Living with diabetes means navigating the grocery store with care. Most foods contain sugars, and some contain added sugars. Diabetics already know the dangers of a sugary diet. But what about gluten? What about bread? Is gluten free bread good for diabetics?

Is gluten free bread good for diabetics? Avoiding sugar for a healthy diet is already hard enough; does gluten need to be avoided, too? Gluten can be found in whole grains used to make bread.

You may think you can avoid those grains by avoiding whole-grain bread specifically. However, even white bread is made from wheat grains; the only difference is that the grains have been processed to remove the bran and the germ.

Whole grain bread has more gluten than white bread; in fact, whole wheat bread adds gluten to help the heavier wheat flour rise. The best bread out there relies on that gluten to help bread become fluffier; bread simply won’t rise without it.

Then, gluten free bread hit the market and changed everything. We already know that gluten helps make bread dough rise; it makes it fluffy and airy, which is why people love it so much.

The first ingredient that adds gluten to the food labels on every loaf of bread is the flour. However, gluten free bread uses gluten free flour and xantham gum to make the dough rise.

Xanthan gum is the best option in bread to make it rise without adding gluten to the recipe. Xanthan gum is a combination of Xanthomonas campestris bacteria and glucose. Glucose is a hot-button term for diabetics.

Glucose can spike blood sugar levels, and blood sugar spikes are not exactly ideal for diabetics. This begs the question, is gluten free bread good for diabetics?

Removing one problem and replacing it with another seems like a terrible idea. However, there is a silver lining that can make a slice of bread an easy part of a balanced diet for diabetics.

Is Gluten Free Bread Good for Diabetics?

Diabetes management is tough work. You have to consider blood glucose levels constantly. Blood sugar monitoring is the name of the game. Unfortunately, so many foods contain sugar, which is nearly impossible to avoid.

Even if the ingredients list doesn’t have sugar, other ingredients can cause blood sugar spikes. Trans fats and carbs are just a couple of the things that can cause blood sugar spikes.

However, it’s not all bleak; hundreds of thousands of people navigate these spikes daily. Some need to monitor their carbohydrate intake; others are more concerned with sugar.

The different types of diabetes mean different types of monitoring. It is best to talk to a registered dietitian about what needs to be done to improve your diet if you have diabetes.

You may lose out on some of your favorite foods after a diabetes diagnosis, but one trick is to find healthier options that can replace those foods. One major example of this is vegans with meat-free meat or people with gluten-related disorders using a gluten-free diet.

You may have heard of all the benefits people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity have found by cutting gluten. Maybe gluten-free bread is the way for diabetics to improve their meal options as well.

Are Blood Sugar Spikes Dangerous for Diabetics

Gluten-free bread uses xanthan gum, which uses glucose, which causes blood sugar spikes; this is true. How dangerous are blood sugar spikes for diabetics? The risk factor of a blood sugar spike is not to be ignored.

However, blood sugar rises after every meal. This is because the body breaks down the food you eat, and everything contains sugar in some form. Diabetics should measure blood sugar before a meal to ensure it isn’t too high already, then two hours after a meal to ensure it is still not too high.

It is a dance that must play out, a balancing act. Blood sugar that is too high for too long can cause kidney, nerve, eye, and heart problems. Then, there is the risk of hyperglycemia if blood sugar remains above 200.

Hyperglycemia includes symptoms like thirst, fatigue, nausea, confusion, frequent urination, and blurred vision. Basically, there is no way to avoid blood sugar spikes, but balancing them out is possible.

​How to Prevent Blood Sugar Spikes

Preventing blood sugar spikes is the name of the game. Is gluten free bread food for diabetics who want to prevent blood sugar spikes? This will depend on what people do to avoid them before they sit down to eat.

Type 2 diabetics use medication like insulin or metformin to manage blood sugar levels. The medication must be taken on a regular schedule to provide proper benefits for diabetics.

Another option to prevent blood sugar spikes is to exercise. Exercising slows the glucose intake while also improving blood circulation. Lastly, eating properly can help prevent blood sugar from spiking too high.

Ingredients, serving size, and overall healthy eating all play a crucial role in diabetics’ menu options. Bread without gluten may or may not be a good choice as the type of bread you add to your meal plan.

Gluten Free Bread for Diabetics

Gluten free bread, like all types of bread, will raise blood sugar. However, we now know that all food raises blood sugar levels, even ones with major health benefits. Bread is one of the most common foods around, so it can be hard to avoid.

The gluten in bread actually doesn’t have much of an effect on a diabetic’s blood sugar. In fact, gluten doesn’t raise or lower blood sugar levels at all. The problem isn’t the gluten; it is the carbohydrates.

Carbs are turned into sugar in our bodies, which means blood sugar spikes. Therefore, eating gluten free bread won’t make a difference; you can just as safely reach for bread with gluten.

However, type 1 diabetes is a bit of a different story. People with type 1 diabetes are more likely to have celiac disease. People with type 1 diabetes should talk with their doctor about the prospect of also having celiac disease.

Gluten-free products are good for those with type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. We still want bread for the fiber content. There’s simply no reason to avoid the bread aisle at the grocery store.

Some people still enjoy making their own bread at home to avoid having to read nutrition labels using almond flour. The important thing is that blood sugar levels are monitored regularly to avoid spikes that are too high.

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