Bug-Out Bag Breakfasts for Diabetics

As I was going through my e-mail recently, I received an excellent question from one of my readers.  Anne-Marie wrote in and asked me this, “Over the last couple of years I’ve gotten more into having an emergency car bag ( I live in South Dakota) and grab and go bag. Here’s the problem I keep running into. Everyone says pack/store proteins and carbs. I’m diabetic and no one addresses that type of diet. Why is it we are so overlooked? Many diabetes share this frustration with me. Any tips you have would be very much appreciated.”  So today, we’re going to tackle the topic of bug-out bag breakfasts for diabetics.

My Promise

I promised her that I would address that in an upcoming blog post, and as I’m switching out the food from our Bug Out Bags, I thought this would be the perfect time for me to tackle this topic.

As Anne-Marie said, most people – including us – tend to go heavy on higher carb foods, so what kinds of food can Diabetics put into Bug-out bags?  We’re going to do our best to tackle that today.

***There are links in this post.  Some of the links may be affiliate links. My promise to you is that I will only recommend the most economical version of the best quality of items to serve you. All of these are the items that I have bought for my own family.  If you click on a link, your price will remain the same.  If you make a purchase, we may make a small commission that aids in the cost of the running of this website.***

As we dive into the topic of foods for diabetics’ Bug-out bags, I’m going to do my best to deal with this in light of these 5 Criteria for Bug-out Bag Food for the Family.

Low Carb Issues

Let’s deal with some of the issues that eating low-carb can cause.  Some of the low-carb products that I have eaten in the past have been fine for me.  Others have caused – shall we say – intestinal distress.  You need to try your low carb items before you put them in your bug-out bag, so you know what items will cause you problems sending you to the nearest restroom in short-order and which ones won’t.

Bug-out Bag Breakfasts for Diabetics

So I had a couple of things that I found for Bug-out bag breakfasts for diabetics as I was doing some reserach for this article.

Bug-out Bag Breakfasts for Diabetics – Oatmeal

I was curious as to how many net carbs oatmeal had in one serving, so I looked it up.  There are 23 net carbs in 1/2 C of oats.  Which sounds like a lot to me – especially for breakfast; however, I learned something fascinating.  According to Healthline, “Oats contain a specific type of fiber called beta-glucan, which is responsible for most of its blood sugar–lowering effects. In addition, beta-glucan helps you stay fuller for longer.”

So while there are 23g of net carbs in one serving (usually one packet) of oatmeal, according to Healthline, oatmeal can lower your blood sugar.

But let’s be honest, who enjoys plain oatmeal without something to flavor or to sweeten it.  I want to offer some suggestions.  When my kids were young, I used to love to make oatmeal and add in a scoop of peanut butter and a packet of hot chocolate mix.  Well, we can do something similar for great tasting results.  Justin’s makes single-serving peanut butter packets that have 2g of net carbs.  AND adding protein and fat to your oatmeal will help you feel fuller longer AND I noticed for myself, when I added protein to my carbs, it affected my bloodsugar even less.  So that’s a win.

But if you’re looking at putting some low carb chocolate flavor into your oatmeal, perhaps you should check out PaleoPro’s Protein Powder in Ancient Cacoa flavor in single-serve packs with ZERO net carbs.  And this has great reviews.

But Swiss Miss also makes a reduced calorie hot chocolate mix.  You could add one packet into your oatmeal for flavor (or even just 1/2 packet if you’d like).  One packet has 4g net carbs.

Bug-out Bag Breakfasts for Diabetics – Keto Granola 

So while I was working on another aspect of this post, I stumbled on Cinnamon Keto Nut Granola.  It only has 4g net Carbs, so this is an option if you just want something more snacky for breakfast since you won’t be able to carry milk with you in your bug-out bag.  You should note that this is NOT single-serving size, but as a diabetic, you have to weight carbs against convenience.  And this might be an option for you.

Low-carb Protein Shake Options

If you don’t mind drinking your meals and if you don’t mind carrying a blender bottle in your bug-out bag, this may be a good way to feed your body a healthy breakfast that’s relatively low in carbohydrates.

I mentioned putting PaleoPro’s Protein Powder in Ancient Cacoa flavor in single-serve packs with ZERO – yes, you read that right ZERO net carbs in your oatmeal, but you can also drink it as a protein shake mix!  And not only does it have zero net carbs, it only has 1 g of carbs even if you don’t subtract the 1g of fiber from the total carb count.  And the reviews on this are top-notch!

Nature’s Plus makes Spiru-tein single-serving protein shake mix packets which have a total of 10g net carbs.

Orgain makes an Organic Protein based Travel Pack that has a total of 13g of net carbs.

Bug-out Bag Breakfasts for Diabetics – Quest Bars

Quest makes some AMAZING bars that are low net carbs.  I personally love the Cookies and Cream bars.  These ones only have 4g net carbs.   Chocolate raspberry are also so delish and only has 5g of net carbs.  Another breakfast type option that they carry a Blueberry Cobler bar (3g net carbs), and even a Blueberry Muffin bar (5g net carbs).  While I’m giving you links to Amazon, you can also find many of these at Wal-Mart as well.

Bug-out Bag Breakfasts for Diabetics – Drinks That Go With Breakfast 

Most everyone wants something to drink with their meals, and you really do need hydration throughout your day.  Fortunately there are great drink options for breakfast.

Let’s start with the most obvious – COFFEE.  Many of us can’t function well without coffee, and if you’re bugging out, you probably need it just as much – if not more – than when you were at home.  There are a couple of different options for coffee.

Instant coffee is an valid choice for some people.  If you fall into the instant coffee category, whether you like regular instant coffee or decaf instant coffee, there are options for you.

If, however, you prefer brewed coffee, there is an option for you.  Folger’s makes coffee ‘bags’ much like tea bags.  You take this bag with coffee grounds in it and steep it in hot water.  In about three minutes, you have yourself a great cup of coffee.  And what’s better – you can find coffee like this is both caffeinated and decaf varieties.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t care to have coffee without creamer in it – EVER.  And while I can’t carry those small liquid cups in my bug-out bag, there’s still an option.  CoffeeMate has single-serving coffee creamer packets with 1g of carbs per packet.

“Orange Juice”

Okay, it’s not likely that you’re going to find orange juice for your bug-out bag; however, you do have other options that roughly approximate an orange type drink.  Tang does have a no sugar single-serving pack.  It has 2g of net carbs.  Orange Crush also has a single serving size sugar free drink mix.  Again, it also has 2g of net carbs.

“Lemon Juice”

Okay, so many people don’t drink straight lemon juice, but I have discovered that I don’t like sweet flavors added to my water, but plain water can upset my stomach.  My solution to the problem is “True Lemon” packets. I add one packet to each water bottle.  It’s the right balance of some flavor and no sugar.  It has less than 1g of carbs per packet.

So today, we’ve tackled Bug-out bag breakfast options for diabetics.  Next week, we’ll tackle lunch options for for diabetics.  I’ve got some items that might surprise you that you’ll really enjoy.

What About You?

Are you diabetic and you know of other breakfast options for your bug-out bags?  Share with us below so that we can all be better prepared!

You’ve got this, Mama!