Jiffy Cornbread Mix is a delicious treat and a great way to diverge from eating only bread every time. It is versatile, as you can make it with or without sugar or with the addition of any flavor you like. The moist, buttery cornbread is certain to keep you longing for more with its crunchy exterior and moist middle.
For years, jiffy cornbread has been a straightforward way to please my guests, as it never fails to make a good impression; starting with truffle bowls, senate bean potpies, mozzarella cornbread pizza, and many more. However, as a diabetic, it becomes imperative to know how Jiffy Cornbread could impact your condition, positively or negatively.
You may be wondering: is jiffy cornbread good for diabetics? This article provides all you need to know about jiffy cornbread for diabetics; its safety, if you should have some, the ideal quantity you should have, and safer alternatives. Let us explore!
Disclaimer: This material is presented for education and should not replace the professional medical advice of your healthcare provider.
What Is Jiffy Cornbread?
You can’t list the five most popular pre-packaged baking mixes without mentioning the Jiffy cornbread mix. It is a product of the Chelsea Milling Company, located in Chelsea, Michigan, USA. This company dates back as far as 1901 and makes lots of mixes, from cornbread mixes in different flavors to brownies, cake mixes, pie crusts, and even pizza mixes.
Jiffy cornbread mix is derived from wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and, alternatively, dried buttermilk and barley flour may be added. This mix navigates the traditional arduous method of making cornbread, as it only requires little effort to create those irresistible cornbread batches.
What is a jiffy cornbread without those golden brown colors that stir our taste buds on sight, matched with an airy consistency, moist and crumbly texture, and a sweet flavor?
Is Jiffy Cornbread Healthy?
While jiffy cornbread is fortified with minerals and vitamins, it has a high sodium and sugar content with trans fat. It also contains refined grains and questionable ingredients like BHT, which is essential to extend the shelf life but possesses numerous health risks, according to studies.
BHT, as mentioned above, is commonly used to prevent the oxidation of fats, which could make products go rancid. While it is recognized as safe by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it could have undesirable long-term effects, as some debates portend. BHT could impact your sperm quality and testosterone. Also, it could enlarge the liver and cause kidney dysfunction, according to MillionMarker.
Jiffy Cornbread used to make use of partially hydrogenated oils (which add trans fat to the product). Hydrogenated oils are made by processing vegetable oils into semi-solid or solid fats, which could extend the shelf life of products while also contributing to their lush texture.
While trans fat could have advantages for the products it is used in, it could also heighten the risk of heart disease as it raises our LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, according to the American Heart Association. Research has also linked the intake of trans fats to type 2 diabetes. However, recent jiffy mixes have been reformulated not to include hydrogenated fats, which is good news for all of us who love to eat healthily.
As for the sodium content, jiffy cornbread contains 340mg per serving, and that could use up 14.8%–22.7% of your daily value, following the recommended 2,300 mg to a more ideal 1500 mg of sodium per day by the American Heart Association. Consuming too much jiffy cornbread could put you at risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Is Jiffy Cornbread Good For Diabetics?
A jiffy cornbread weighs about 38 grams and contains a gram of fiber, 27 grams of carbs, and 7 grams of sugar, according to nutrition facts.
As a breakfast staple or a regular treat, Jiffy cornbread is not good for diabetics as it is packed with lots of carbohydrates and sugar. Each serving contains about 4 teaspoons of sugar. Further, jiffy cornbread is devoid of dietary fiber, which can be important in regulating blood sugar levels.
Another problem with jiffy cornbread is that it is made with refined wheat flour. Various studies have connected the consumption of refined flour to an elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It has a high glycemic index, which could cause inflammation, insulin resistance, and increased sugar levels.
While there is no exact amount of sugar that can be tagged as risky (since varying amounts could cause issues in different diabetic individuals), it is best not to have more than one jiffy of cornbread and to pair it with some proteins and fats, since they are known for slowing how fast sugar is absorbed into the blood.
Better still, you could make your cornbread mix at home with whole wheat (which contains lots of dietary fiber) and low-fat milk.
Low-Sugar Alternatives to Jiffy Cornbread for Diabetics
Jiffy is not the best type of cornbread mix to have as a diabetic, as it is made with ingredients that could contribute to blood sugar spikes while containing little-to-no fiber, making it not so much of a safe mix. Here are some of the better mixes you could have as a diabetic:
Good Dees Corn Bread Baking Mix
This is a great female-owned product, and I could see all the attention she and her team gave to detail. This product is made with no added sugar at all, but the product still manages to have that crazily awesome Southern cornbread taste and aroma.
It is gluten-free, grain-free, and made with almond flour. I was surprised at how the taste has the same taste as the typical cornbread despite using almond flour. Instead of sugar, stevia was used in this product. Stevia is among the safe sweeteners that effectively serve as an alternative to sugar for diabetics and help to manage your blood sugar levels, making this product a hit.
Bob’s Red Mill Cornbread mix
This cornbread is definitely not so sweet, as it has a mere 3 grams of sugar per serving. If butter is added properly, it could have a perfectly moist and airy texture, similar to jiffy or southern cornbread.
This is made with whole-grain cornmeal as opposed to refined wheat or cornmeal, which means it has lots of dietary fiber that could help regulate your blood sugar by slowing down how fast carbs are absorbed into your bloodstream.
Can Diabetics Eat Jiffy Cornbread? Final Thoughts
Jiffy cornbread for diabetics is not the safest of options as it is made with refined flour, which could adversely impact your sugar levels, and it contains 7 grams of sugar-preserving sugar and has no dietary fiber, which is essential for regulating blood sugar levels. You can eat just one cornbread per day to be on the safer side.
I would prefer you make your own mix with flours safe for diabetics like amaranth, buckwheat, almond flour, oat flour, and chickpea flour, and with sweeteners like stevia instead of traditional sugar. You can also get sugar-free or low-sugar cornbread mixes.