Low Carb Options for a Healthy Breakfast


 2023-08-18

Nutrition is one of the pillars for our self-care, but this does not mean in any way that our diet should be boring and tasteless. There are different diets for different types of people. If you are looking for a breakfast that’s delicious but doesn’t have a huge impact on your blood glucose levels, try our low carb breakfast ideas! If you need further help with nutrition, work with your health care team to help determine portion sizes and more. 

Mexican-style scrambled eggs:

Always making plain eggs and need something with more flavor? Try these Mexican-style scrambled eggs that you can whip up quickly in the morning.

To make this recipe, you will need: 6 large eggs, 4 tablespoons of oil, 1 cup of finely chopped tomato, ½ cup of finely chopped onion, 4 finely chopped serrano peppers and salt. This recipe yields 3 servings.

Preparation: Heat your pan over low heat with the oil. Once hot, cook the tomato, onion and serrano chili. Scramble the eggs with the tomatoes, onions and pepper. Add salt to taste and serve.

Nutritional information per serving: 100 calories, 5.3 grams total fat, 8 grams total carbohydrates, 7.6 grams of proteins.

Tortilla-free green chilaquiles with chicken

You can do a lot with chicken breast—it has a lot of protein and low in fat. It also can go farther than just being pan-seared and eaten with a side of rice and vegetables. Instead, try having it for breakfast by making this tortilla-free green chilaquiles with chicken recipe (pictured left), which yields three servings. Keep the heat of this dish by including the seeds of the jalapeño pepper. Though chicken is typically used, you can also opt for beef or chicken.

Tuna salad with Avocado

Avocados are nutrient-dense foods that contain heart-healthy mono-saturated fats and contain over 20 vitamins and minerals per 50 grams of avocado. Its creamy texture is a great alternative to mayonnaise and is used to make guacamole. Try this tuna salad with an avocado recipe to switch up your usual tuna salad dish. 

Ingredients: 1 medium tomato, 1/2 large avocado, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt to taste, ½ tablespoon of pepper, 1 can of tuna. 1 tablespoon onion, you can add some green chili pepper if you want a bit of heat. 

Preparation: Finely chop the tomato and onion (and chili if you have included it in your recipe), place in a bowl and mix with the tuna, lemon juice, oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Slice the avocado and place a few drops of lemon on them. Place the tuna salad you have prepared in the center.

Nutritional information per portion: 206 calories, 13.1 grams of fat, 8 grams total carbohydrates, 17 grams of protein

Shakshuka 

Eggs. Tomato sauce. Parmesan Cheese. Swiss chard. What’s not to love?

Shakshuka is a super easy-to-make dish that consists of eggs cooked in tomato sauce and with fresh herbs and garlic. It’s a perfect breakfast or brunch dish and goes well with a small slice of toast or garlic bread. In a rush in the morning but have a can of tomatoes, a couple of eggs, greens, dried or fresh herbs, and cheese? Then you should give Shakshuka a shot.

You can add any seasonings you like, but to get started, try this recipe by Diabetic Foodie, which has 11 grams of carbs.

Fluffy coconut flour blueberry pancakes

You don’t need to use all-purpose or whole-wheat flour to create delicious pancakes. Try using an alternative like coconut flour to get a boost of fiber, which keeps your blood sugar in check by slowing the amount of time it takes to enter your bloodstream. Want to start experimenting with coconut flour for breakfast? Give these fluffy coconut flour blueberry pancakes a try! They’re sweetened with bananas and honey and use sunflower seed butter instead of oil or regular butter. The recipe yields four medium-sized pancakes and each serving has 22 grams of carbs.

One-minute banana bread

Wait—banana bread in the morning? What if you’re in a rush? Well if you can spare just a minute, we have a banana bread recipe that comes together really fast. Other than saving time, this recipe is packed with potassium, fiber and lower in carbs than the banana bread you’re used to—containing just 12 grams of carbs per serving. Though it’s sweetened with stevia, you can add more with chocolate chips and toasted coconut.

Strawberry paleo muffins 

Few things smell better in the morning than fresh-baked muffins. These strawberry paleo muffins have only 17 grams of carbs per muffin. According to the author of the recipe, the sweetness of fresh strawberries each bite a sweet pleasant surprise.

Need more recipe ideas for breakfast? Check out our Food and Diabetes page for inspiration! If you have recipes to share with us, write us an email to hello@beyondtype1.org

Written By Mariana Gómez, Posted , Updated 09/03/23

Mariana was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the summer of 1985. She is a diabetes educator and a licensed psychologist. In 2008, Mariana started a blog where she shares her experiences and diabetes knowledge with others and she began being an active advocate through social media. She is considered a diabetes influencer in Latin America and has participated in several conferences, events and TV shows dedicated to diabetes education in the last years. Mariana worked for the Mexican Diabetes Federation as communications manager helping to build and empower the diabetes community in Mexico. She is currently the program manager for Beyond Type 1 en Español.