Fight diabetes with these 10 healthy foods
May 2017
Have diabetes yourself of know someone who has? Here are 10 healthy foods to add to your diet immediately.
Most people understand the dangers of diabetes and know that it’s a disease which occurs when your blood glucose is too high.
Over time, this can cause health problems such as nerve damage, kidney disease, eye problems and heart disease. There are two types of diabetes, type 1 which is rarer and type 2 which the most common. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin, which is needed to get glucose from the bloodstream into the cells of the body. In type 2 diabetes, your body does not use insulin properly. Your pancreas will make extra insulin but over time it’s unable to keep up.
Early detection and treatment of diabetes can decrease the risk of developing the complications that come with it. Eating well-balanced meals is an important part of managing diabetes as well as taking better care of yourself. Regular physical activity is also very important for people living with diabetes.
It is very important to know that your glucose levels are normal and to be aware of the symptoms of diabetes such as: frequent urination, increased thirst, fatigue, hunger and blurred vision.
Gert Coetzee, pharmacist and diet pioneer who founded The Diet Everyone Talks About, shares a list of food that can help fight diabetes when added to your diet.
Apples
These should be at the core of your diet because they offer so many health advantages. Apples are high in fibre content which fills you up, blunts blood-sugar swings and battles bad cholesterol.
Beans
The soluble fibre in all types of beans puts a lid on high blood sugar. Beans are rich in protein so they can stand in for meat in main dishes. Always rinse canned beans before using them.
Berries
Berries are full of fibre and antioxidants. The red and blue varieties also contain natural plant compounds called anthocyanins. Scientists believe that berries may help lower blood sugar by boosting insulin production.
Broccoli
Broccoli is filling and full of antioxidants which include a day’s worth of vitamin C in one serving. This vegetable is also rich in chromium which plays an important role in long-term blood sugar control.
Chicken
This can be a high-fat disaster or perfectly healthy, depending on the how it’s processed and the cut. Breast meat is always lower in fat than dark meat such as drumsticks.
Fish
One of the deadliest complications of diabetes is heart disease and eating fish just once a week can reduce your risk by 40%, according to a Harvard School of Public Health study. The fatty acids in fish reduce inflammation in the body’s major contributor to coronary disease as well as insulin resistance and diabetes.
Milk & Yoghurt
These are both rich in protein and calcium which studies show may help people lose weight. Diets that include dairy may fight insulin resistance which is a core problem behind diabetes.
Nuts
Nuts are “slow-burning” foods that are friendly to blood sugar. Nuts contain a lot of fat but it’s that healthy monounsaturated kind.
Oats
Oats is good for you because it’s filled with soluble fibre which forms a paste when mixed with water. This paste works as a barrier between the digestive enzymes in your stomach and the starch molecules in your meal. This means that it takes longer for your body to convert the carbs you’ve eaten into blood sugar.
Peanut Butter
The monounsaturated fats in peanut butter help control blood sugar. One study found that eating peanut butter dampens the appetite for up to 2 hours longer than a low-fibre, high-carb snack.
For more information about The Diet Everyone Talks About, and where it is offered in your area visit http://www.the-diet.co.za/.