Best Vegetables For Diabetics: Artichokes
Artichokes are rich in B-complex group of vitamins such as folate, niacin, vitamin B-6 , thiamin, and pantothenic acid that are essential for optimum cellular metabolic functions.
Artichokes also contain Vitamin C, which helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals from the body.
Artichokes contain Vitamin K, which supports bone health by promoting osteotrophic activity.
Artichokes are also a good source of antioxidant compounds such as silymarin, caffeic acid, and ferulic acid, which help the body protect itself from harmful free-radical agents.
Artichokes are also a rich source of minerals like copper, calcium, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus.
Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure by countering effects of sodium.
Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase . Copper is required in the production of red blood cells and, iron is required for red blood cell formation.
Artichokes contain fiber and compounds cynarin and sesquiterpene-lactones. Scientific studies show that these compounds help to lower cholesterol and increase its excretion in the bile.
The 15 Best Superfoods For Diabetics
beats1/Shutterstock Chocolate is rich in flavonoids, and research shows that these nutrients reduce insulin resistance, improve insulin sensitivity, drop insulin levels and fasting blood glucose, and blunt cravings. But not all chocolate is created equal. In a 2008 study from the University of Copenhagen, people who ate dark chocolate reported that they felt less like eating sweet, salty, or fatty foods compared to volunteers given milk chocolate, with its lower levels of beneficial flavonoids . Dark chocolate also cut the amount of pizza that volunteers consumed later in the same day, by 15 percent. The flavonoids in chocolate have also been shown to lower stroke risk, calm blood pressure, and reduce your risk for a heart attack by 2 percent over five years. Jiri Vaclavek/Shutterstock Broccoli is an anti-diabetes superhero. As with other cruciferous veggies, like kale and cauliflower, it contains a compound called sulforaphane, which triggers several anti-inflammatory processes that improve blood sugar control and protect blood vessels from the cardiovascular damage thats often a consequence of diabetes. Sulforaphane also helps flip on the bodys natural detox mechanisms, coaxing enzymes to turn dangerous cancer-causing chemicals into more innocent forms that the body can easily release. Blueberries funnyangel/Shutterstock Blueberries really stand out: They contain both insoluble fiber and soluble fiber . In a study by the USDA, peoplContinue reading > >
Throw In Some Chickpeas With Any Meal
Chickpeas are another debatable food when it comes to vegetables, but you cant debate the benefits to your blood sugar. Because of this, you need to make sure you add them to your morning routine.
There are just so many ways that you can use chickpeas. One of the most common is by creating your hummus. For more info on hummus and diabetes, click here. You could make a healthy dip for your broccoli and carrots on a morning if you want something light that you can pick at! It will also work as a filling for your breakfast burrito, packed with spinach and avocado.
How do chickpeas help? Theyre packed full of proteins, which help to balance out the carbohydrates in the body. They are also full of insoluble fiber. While soluble fiber will help to get into the bloodstream to work directly on the blood sugar levels, the insoluble fiber will slow down the bodys whole process. Your body doesnt absorb as much sugar on a morning through your other foods, so your insulin can work effectively.
You May Like: What Tea Is Good For Blood Sugar
Choose Sources Of Lean Protein
Protein is an essential nutrient that is needed every single day, and unlike carbohydrates and fats, protein cannot be stored in the body. As we get older, experts recommend we consume higher amounts of protein to help maintain muscle. Protein can also help manage hunger and promote satiety. Protein is found in a variety of foods that are either animal- or plant-based, including chicken, beef, eggs, milk, legumes, nuts, soy, and whole grains like quinoa.4-7
Only You Can Prevent Blood Sugar Spikes
Its annoying but true: The best way to lower your blood sugar is to avoid a spike in the first place.
Eating whole foods that are low in sugar and exercising regularly will help keep your blood sugar in check. This can be beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes, but medications may also be necessary to keep blood sugar in a healthy range.
To avoid food-based spikes, try to steer clear of added sugars in your diet. The FDA recommends consuming less than 200 calories a day from added sugars.
That sounds pretty simple, but when you realize that 16 ounces of orange juice has 240 calories , its easy to see how sugar consumption gets out of hand.
Its best to avoid all sugary drinks and check the labels. There are hidden sugars in everything from bread to turkey slices, so double-check your favorite foods to make sure you arent getting any unnecessary sweetness.
Recommended Reading: How To Control Blood Sugar Spikes After Meals
Of The Best Vegetables For Diabetics:
Key nutrients in vegetables include:
- anti-inflammatories and antioxidants such as beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin
- vitamins that act as antioxidants and anti-inflammatories such as Vitamin B-Complex, Vitamin B9 , Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K
- minerals such as calcium, chromium, magnesium, potassium, and vanadium
- other nutrients such as chlorophyll, soluble fiber, and insoluble fiber
As a result, leafy, green vegetables are useful in lowering blood sugar and lowering blood pressure reducing inflammation and oxidation and, reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease.
/11nut Butters & Nuts
Having nuts like almonds and peanuts and nut butter made with them can play a significant role in reducing blood sugar levels. In a study published in the journal Molecules, it was found that consuming nut butter or almonds and peanuts throughout the day reduced post-meal blood sugar levels in people who have type 2 diabetes.
Also Check: When Testing Blood Sugar Levels What Is Normal
Get Trendy With Apple Cider Vinegar
If you do a quick Google search, youll see that apple cider vinegar is good for pretty much everything. You can use it to tone your skin, clean your pipes, and possibly lower your blood sugar!
A clinical review found that taking ACV daily could reduce blood glucose levels. Unfortunately, most of the trials were very small and some had mixed results.
But since youve probably got it in your house anyway, try taking a swig or two before meals, testing yourself, and seeing if a little ACV shot works for you .
Manage Your Carb Intake
Your body breaks carbs down into sugars , and then insulin helps your body use and store sugar for energy.
When you eat too many carbs or have insulin-function problems, this process fails, and blood glucose levels can rise.
However, there are several things you can do about this.
The American Diabetes Association recommends managing carb intake by counting carbs and being aware of how many you need .
Some studies find that these methods can also help you plan your meals appropriately, further improving blood sugar management (
The recommended daily intake of fiber is about 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. Thats about 14 grams for every 1,000 calories .
Summary
Eating plenty of fiber can help with blood sugar management. Soluble dietary fiber is the most effective.
Read Also: What To Take For Sugar Cravings
Opt For Squash In Your Meals
Remember how sweet potatoes were good for you? Well, the same applies to other fall and winter vegetables. Squash is one of the most commonly ignored but is highly useful. It doesnt matter what type of squash you have. If you hate preparing a large butternut squash, you can opt for a small acorn or spaghetti squash instead.
The benefits are offiber. Youll feel full quickly, keeping your calorie intake down, and boost your digestive systems. The metabolism will slow down the work on the glucose, balancing out the system completely.
Squash is another very simple ingredient to add to your meals. You can chop it up and add it to a frittata, or you could blend it with the spinach to create a slightly sweeter and creamier smoothie.
About Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes is growing significantly in the United States, with the Centers for Disease Control stating that 9.4% of the country’s population has diabetes. Another 84 million have prediabetes, which can lead to full blown diabetes within 5 years if not treated.3
Diabetes can be silent, developing without any symptoms or indications that it is damaging the body’s organs. The complications from diabetes are numerous. Having diabetes puts one at significantly higher risk for heart disease and stroke. Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness. Circulation problems in the legs can develop because of diabetes, and in the worst instances, can lead to tissue death requiring amputation. Diabetes can also damage the nerves , causing tingling, numbness, and burning pain in the hands and feet. Diabetes also damages the filtering system in the kidneys, leading to kidney disease that could require dialysis or a kidney transplant. Symptoms of depression are more common in people with diabetes, which can affect diabetes management.
1 Diabetics Guide, 20 Foods That Lower Blood Sugar, March 23, 2018,
2 Harvard Health Publishing, Glycemic Index for 60+ foods, March 14, 2018,
3 Centers for Disease Control,
Also Check: Can Low Blood Sugar Cause You To Blackout
Ditch The Working Lunch
Are you rushed, not properly chewing your food, and possibly suffering from gastrointestinal issues? Do you drink your food?
How you eat and drink matters. Studies are indicating that this has more of an impact than we previously thought.
When it comes to how you eat, let’s first look at mindful eating.
Mindful eating can help to promote more healthful eating behaviours. Simply put, it means to take smaller bites, eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and savour every bite. Notice and appreciate the smell, taste and texture. Breathe. Mindful eating helps to give your digestive system the hint to prepare for digestion and to secrete necessary enzymes.
Eating with attention and intention also addresses the role of hunger and satiety cues and stresses eating in response to those cues instead of eating in response to automatic patterns. This can also help with weight loss because eating slower often means eating less.
Did you know that it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to know that your stomach is full?
Thought so!
We also know that more thoroughly chewed food is easier to digest and it makes it easier to absorb all of those essential nutrients.
And what about about drinking your food?
If youre keen on crafting your own smoothies, here are a few tips:
Foods High In Sugar / Alternatives To White Sugar
20) Raw honey: Be it a natural face mask, medicine and sweetening agent, honey can do wonders. A spoonful of the ingredient makes it good enough to cure cough and cold, skin problems and diabetes. In addition, it helps in boosting metabolism as well.
Raw honey sugar content: 82.12 g
21) Dates: These dark colored fruits can be added in your fruit salads or can be eaten raw. Apart from being sweet, dates provide beauty benefits to the skin as well.
Dates sugar: 63.35 g
22) Jaggery: Jaggery is habitually used as a natural sweetener. The variety of flavors makes it more beneficial than white sugar.
Jaggery sugar: 98.13 g
Don’t Miss: What Supplements Lower Blood Sugar
Vegetables That Help Lower Sugar In The Morning
Your blood sugar will be higher on a morning. This is normal for anyone. As you sleep, you fast. Your body needs to create glucose to keep everything running properly. There is nothing to worry about if youre a healthy person and not at risk of diabetes.
However, many of us are at risk. Even if we currently have normal blood sugar levels, our diets are putting us at a higher risk of developing Type II diabetes later in life. We want to do as much as we can now to prevent blood sugar levels from becoming a major issue.
Those who already have diabetes will also have cause for concern. The blood sugar is naturally much higher on a morning in diabetic patients because the body creates more glucose.
Of course, the main way for the body to tackle high blood sugar is through the use of insulin. The body will create more insulin, and soon it becomes used to those levels.
You want to lower all the risks. The best way to do that is through eating the right foods. Vegetables are extremely low in sugar, even natural sugars. You want to add these to your diet, especially first thing in a morning. Here are nine that you want to add to your mornings to lower the blood sugar levels at the start of the day.
Lower Your Stress Level
High stress doesnt help your mental health, and the same goes for your blood sugar levels. When stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline ramp up, they can boost your blood sugar levels.
A nice calming meditation or yoga sesh could help you deal. A 2014 study suggests that sticking to a yoga routine can decrease blood glucose levels.
Recommended Reading: What Happens When Your Blood Sugar Drops Too Low
Pile In The Mushrooms To Your Omelettes
Mushrooms tend to be popular additions to omelets. Theyre inexpensive and easy to use. They also dont take too long to cook.
You can keep using them. In fact, you want to keep using them on a daily basis. Add them to your cooked breakfasts or into your breakfast burritos. Find any way to use them on a morning to help lower your blood sugar.
Mushrooms are full of fiber, but more specifically soluble fiber. That fiber dissolves into the water and makes its way into the bloodstream. This helps to balance the sugars that are currently there causing an issue and helps to avoid the need for more insulin to balance out.
Youll also find mushrooms are filling. You dont need to eat as much, keeping your calorie intake down. At the same time, they have very little in the way of natural sugars, despite having a slightly sweet taste.
What Foods Will Help Regulate My Blood Sugar
Diabetes or diabetes mellitus is a long-term health condition that is characterized by high blood glucose levels. The disease affects the ability of the body to convert food into energy inside the body. The food you eat is converted to simpler forms, most commonly glucose, inside the body. When the glucose in the blood increases, the body releases a hormone called insulin in the blood. Insulin brings high blood glucose levels back to normal levels. In diabetes, either there is a deficiency of insulin or the body is unable to respond to insulin . In either of the cases, there is an increased concentration of glucose in the blood known as hyperglycemia.
If you have diabetes, you must check your blood sugar levels regularly to make sure the levels are not too low or too high . Depending on your age and any other health conditions, your doctor may advise you to keep your blood sugar level in a range that they consider will be safe and healthy for you. Whenever your blood sugar level is over 240 mg/dL, you must check the presence of ketones in the urine by using an over the counter ketone test kit. High levels of ketones can be a sign of a serious medical emergency called diabetic ketoacidosis. Seek urgent medical help if your urine shows the presence of ketones or you have any signs of ketoacidosis, such as fast breathing, nausea and vomiting, stomachache, headache, or fruity smell from the mouth.
Also Check: How To Cut Out Refined Sugar
White Vegetables And Fruits
Contain nutrients such as beta-glucans, EGCG, SDG, and lignans that provide powerful immune boosting activity.
These nutrients also activate natural killer B and T cells, reduce the risk of colon, breast, and prostate cancers.
In addition, these nutrients balance hormone levels, reducing the risk of hormone-related cancers.
Best Vegetables For Diabetics: Onions
Onions contain phytochemical compounds called allium and alyl disulphide, which convert into allicin by enzymatic reaction when crushed or cut.
Studies have shown that these compounds have anti-mutagenic and anti-diabetic properties .
Laboratory studies show that allicin reduces cholesterol production by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase enzyme in the liver cells.
Further, onions have been found to have anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal activities.
Additionally, allicin also decreases blood vessel stiffness by facilitating the release of nitric oxide and thereby brings a reduction in the total blood pressure.
Further, it blocks platelet clot formation, and has fibrinolytic action in the blood vessels.
Altogether, it helps decrease in overall risk of coronary artery disease , peripheral vascular diseases , and stroke.
Onions are a rich source of chromium, a trace mineral that helps tissue cells respond appropriately to insulin levels in the blood. It thus helps facilitate insulin action and control sugar levels in diabetes.
Onions are a good source of vitamin C and many of the B-Complex vitamins.
Onions are also good source of the antioxidant flavonoid quercetin, which is found to have anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic functions.
Also Check: What Fruit Contains The Most Sugar
Sweet Potatoes And Yams
Regular potatoes have a high GI score, but sweet potatoes and yams have low scores and are very nutritious.
Some research indicates that the flesh of the sweet potato contains more fiber than the skin, indicating that the whole vegetable could be beneficial for those with diabetes.
Reporting the findings of an animal study, the researchers also noted that sweet potato consumption may lower some markers of diabetes.
While there is still no conclusive evidence that sweet potatoes can help to stabilize or lower blood sugar levels in humans, they are undoubtedly a healthful, nutritious food with a low GI score.
People can substitute sweet potatoes or yams for potatoes in a variety of dishes, from fries to casseroles.
Oats have a GI score of 55 or lower, making them less likely to cause spikes and dips in blood sugar levels.
Oats also contain B-glucans, which can do the following:
- reduce glucose and insulin responses after meals
- improve insulin sensitivity
2012 study found that incorporating legumes into the diet improved glycemic control and lowered the risk of coronary heart disease in people with type 2 diabetes.
Avoid legume products that contain added sugars and simple starches, such as those in syrups, sauces, or marinades. These additions can significantly increase a products GI score.
Garlic is a popular ingredient in traditional medicines for diabetes and a wide variety of other conditions.
People can eat garlic raw, add it to salads, or use it in cooked meals.