Diabetes is a dangerous disease that causes many complications and serious consequences. It occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. To reverse diabetes, patients need to maintain a healthy diet to keep your blood glucose levels from getting too high. So what should a diabetic eat? Through this post, we will share 13 best foods to lower blood sugar quickly for people with diabetes.
Starchy foods
Starch foods contain carbohydrates, which are the main raw materials for energy production. The problem with some starchy foods is that it can raise blood sugar levels, which can be bad for your diabetes.
However, you do not need to eliminate starchy foods from your meals to lower blood sugar. You can choose some following starchy foods with a low glycemic index (GI) for your meals.
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Sweet potatoes
Unlike regular potatoes, sweet potatoes have low GI scores and are very nutritious. Besides, the researchers also noted that sweet potato consumption may lower some markers of diabetes. Sweet potatoes are also a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and fiber.
You can enjoy them in many different ways such as grilling, boiling, crushing. Combine them with protein foods and other vegetables to make your diet healthier.
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Wholegrain bread
Regular bread often contains high amounts of carbohydrates, which will cause your blood sugar to rise. However, with whole-grain bread, they have only low GI scores, at about 55/100 points. Therefore, you can add them to your meals to increase your appetite.
Fruit and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are good foods for diabetics to lower blood glucose. Because they contain low calories, lots of vitamins, substance, and fiber. The water and fiber in vegetables and fruits will help them balance their natural sugar.
However, we should note that when fruits ripen, their GI scores will increase. Besides, juices are seeded and fiber-rich, so their GI scores are also higher.
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Green leafy vegetables
Besides vitamins, potassium and essential nutrients, leafy greens also have high levels of antioxidants and starch digest enzymes. Green leafy vegetables include spinach, collard greens, kale, and cabbage. You can combine leafy greens with lean protein sources like chicken or tofu, used in salads, soups, and side dishes.
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Citrus fruits
Citrus fruits are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals without increasing the number of carbohydrates in the body. Besides, it also has a high content of antioxidants, which helps minimize the effects of diabetes. You can choose citrus fruits like orange, tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, etc.
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Berries
Blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries are also foods high in fiber and antioxidants. They also contain abundant amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, and manganese. These berries will help diabetics reduce stress, fatigue, and enhance heart health.
You can use them at light meals, or as a smoothie in the morning.
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Avocados
Avocados contain two important active ingredients, PUFA and MUFA, which help increase the activity of insulin, therefore reducing blood sugar. Besides, avocados also help minimize diabetic complications. Therefore, this is a food that many people choose to reduce blood sugar and control diabetes.
Nuts
This is a popular food to lower blood glucose that many people choose. Most nuts have low GI scores, ranging from 0 to 20 points. So you can feel secure when adding them to your dishes. They are a good source of healthy fatty acids, along with fiber, protein, iron, and magnesium.
Studies have shown that walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids, important for promoting heart health. Almonds also work to regulate and reduce blood sugar after meals. So you can add these nuts to your snacks, salads to replace biscuits or noodles.
Bean
Beans are a rich source of plant protein, along with many important nutrients like iron, potassium, and magnesium. Besides, beans are low on the GI scale, and it contains complex carbohydrates, so your body will digest them more slowly than other carbohydrates. This will help you control cravings better. Therefore, the bean is an indispensable food to control blood sugar for diabetics.
There is a wide range of beans for people to choose from, including kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, navy beans. There are plenty of options with beans, you can add them in stews, cakes or salads.
Whole grains
Whole grains contain more fiber, they help you slow down the digestive process, absorb fewer nutrients, thereby stabilizing blood sugar levels for diabetics. However, keep in mind that you should only choose whole grains when shopping, avoiding refined grains, as they can contain higher levels of carbohydrates.
Common types of whole grains are brown rice, whole-grain pasta, buckwheat, millet, bulgur, rye.
Fish
People need stable amounts of healthy fats in the body to ensure the proper functioning of the body and the health of the heart and brain. Fish is also a good source of protein, which will help you feel full for longer. Therefore, it can be used as a substitute for other starchy foods without increasing blood sugar.
Good options for you include salmon, trout, albacore tuna. Fish is also quick and easy to prepare, you can try baked, roasted, or grilled fish. You should not fry fish, as it contains saturated fat, which is bad for the body.
You can also eat seaweed, kelp to replace these fish. They still ensure the supply of beneficial omega for your health.
Chia seeds
Chia seeds are high in fiber, healthy fats, calcium, and antioxidants. Therefore, it is not only food that lowers blood sugar, but also a food that helps lower cholesterol levels that many people choose. It also helps you feel full longer. You can add chia seeds to drinks or snacks.
Yogurt
Yogurt often contains probiotic bacteria, which are beneficial for intestinal health, helping to improve your digestion. They also can control cholesterol levels, reduce inflammation and antioxidants, help boost cardiovascular health for diabetics. You can choose a natural yogurt, with no added sugar and add berries or nuts to yogurt for a healthful breakfast or dessert.
Garlic
Garlic is not only one of the best foods to lower blood glucose, but it also has good antibacterial, anti-inflammatory properties and is used as a traditional medicine for many other ailments. You can use garlic as a condiment in dishes or you can eat them raw.
Other ways to reduce blood sugar levels
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Eat less salt
People with diabetes are at an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Salt is one of the ingredients that increase these risks. So you should limit salt intake to the body, using a maximum of 6g of salt a day.
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Eating small portions more frequently
You should divide your diet into small meals throughout the day, avoiding eating too much at one meal that makes the blood sugar spike suddenly difficult to control. This will also help you better control the number of nutrients entering the body.
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Be smart with snacks
You can choose yogurt, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables to replace processed foods like chips, biscuits, chocolate in your snacks. They are good foods that help lower blood sugar and still make you feel full.
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Drink clean
Avoid drinks that are high in calories, you can use herbal drinks, green tea, or water. They not only restrict the amount of sugar entering the body but also help you purify your body and reduce hunger.
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Physical activity
Moderate exercise will increase your body’s use of glucose to convert into energy, which can effectively lower blood sugar.
Experts recommend taking about 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity for a week. However, remember to divide them into small intervals, and do not overwork. Especially when your blood sugar is above 250, you should not exercise, because exercise can sometimes raise blood sugar even higher.[1]
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Managing Stress
When stressed, your body releases hormones that increase blood pressure and blood sugar. Besides, stressed people tend to eat more sweets and stimulants, which will adversely affect your health.[2] Try to reduce stress by exercising, like dancing, jogging, cycling, and doing your favorite things like reading, cooking, painting.
Conclusion
Diabetes is a dangerous disease, but it is not difficult to control if you know how to build a healthy diet. With the information above, hopefully, you have found the good foods to reduce blood sugar. If you find the above information useful, please share it with your friends and leave a comment to let us know. We look forward to your response.
