Name: Blueberry Chia Pudding for Diabetics
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2.5 cups almond milk; ½ cup chia seeds; 4 cups frozen blueberries; 2 tbsp honey; 1 cup plain yogurt

This blueberry chia pudding for diabetics will leave you feeling satiated and your blood sugar stable. It can even be made the night before, making breakfast a breeze! Breakfast is an opportunity to set ourselves up for a successful day and fuel our bodies with quality nutrients and healthy fats.

This simple diabetic chia seed pudding is packed with antioxidant-rich blueberries and black chia seeds; both are great sources of soluble fiber, leaving you feeling full while also controlling blood sugar levels. This recipe only has only five ingredients:

Frozen blueberries
Honey
Yogurt
Black chia seeds
Unsweetened Almond milk

Making it fresh will allow you to enjoy this chia pudding warm, making it an extra delicious treat! It makes four servings and is full of low-carb ingredients beneficial for diabetes, insulin resistance, weight loss and heart health.

Have fun with this chia seed pudding recipe and swap the honey for maple syrup, which has a similar glycemic index to honey. If you are really trying to limit sugars, some great options for alternative diabetic sweeteners include stevia, monk fruit, and erythritol, which all rank 0 on their glycemic index.

Unsweetened coconut milk is also considered low glycemic and could be a fun swap if you are a coconut lover! Mornings can be busy, so making this ‘chia pudding for diabetics’ ahead of time is a wonderful way to meal prep. Just place all the ingredients in a glass jar, and you’re all set for success!

Benefits of chia for insulin resistance

Incorporating black or white chia seeds into your diet will help you avoid blood sugar spikes, and even just 1-2 tbsp gives you 6-12 grams of dietary fiber. If you have type 2 diabetes, your body has trouble regulating and using glucose as cells become resistant to the uptake of new glucose.

When this happens, the pancreas produces more insulin to get the blood sugar into your cells. Gradually, the cells stop responding to the insulin (becoming insulin resistant), but that doesn’t stop the body from trying to produce more insulin every time your blood sugar goes up to bring blood sugar levels back to healthy normal ranges.

When insulin resistance is high, the pancreas can’t keep up! High fiber content is critical for people struggling with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, as fiber slows down glucose absorption for stable blood sugar levels. Plus, fiber contains zero calories yet provides satiety, so you feel full and eat less.

Consuming omega-3 fats have shown to enhance insulin secretion and improve glucose homeostasis, making chia seeds a great choice for people with insulin resistance. Chia seeds are also an excellent source of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats and plant-based protein.

You should try using available apps such as cronometer to calculate the nutrition info of the foods you consume. All that you have to do is enter the specific food that you would like to learn more about, and cronometer will display the net carbs, protein, energy, and fat macronutrient targets as well as a complete nutrient summary, grams of fiber, etc. Resources like these are a great way to get educated and help you to start understanding how to fuel your body to achieve your health goals.

The other star of this chia seed pudding for diabetics is the blueberries! They are an excellent antioxidant-rich fruit high in anthocyanins. Anthocyanins (an-tho-SY-uh-nins) are a pigment found in plants that pack potent antioxidant power and have been shown to reduce insulin resistance as well.

Eating a diet rich in blueberries has so many benefits; with a long list of nutrients including Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Manganese, Copper, Vitamin E, and many B vitamins, and provides you with 3.55g of fiber per cup. If that doesn’t convince you to add these delightful berries to your next shopping list, both blueberries and chia seeds are studied as some of the top foods for brain health!

Are chia seeds good for diabetics and fatty liver?

This chia pudding for diabetics is good for diabetics as chia seeds are also fantastic for reducing a fatty liver. Fatty liver is an underlying cause of weight gain and diabetes; what benefits the liver also promotes weight loss and improves insulin sensitivity.

This study demonstrates that 25 grams of chia seeds per day for eight weeks reversed fatty liver in 52 percent of patients, particularly in obese people. These results after consuming chia seeds were accompanied by a lower BMI and reduced waist circumference. Pretty amazing to me!

This blueberry chia pudding was one of the gestational diabetes recipes I used when managing my blood sugar through diet during my pregnancy. Chia seeds are a staple in my diet for many reasons. They are anti-inflammatory, great for fatty liver, contain the essential omega-3 fats that promote weight loss, and are an excellent source of protein!

How to make this chia pudding for diabetics

Making this chia pudding is super easy; you will need to allow about 20 minutes for the chia seeds to entirely soak up the almond milk and form a perfectly thick, pudding-like consistency.

While the chia seeds are soaking, begin to make the blueberry sauce from frozen blueberries that will be used to top the chia pudding and yogurt.

Start by mixing ½ cup of chia seeds with 2.5 cups of almond milk in a jug or mixing bowl. Use a fork to whisk the chia seeds evenly throughout the almond milk. Give another quick whisk in ten minutes, then again before making the individual blueberry chia puddings.

Place 4 cups of frozen blueberries into a pot with 2 tbsp honey (or your choice of low glycemic sweetener) and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. Stir a couple of times while heating the blueberries. After heating for 10 minutes, use a potato masher to mash the blueberries into a slightly chunky blueberry sauce.

Make four individual blueberry chia puddings by equally dividing the chia pudding into the bottom of each jar. Top with ¼ cup low-fat plain yogurt, then spoon the blueberry sauce on each chia pudding.

Enjoy these healthy chia puddings right away, or store them in the fridge later to satisfy any sweet tooth! You can also top with sliced fresh fruits such as fresh strawberries and some homemade granola just before serving for an added crunch, or experiment with different flavors for a unique, healthy breakfast and enjoy the health benefits!

For more inspiration regarding chia seed recipes for diabetics, check out this mango chia pudding or apple pie chia pudding.

This chia and flaxseed pudding can also be topped with blueberries and contains omega-3 fats for weight loss and fiber for blood sugar management.