Six foods for diabetes patients
Coffee and cinnamon have made headlines as foods that might be able to help cut the risk of diabetes or help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. However, don't get the idea that such foods are magic pills for your diabetic diet.
It's still important for people with diabetes to eat a balanced healthy diet and exercise to help manage the condition. Nevertheless, some foods, such as white bread, are converted almost immediately to blood sugar, causing a quick spike. Other foods, such as brown rice, are digested more slowly, causing a lower and gentler change in blood sugar.
If you are trying to follow a healthy diet for diabetes, here are 6 suggestions that may help to keep your blood sugar in check.
Porridge
Porridge can help control blood sugar and the charity Diabetes UK recommends it to see you through the morning.
Even though porridge is a carbohydrate, it's a very good carbohydrate. Because it's high in soluble fibre, it's slower to digest and it won't raise your blood sugar as much or as quickly. It's going to work better at maintaining a healthy blood sugar level over time.
Not only does this high-quality carbohydrate offer a steadier source of energy than white bread, it can also help with weight loss. The soluble fibre in oats helps to keep us feeling fuller longer.
That's important for people with type 2 diabetes, who tend to be overweight. If you reduce the weight, you usually significantly improve the glucose control.
Barley isn't as popular as oats, but there's some evidence that barley, which is also high in soluble fibre, may also help with blood glucose control. Besides oats and barley, most whole grains are going to be a great choice for a person with diabetes.
Broccoli, spinach and green beans
Add plenty of non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach and green beans to your diet, diabetes experts say. These foods are high in fibre and low in carbohydrates, which make them ideal for people with diabetes.
In contrast, starchy vegetables include peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, broad beans, corn and butternut squash. There's no need to cut them from the diet. They do give us additional nutrients. We want to maintain balance, but because starchy vegetables have more carbohydrates and raise blood sugar more, it's important to stick to correct portion sizes.
There's evidence, too, that vegetables are healthy for people with diabetes.
Researchers have found that a low-fat vegan diet may help type 2 diabetes patients to better manage their condition. In a study in the US publication Diabetes Care, 43% of people with type 2 diabetes who followed a low-fat vegan diet for 22 weeks reduced the need to take diabetes medications.
On average, the vegan group also lost more weight and lowered levels of bad cholesterol. Because people with diabetes are more prone to heart disease, eating with heart health in mind matters as much as blood sugar control.
Strawberries
Some diabetes patients shy away from strawberries because of their sweetness. However, a handful of strawberries makes for a healthy snack that won't raise blood sugar too much. They're a much better option than a biscuit or sweets.
They're pretty low in calories and carbohydrates. What's more, strawberries are high in fibre and water, so people will feel fuller for longer. The longer that people with diabetes can stay full, the fewer carbohydrates they'll consume overall.
Salmon and lean meats
Meats, which are high in protein, don't affect blood sugar as much as carbohydrates. When eaten in healthy portion sizes, fish, skinless chicken breast, and lean cuts of meat are good choices for diabetic diets.
Salmon is an especially good option because it also contains heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Meat is also a source of chromium, a mineral that helps enable insulin to function properly and helps the body to metabolise carbohydrates.
Some people with type 2 diabetes take chromium picolinate supplements to try to maintain blood sugar levels. Diabetes UK says there's not enough evidence yet to recommend this supplement for diabetes. It recommends that patients should discuss their individual needs with a healthcare expert.
Sparkling water
If you’re trying to break a sugary fizzy drink habit, or just tired of guzzling diet drinks day after day, go for sugar-free sparkling waters. The carbonated beverages come in various flavours. They take away the desire for something bubbly.
Many sparkling waters have no carbohydrates or calories, so they’re not only good for blood sugar levels, but for weight control too.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon has been in the news as a spice that may have insulin-like effects and help reduce blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
In a German study, researchers randomly assigned 79 patients who had type 2 diabetes into two groups. For four months, the test group took a cinnamon extract three times a day, while the control group took a placebo. At the end, those on the cinnamon extract had lowered their fasting blood sugar levels by 10.3 %, compared to 3.4 % for the control group. The scientists concluded that the cinnamon extract seemed to have a moderate effect in reducing blood sugar levels in diabetes patients, especially among those who had more trouble controlling blood sugar.
Before doctors can start recommending cinnamon for diabetes, however, more studies need to be done.
Reference
http://www.webmd.boots.com/
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