cream (makes two servings)

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons cacao powder
• 7 drops stevia (optional)
• half avocado
• about 2 cups ice depending on your ice

Blend on medium speed in a high-speed blender or food processor

Calories: 286 | Fat: 22g | Protein: 7g | Carbs: 21g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 11% | Iron: 3.1mg | Vitamin A: 22% | Vitamin C: 13% |

Spinach Ice Cream (makes two servings)

• 1 cup almond milk
• 7 drops stevia
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups ice

Blend on medium speed in a high-speed blender or food processor

Calories:72 | Fat: 4g | Protein: 3g | Carbs: 5g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 43% | Iron: 2.4mg | Vitamin A: 62% | Vitamin C: 22% |

Carol’s Green Smoothie

• Juice from 1″ fresh ginger root (I put it thru my Omega Vertical Juicer and then add about 1/4 cup water to help wash out all the juice, and then hand squeeze the pulp to make sure I get it all)
• About 8 oz water, more later if too thick.
• 1-2 tsp ground cinnamon (I use the big cinnamon bottles you get at Costco and just do about 2-3 really good squeezes on the bottle)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 Tbsp raw cacao powder
• 1-2 shakes of the cayenne pepper bottle (to taste)
• Can add 1 Tbsp dried goji berries and 1 tsp kelp powder if you like.

Mix lightly in VitaMix then let sit for the chia seeds and goji berries to soften up while you add the rest of the frozen ingredients:

• 1/2 to 1 cup fresh spouts (I just grab a handful)
• 1-2 small pieces of frozen bananas (I let my bananas ripen just right, then cut them in thirds or quarters depending on their size, put them on cookie tray in freezer until frozen, – then transfer to a ziplock bag and keep in freezer – never have to worry about losing bananas due to over ripening)
• 1/4 cup (heaping) frozen blueberries or berry combination
• 3 individual frozen sweet cheeries (just for the sweetness – can be less or left out)

Start VitaMix on low, move to high and let mix for about a minute. Pour out into large mug or glass.

This is not very sweet, but has lots of good stuff for diabetics. I usually consume it as breakfast, then follow up either at lunch or dinner with a green smoothie, and eat one small meal of regular food.

When I have it available I add kombucha or other fermented drink instead of part of the water. I used to add yogurt, but learned that dairy products stop the raw cacao benefits. So I keep any dairy for later in the day.

When I’m truly doing the two smoothies (cacao and green) each day, I can keep my blood glucose down in the normal range for fasting, and about 120 when eating. My A1C came back in normal range this last test, and it had been quite high before.

By the way, I went from 210+ lbs in December 2010 to 159 this month. Still have another 20 lbs to go to my target of mid 130s.

I try to get in one cacao smoothie and one green smoothie (using spinach, celery, 1 piece frozen banana, spouts, and sometimes part of an avocado) per day.

Diabetic-Friendly Smoothie by Juanita H.

• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 large handfuls of fresh spinach
• 1-2 scoops of protein powder
• 1 banana, preferably frozen
• 1 Tbsp. frozen apple juice concentrate
• 6-8 ice cubes

Makes 1-and-1/2 8 ounce glasses of smoothie.

I have been drinking at least one smoothie per day, and generally two smoothies per day, one at breakfast which includes oatmeal, and one for lunch or supper which includes spinach. I vary the ingredients, sometimes adding berries instead of apple juice concentrate, and cocoa powder in the morning oatmeal smoothie.

My daily glucose readings are continuing to drop. In May, my fasting morning reading was anywhere from 150 to 205, my 14 day average was 165 and my 30 day average was 156. My morning fasting glucose readings now range from 130 down to 84. My 14 day average is now 122 and my 30 day average is 132. Weight loss has been extremely slow, only about 1 pound a month, but energy level has increased and I have much less problems with foot neuropathy. I am 71 and moderately active.

Smoothie Recipe From Dr. Colin Lowe

• 1 apple
• 1 banana
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stick (complete)
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 lemon with skin
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1 cup of fresh water.

Makes three day supply.

Pancrease started producing required insulin, lost 25kg in weight, insulin daily fast readings are 5,5 to 6,2. Do not get colds or flu. Off insulin injections, blood pressure normal, cholesterol normal.

Do you have type 2 diabetes and drink green smoothies?

Please share your favorite diabetic-friendly green smoothie recipe . Any information on how it affects your blood sugar levels is appreciated, too.