Foods to Consider While Taking Metformin Complex carbohydrates: Unrefined grains such as brown rice, whole grain oats, whole-grain bread, and quinoa contain fiber. Fiber slows the rate at which your body converts carbs into glucose, leading to more stable blood glucose levels.
Eat saturated fats in moderation
Red meat and dairy products—like milk, cheese, and butter—are popular sources of saturated fats. These aren't foods to avoid while taking metformin altogether but focus on lean proteins—like turkey, fish, and tofu to increase metformin's efficacy.
If you have type 2 diabetes breakfast cereals made with wholegrains can help to manage blood glucose levels, they release glucose more slowly as they are low GI. Weetabix, Oatibix and Shredded Wheat can make for good choices.
Yes, people with diabetes can eat eggs. They provide us with protein and other important nutrients, so make sure to check our recipes for inspiration and ideas. You should be eating some food from the protein group as part of your healthy, balanced diet.
As much as possible, avoid white bread, white rice, white pasta, candy, soda, desserts, and snacks like chips or crackers. Eating foods that can spike your blood sugar will not necessarily make the metformin not work, however, it will increase the burden it has to work against.
How Much Bread Can You Eat with Diabetes? "People with diabetes can eat bread as long as it fits either their meal plan or within their carbohydrate counting allowance," says Kitty Broihier, M.S., RD, LD. "In general, that means choosing a slice that has 15 grams of carbohydrates for sandwiches."
Taking metformin with or after a meal can curb side effects
Metformin can be taken with or without food. However, if you're prone to its side effects, such as nausea, upset stomach, diarrhea, or vomiting, it is best to take metformin with or after a meal.
How to take it. It's best to take metformin tablets with, or just after, your evening meal to reduce the chance of getting side effects. Swallow your metformin tablets whole with a drink of water.
When you eat sugar and metformin, your body will have to work harder to lower your blood sugars. Check out ingredient labels to determine how much sugar is lurking in your cereal, pasta, or other food. Talk to your healthcare provider and consider consulting a nutritionist or dietician if you still have diet questions.
Is it safe to have coffee while consuming Metformin? Caffeine gets broken down by the body to remove it. Metformin may reduce how rapidly the body breaks down caffeine. Metformin when consumed in combination with caffeine can enhance the effects and side effects of caffeine.
The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes consume fruit in moderation, including bananas. This doesn't mean you should ignore those carbohydrates, but you should consider how many carbs you need daily.
Taking metformin can cause vitamin B12 deficiency if you take it for a long time. This can make you feel very tired, breathless and faint, so your doctor may check the vitamin B12 level in your blood. If your vitamin B12 levels become too low, vitamin B12 supplements will help.
A medical provider can run a few tests to see how metformin is affecting your health: Blood work can check if your glucose, insulin, and HbA1C levels are in range. If they are, the medication is working.
Metformin, pioglitazone, and DPP-4 inhibitors rarely cause hypoglycemia, so health care professionals don't have to adjust them. But the patient should not take it on the day of fasting if it's a 24-hour fast.
Eat plenty of beans
They don't have a big impact on blood glucose and may help to control blood fats such as cholesterol. Try kidney beans, chickpeas, green lentils, and even baked beans: hot in soups and casseroles, cold in salads, in baked falafel, bean burgers and low fat hummus and dahls.