5 Aldi Finds This Week Perfect for Diabetes-Friendly Eating and Better Blood Sugar
Some of our favorites include heat-and-eat fajita wraps, a milkshake and souped-up soup!
Over 136 million of us either have diabetes or prediabetes. The good news: Making smart picks at the supermarket can go a long way toward keeping your blood sugar levels in a healthy range. And better yet, you can still enjoy yummy food and amazing bargains. To prove it, we headed to Aldi, and we think you’re going to love our diabetes-friendly haul—all of which you can find in your local store this week.
And, hey, these aren’t just Aldi foods for diabetics. Keep reading even if you have excellent bloodwork, because eating for balanced blood sugar “is a foundation for long-term good health for everyone,” says Susie Kundrat, MS, RDN, LDN, founder of Eat Move Groove and professor emeritus at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. “Plus, in the short term, you’ll have better hunger management, better focus, a better mood and more energy. You can’t beat that!”
Shopping for better blood sugar 101
All carbs we eat (even from healthy sources like spinach or quinoa) become blood sugar inside us, notes Kundrat. When everything is working well, we either burn off the sugar as fuel or store it to use later. But blood sugar issues often happen when we eat so many sugar-spiking foods (like processed carbs and simple sugars) over a long period that our cells become damaged and struggle to manage blood sugar properly. It starts as a condition called insulin resistance, then progresses to prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Woman's World Answers
How can we help our bodies cope and even heal? First, lean into foods that keep blood sugar steady and go easy on foods that spike sugar—so avoid highly processed sugar and carbs in general and avoid super-sized portions of even healthy carbs, suggests Kundrat. Pairing carbs with protein, fiber and healthy fats can also slow the speed at which carbs are converted to sugar, preventing or blunting sugar spikes.
For a more specific guideline, “I like the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Plate,” says Kundrat. It recommends filling “half your plate with non-starchy vegetables, a quarter with protein and a quarter with fruit or starchy carbohydrates.” Easy-peasy! Try it with any or all of the following.
Our 5 favorite diabetes-friendly Aldi finds this week
In no particular order, let’s jump in.
Keto-friendly Bagel Skinnys ($4.79 for 8)
When these are in stock, they’re one of the first things we grab. They taste like the freezer-aisle bagels our moms bought when we were kids, but have about 66 percent fewer carbs than most bagels plus almost an entire day’s worth of fiber (18 grams!) for just 60 calories. So you get nostalgia plus natural compounds to help keep blood sugar steady.
We had ours with avocado (on sale this week) plus Aldi’s Everything Bagel Seasoning. And, no, all that fiber didn’t bother us at all. But if you don’t normally get much fiber, Kundrat suggests starting with half a bagel a day along with plenty of water to give your body time to adjust to foods rich in fiber.
Dakota’s Pride 16 Bean Soup Mix ($2.29 for 16 servings)
Soup season is here, and this soup mix is magic. You can make it with water only, and you still get 10 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein (with a mere 70 mg sodium) per 90-calorie serving. We simmered ours with browned ground chicken and onion, stirred in a bag of fresh spinach at the very end and topped with parmesan—which added an additional 17 to 18 grams of protein per serving and it was *chef’s kiss.*
“The combo of fiber plus protein really stabilizes sugars, plus it’s so filling and satisfying,” says Kundrat. Bonus: Resistant starch in beans releases compounds that help improve blood sugar control long term. And since the basic soup is just 14¢ a serving, “you can’t beat it!”
Park Street Deli Green Stuffed Peppers ($3.79 for 8 servings)
These small, spicy antipasti green peppers are stuffed with cream cheese and intended for a charcuterie board. But we love-love-love them as a snack. They’re so rich and spicy, just one or two (with about 70 calories and 1 gram of carbs) truly does turn off between-meal hunger.
They do have 220 mg of sodium per serving, so you don’t want to go overboard. But that’s not usually an issue, since “foods with extra spice can really satisfy your hunger, so you eat less without having to work at it,” says Kundrat. “You could add one or two mozzarella cheese sticks or a handful of nuts for extra protein, which can make this snack even more satisfying.”
Elevation Vanilla Ultra-Filtered Milkshake ($7.99 for a 4-pack)
Aldi’s creamy new protein shakes cost $2 each and are a yummy dupe of $3 Fairlife shakes. They’re made with ultra-filtered milk, so they really do have milkshake flavor. They also deliver 30 grams protein and just 3 grams carbs per 180-calorie serving, making them a light meal replacement or an easy way to add protein to a carb-rich meal.
They’re also a great snack. “For a snack, I suggest pairing the shake with a high-fiber fruit like a small apple or berries,” says Kundrat, who notes that consuming liquid with something solid helps your brain “know you ate.”
Park Street Deli Heat & Serve Chicken Fajitas ($5.49 for 2 servings)
We heated this convenient option up on a busy night, strained off the excess liquid and enjoyed it with Greek yogurt and a warmed, low-carb tortilla. The meal was fast and tasty, and it clocked in at under 300 calories, 27 grams protein, 8 grams fiber, 18 grams protein and 3 grams fat for half the $5.49 package.
Straining off the liquid is a hack that will bring down an otherwise fairly high sodium content, says Kundrat, making it “a great quick option.” Prefer corn tortillas? Swap ‘em in! “They’re low-cost, whole grain and just 100 calories and 19 grams of carbs for two,” she notes.
The best blood sugar-friendly Aldi finds for your body
Kundrat notes that we each have our own unique body chemistry and won’t always react to foods in the same way. Women who monitor their blood sugar levels regularly will sometimes notice a baked sweet potato spikes their sugar more than potato chips, for example. If you’re managing diabetes, “pay attention to how your body reacts to certain foods and food combinations, and work with your care team to learn how to put meals and snacks together so they help you manage blood sugars,” she advises.
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