2 Healthy Carbs for Prediabetes and Diabetes

What’s a good food for prediabetes, or what’s a good prediabetes diet?

These are pretty common questions. And very often my clients are surprised that carbs aren’t off limits in a prediabetes diet. There’s a lot of wholesomeness in foods with carbohydrates. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, yogurt, lentils and beans are some of the best foods for prediabetes (and diabetes) even though they all contain carbohydrates. Today’s post is all about oats and barley.

These whole grains contain the fiber beta-glucan, one of many types of soluble fibers. This particular soluble fiber has special actions in the intestines that help your body use insulin better, making you more insulin sensitive. Plus, beta-glucan sweeps cholesterol from your digestive tract, helping to lower your blood cholesterol level and not just your blood sugar. Now that sounds like a mighty good thing for a prediabetes diet.

To help spread the word about these two super grains and my newest book Prediabetes: A Complete Guide, I asked my dietitian colleagues and others to share their favorite heart-healthy oats and barley recipes. From breakfast to dinner to dessert, these recipes did not disappoint. Pick out a few for your prediabetes diet.

First up: oats. Check out these creative recipes. Some are sweet. Others are savory. Enjoy!

Oats in your prediabetes diet

Breakfast Oats

Creamy Sweet Oats and Lentils with Sweetly Spiced Apples, Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDE, Prediabetes: A Complete Guide

Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes, Judith Sharman, RDN, Foods with Judes

Wild Blueberry Chia Breakfast Bowl, Jenny Shea Rawn, RDN, My Cape Cod Kitchen

Blueberry Overnight Oats, Jessica Ivey, RDN, Jessica Ivey, Happy Healthy Delicious Life

Baked Oatmeal

Sugar- Free Date Nut Baked Oatmeal, Laura Rutledge, RDN, Nourishing Plate

Berry Cardamom Baked Oatmeal, Judy Barbe, RDN, LiveBest

Peanut Butter Banana Protein Baked Oatmeal, Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN, Nutrition Starring YOU

No Sugar Added Banana Raisin Oatmeal Cups, Elizabeth Ward, MS, RD, Better is the New Perfect

Baked Oatmeal Cups, Diane Norwood, MS, RDN, CDE, The Wandering RD

Savory Oats

Healthy Savory Oats and Lentils, Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDE, Prediabetes: A Complete Guide

Savory Steel Cut Oats with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Tofu, Sharon Palmer, RDN, The Plant Powered Dietitian

Cheddar & Herb Savory Overnight Oats, Emily Cooper, RDN, Sinful Nutrition

Slow Cooker/ Pressure Cooker Oats

Slow Cooker Oats with Apples and Almonds, Shelby Kinnaird, Diabetic Foodie

Instant Pot Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats, Tawnie Kroll, RDN, Kroll’s Korner

Overnight Porridge (Slow Cooker), Shelby Kinnaird, Diabetic Foodie

Pressure Cooker Peanut Butter Banana Steel Cut Oats, Brittany Poulson, MS, RDN, CDE, Your Choice Nutrition

Oat Snacks & Desserts

Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls, Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDE, Prediabetes: A Complete Guide

Almond Pistachio Cocoa Bites, Amy Gorin, MS, RDN, Amy Gorin Nutrition

Super Easy No-Bake Energy Bites, Emily Cooper, RDN, Sinful Nutrition

Next up: barley. I suspect that soup is the most commonly consumed vehicle for barley. There are a couple delicious barley soup recipes below. There are also some barley salads and some dinner recipes. A lot of people have never tried barley before. Don’t be inhibited. It’s delicious, can be substituted for rice in plenty of your favorite recipes, and some research suggests that it improves insulin resistance even better than oats. It deserves a place in your prediabetes diet. Try it!

Barley for your prediabetes diet

Bean and Barley Salad, Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDE, Prediabetes: A Complete Guide

Barley Salad with Black Beans, Avocado, and Corn, Shelby Kinnaird, Diabetic Foodie

Turkey Barley Vegetable Soup, Shelby Kinnaird, Diabetic Foodie

Mexican Barley Stuffed Peppers, Laura Rutledge, RDN, Nourishing Plate

Mushroom Onion Barley, Jessica Levinson, MS, RDN, CDN, Jessica Levinson

Roasted Fennel and Citrus Barley Salad, Katie Pfeffer-Scanlan, RDN, One Hungry Bunny

Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup, Sharon Palmer, RDN, The Plant Powered Dietitian

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2 Surprising Foods for Prediabetes and 20+ Prediabetes Diet Recipes