Can Diabetics Eat Coconut Yogurt

Diet has become the “number one challenge” in my life since I was told I have diabetes. It feels like a “game” to keep my blood sugar stable every time I eat. During this long process of learning about new things, yogurt, especially coconut yogurt, slowly caught my attention. Could it become a “safe guardian” for diabetics at the table? It made me wonder and have doubts.

The Dilemma of Yogurt Options for People with Diabetes

The American Diabetes Association says that people with diabetes should eat yogurt, which is definitely a bright spot in the dark. But the many worries people have when they choose yogurt came right after.

How to Choose Yogurt

• Composition of Taste and Fat: Choose yogurt that is plain, fat-free, or low-fat. I’ve stood for a long time in front of the yogurt shelves in stores, mesmerized by the bright packaging. I once picked the wrong yogurt because it looked normal but had a lot of cream in it. My blood sugar went up a lot after eating it, which made me really understand how important it is to watch the fat content.
• Avoid Additives: Stay away from yogurts that have granola and fruits added to them. A diabetic friend of mine once ate this kind of yogurt with lots of rich ingredients for breakfast, which made her blood sugar stay high all day. The “triggers” for blood sugar loss are these ingredients that look good but are actually bad for you.

The Coconut Yogurt Health Puzzle

I’ve always liked the taste of coconut yogurt, but there are a lot of health concerns about it.

A Look at How Much Sugar Is in Coconut Yogurt

There is a lot of added sugar in a lot of non-dairy yogurts, like coconut yogurt. For most people, a small amount of added sugar may not have a big effect in a day. But for diabetics, too much added sugar means extra calories and “crowds out” foods that are high in nutrients.

• Coconut Yogurt Without Sugar: Unsweetened coconut yogurt is a better choice because it keeps you from eating extra sugar and keeps your blood sugar from rising. I have tried making coconut yogurt at home without adding sugar by using fresh coconut meat and probiotics to help the fermentation process. It tastes good and doesn’t change your blood sugar levels too much.
• Flavored or Sweetened Coconut Yogurt: There is a “potential threat” that this kind of coconut yogurt has more sugar and could hurt your blood sugar. At one point, I bought flavored coconut yogurt at a gas station. My blood glucose monitor quickly went up after I drank just half a cup, which made me feel terrible.

A Look at the Health Benefits of Different Types of Yogurt

I looked at different kinds of yogurt, including coconut yogurt, to find the best one for me. When comparing the nutritional value of plant-based yogurts to dairy yogurts:

• Almond Yogurt: At the top of the list, it has a very high nutritional density and is full of high-quality protein, healthy fats, and many vitamins and minerals.
• Oat Yogurt: Contains a lot of fiber, which is good for your gut health and keeps your blood sugar stable.
• Low-fat and Fat-free Dairy Yogurt: It is a good choice for watching how many calories you eat because it is low in fat and high in protein.
• Full-fat Dairy Yogurt: Even though it’s healthy, it has a lot of fat and shouldn’t be eaten in large amounts.
• Cashew Yogurt: The nutritional parts are mostly balanced, but the nutritional density is a little lower.
• Coconut Yogurt: Ranked pretty low in terms of nutritional density, which made me think twice about picking it.

In-Depth Answers to Questions About Coconuts

What Coconut Sugar Does to Blood Sugar

I’ve always been interested in why people with diabetes should be careful when eating coconuts. From my research, I learned that coconut sugar has the same effect on blood sugar levels as white sugar, also known as cane sugar.

• Comparison of Glycemic Index: Coconut sugar doesn’t have as much of an effect on blood sugar as white sugar, but it does. It might not be as strong as white sugar, but it’s still enough to make blood sugar rise a lot.
• Component Analysis: Coconut sugar has the same amount of glucose (80% to 90%) and free fructose (1% to 2%). It also has the same amount of sucrose (2% to 2%), which affects blood sugar. Even though it’s not as high as table sugar, it can still make you feel more full.

The Link Between Coconut and Big Blood Sugar Jumps

Even though coconuts are good for you because they are full of vitamins and minerals, I’ve always been afraid that they might make my blood sugar go up. Peswani, on the other hand, said that diabetics who work out regularly can drink up to one cup of coconut water (without malai) every day without their blood sugar going up. This statement made me feel a little better. A diabetic friend of mine who works out regularly strictly follows this advice and drinks coconut water without having their blood sugar change in strange ways.

What Coconut and Insulin Have to Do With Each Other

There is a link between coconut and insulin that worries me a lot. The results of the research show:

• Impact After Eating: A diet high in coconut fat is linked to a weakened insulin response after a meal, which causes a small rise in blood sugar response after a meal.
• Effects on the Long Term: Eating a lot of coconut fat over a long period of time seems to make insulin resistance worse and is not good for keeping blood sugar under control over the long term. This made me more careful about how much coconut I ate; I wasn’t as free as I used to be.

Sugar Substitute Options for People with Diabetes

To better control my blood sugar, I looked into sugar substitutes that diabetics can use and came up with this list:

• Stevia: Some people buy stevia in packets, but you can also grow it yourself. Some websites show how to pick and dry stevia, which makes the process look easy and doable. I have tried growing stevia myself. It was fun and useful to watch the seedlings grow and then pick the leaves to use as sweeteners.
• Coconut Palm Sugar: It is an alternative sugar that is very popular in the health food and beauty product industries. Even though it comes from coconut, it doesn’t have a big effect on blood sugar.
• Erythritol: A sweetener that is often found in sugar-free foods. It is not very sweet and has almost no calories. I’ve used erythritol instead of white sugar in some baked goods, and the taste and sweetness were just right.
• Advantame: It’s very sweet, and you only need a small amount to get the sweetness you want. It doesn’t have much of an effect on blood sugar either. However, because it is still pretty new, it is important to carefully follow the dosage instructions when using it.
• Yacon Syrup: Because it’s high in fiber, it’s good for you and makes things taste sweet. It also has a pretty stable effect on blood sugar.

The Smartest Choice for People with Diabetes

After trying many kinds of yogurt and doing a lot of research, I found that Greek yogurt is better for diabetics.

• Amount of Carbohydrates: Because Greek yogurt is filtered, it has a slightly lower carbohydrate content, which is important for me because I need to keep my blood sugar in check. I looked at how much my blood sugar rose after eating regular yogurt and Greek yogurt, and yes, Greek yogurt does raise blood sugar less.
• Content of Protein: Its high protein content makes you feel fuller and helps you keep your muscle mass, which is a big plus for diabetics who need to eat more. For breakfast, I eat Greek yogurt with nuts and fruits. This gives me the nutrients I need and keeps my blood sugar steady in the morning.

Conclusion

Recently, I’ve been having a hard time keeping my fasting blood sugar under control. My blood sugar levels keep going up and down between 96 and 105. My gynecologist told me to eat some snacks that are high in protein before going to bed. That’s why I bought a cup of Ratio’s Keto Friendly coconut yogurt.

• First Try: It shocked me that my blood sugar dropped to 82 the next morning after I ate it before bed.
• Effect That Lasts: Through this habit, my blood sugar hasn’t gone above 85 in the last two weeks. When I told a friend about this, he said that his wife always has blood sugar levels below 90 when she doesn’t eat anything before bed. Her blood sugar is between 95 and 100 if she doesn’t eat anything after dinner. This really helped me understand how important it is to choose the right late-night snack for controlling blood sugar.
• Choosing a Product: There are 2 grams of carbs and 15 grams of protein in the yogurt I bought, which is a good amount for me. I think that foods that are higher in protein might help keep blood sugar in check better. I will keep looking into and finding more ways to eat that are good for diabetics so that I can better control my blood sugar.