Managing diabetes involves maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. You diet choices plays a crucial role in this process. The best foods for diabetes are those that are low in the glycemic index (GI), rich in fiber, and contain healthy fats and lean proteins.
Here are five excellent food choices for individuals managing diabetes:
- Leafy Greens: Vegetables like spinach, kale, and other leafy greens are low in calories and carbohydrates. They are ideal for a diabetes-friendly diet. They are also packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
- Whole Grains: Foods like quinoa, brown rice, whole oats, and barley are rich in fiber. Thdey also have a lower GI than regular white bread and rice. Plus they may help in manage blood sugar levels by slowing down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.
- Fatty Fish: Salmon, sardines, mackerel, and other fatty fish are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA. These foods help manage diabetes as well as having significant heart health benefits.
- Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds are not only low in digestible carbs but also high in fiber and healthy fats to help you maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
- Legumes: Beans, lentils, chickpeas, and other legumes are high in fiber and protein to help regulate blood sugar levels
- Brewers yeast: Brewer’s yeast is a wonder food. It is rich in traces of mineral chromium. This mineral helps the pancreas produce more insulin. It is one of the best supports for normal handling of sugar by the body. According to an article by Dr. Richard J. Doisy and others, which appeared in the Medical World News, Brewer’s yeast has lowered the insulin requirements of many diabetes patients.
- Broccoli: Broccoli, a close relation of the cauliflower, has long been a popular food in Europe. This vegetable has proved to be an effective anti-diabetic food. It is rich source of chromium, a trace mineral that seems to lower blood sugar. This trace mineral regulates blood sugar, thereby often reducing the medication and insulin needs of diabetes. In cases of mild diabetes, chromium may prevent the onset of the full-fledged disease. If a person’s glucose tolerance is on border, chromium can help control it. Even low blood sugar levels can be brought to normal with chromium.
- Curd: Curd injects friendly bacteria in to the digestive system that stimulate the pancreas. It also washes the pancreas of its acids and wastes. These cleansing actions enable the pancreas to perform much better and thereby help in the production of insulin.
- Garlic: In scientific trials garlic and its constituents have been found to lower blood sugar in diabetes. This vegetable is rich in potassium, which effectively replaces the large quantities of potassium lost in the urine of diabetics. It also contains zinc and sulphur, which are constituents of insulin. Some authorities believe that low levels of zinc may be one of the factors responsible for the onset of diabetes. Garlic also contains manganese, a deficiency of which can contribute towards diabetes. Garlic constituents appear to act by blocking the inactivation of insulin in the liver. The result is higher blood insulin levels and lower blood sugar. Garlic has other benefits for diabetes besides lowering blood sugar. It prevents arteriosclerosis, which is a common complication of diabetes and relieves body paid. Diabetics can take the equivalent of one or two cloves of garlic a day in any form they like, either raw or cooked in food or as capsules. Garlic milk, prepared by adding four cloves of crushed garlic to 110 ml of milk, is one good way of taking garlic. The best way, however, is to chew raw garlic thoroughly first thing in the morning.
- Bengal Gram: Bengal gram, also known as chickpea, is a widely used important component of Indian diet. It is a valuable anti-diabetic food. Experiments have shown that the oral ingestion of the water extract of Bengal gram increases the utilization of glucose in diabetics as well as normal people. In a study conducted at Central Food Technological Research Institute in Mysore, the requirement of insulin of chronic diabetes patients decreased from 40 units a day to 20 units, when kept on a diet which included liberal supplements of Bengal gram extract. Diabetic patients who are on a restricted diet, which does not severely limit the intake of carbohydrates but includes liberal amounts of Bengal gram extract, have shown considerable improvement in their fasting blood sugar levels, glucose tolerance, urinary excretion of sugar and general condition.
- Bitter Gourd: The bitter gourd is a common vegetable cultivated extensively. It has excellent medicinal virtues. This vegetable has been used as fold medicine for diabetes from ancient times. Research has established that it contains insulin like principle designated as plant-insulin, which has been found beneficial in lowering blood and urine sugar levels. Bitter gourd is thus and effective anti-diabetic food and should be included liberally in the diet of a diabetic. Juice of hree or four bitter gourds taken every morning on an empty stomach has been found more effective than eating fruits. The seeds of bitter gourd can be powdered and added to regular meals. A decoction prepared by boiling chopped bitter gourd is water is equally effective, as is its dry powder mixed with liquid foods. Bitter gourd is rich in all essential vitamins and minerals especially vitamins A, B1, B2, C and iron. Its regular use, therefore, prevents many complications associated with diabetes including hypertension, eye complications, neuritis and the defective metabolism of carbohydrates.
- Black Gram: Black gram is a highly prized pulse in India. It is an anti diabetic food. Germinated black gram taken with half a cup of fresh bitter gourd juice, forms and effective remedy for treating mild types of diabetes. It should be taken once a day, for three to four months, with a restricted intake of carbohydrates.
- Groundnut: Groundnuts are valuable in diabetes. Eating a handful of groundnuts daily by diabetics will not only prevent malnutrition, particularly the deficiency of niacin, but also checks the development of vascular complications.
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