Maxy sez : Are Nutrition Bars and Shakes Healthy for People With Diabetes?

 The convenience of these grab-and-go eats is undeniable, but for people with diabetes, some options are healthier than others. Here's how to snack smartly.

By Diana Rodriguez        Medically Reviewed by Lynn Grieger, RDN
The right convenience foods can put you on a fast-track to better health when you have diabetes.Alamy; iStock.com
More and more nutrition bars, nutrition shakes, and other convenience foods labeled for people with diabetes are turning up in grocery store aisles. Some marketers of these quick and easy foods even claim they’ll help you more successfully manage your type 2 diabetes.

But just because these nutrition bars and shakes are targeted to people with diabetes doesn’t necessarily mean they are good for you or worth their cost.

You have to know what ingredients to look for, says Nora Saul, RD, a Boston-based certified diabetes educator and clinical specialist at Roche Diagnostics. Before you go out and buy a jumbo-size pack, read the label to learn what's inside.

Using nutrition bars and shakes may be effective for weight loss. In a study by the American Diabetes Association published in August 2013 in Diabetes Spectrum, researchers found that participants who used meal-replacement shakes and nutrition bars were better at staying on a weight control program and keeping track of their overall calorie count than those who ate conventional food. In fact, those people who ate bars and drank shakes lost 7.8 percent of their initial body weight compared with the other group, who lost only 1.5 percent of their initial body weight.

Identifying the Best Nutrition Bars and Shakes for Diabetes
Ingredients can vary widely among products, but some of the nutrition bars and shakes made for people with diabetes may contain specific ingredients that make them a good choice.

"There are certain bars that have resistant starch or uncooked cornstarch in them," says Saul. The presence of these starches can help prevent overnight low blood sugars as well as very high blood sugar levels. It all has to do with how the body breaks them down: Resistant starch is incompletely digested in the small intestine and then fermented in the large intestine into short-chain fatty acids. This way, blood glucose levels rise very slowly, rather than spike.

Other nutrition bars and shakes may have valuable vitamins and nutrients, and may be perfectly fine for people with diabetes, says Saul. But while they are acceptable choices, "there's nothing magical about them," she says, and they don't provide an easy fix for type 2 diabetes management.

How to Use Nutrition Shakes and Bars
If you like the taste, can afford the price, and enjoy the convenience of a safe and healthy snack, there's no reason why you can't keep a supply of nutrition bars and shakes on hand for times when you need to eat in a pinch. But snacks with resistant starch aren't a good option when your blood sugar is dropping and you need to bring it back up, because they're designed to do so slowly.

Also remember not to overdo it on these prepackaged foods, and don't use them as an easy way out if you want to avoid planning a healthy meal. "They're fine for a snack," says Saul, but she suggests that fresh fruit and vegetables are preferable, not to mention less expensive.

Before you or a loved one with diabetes snacks on a nutrition shake or bar, check out Saul's advice:

Look for nutrition bars and nutrition shakes that contain protein and fiber.
Choose nutrition bars that are low in fat, with no more than 5 to 7 grams, and make sure those are mostly monounsaturated fats.
Check the products' vitamin and mineral content — look for brands that contain essential nutrients like foliate and calcium, especially.
Consider checking your blood sugar about two hours after eating one of these bars or drinking a shake to get an idea of the effect the snack has on you.

Saul's main advice regarding convenience foods is they shouldn't be a staple of the diabetic diet, and you shouldn't plan on regularly having a nutrition bar or nutrition shake in place of a healthy, well-balanced meal. "If somebody skips breakfast sometimes, having one of these bars is fine," but, she adds, it's important to learn how to prepare and eat whole foods sustainably.