Diabetes is one of the most common lifestyle diseases that affect millions of people throughout the world. It also leads to several other health disorders like obesity, cardiovascular diseases and chronic illnesses of the eye, as it interferes with the metabolism and utilization of blood sugar in the body. Natural foods can play a significant role in managing diabetes.
Vegetables like ladyfingers and brinjals play a big role in diabetes control because of the soluble fiber they contain. Green and leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli and brussels sprouts are excellent sources of potassium and magnesium. All these vegetables provide the body with essential minerals and nutrients, which help in managing and controlling the blood sugar levels in the body; they also have a low glycemic index, a beneficial health indicator for diabetes.
Fruits are important natural foods for diabetes; they are useful in providing essential minerals for a healthy body and are also low in calorie and carbohydrate content. So fruits like cherries, cranberries, pomegranates, apples and oranges are good for diabetic patients. Only thing that needs to be made sure is they are not loaded with artificial sweeteners. So, including several servings of fruits in the daily diet is good for diabetics, reported livestrong.
Some herbs and spices also posses anti-diabetic properties, so a cup of unsweetened green tea will rid the unhealthy elements and help the antioxidants in normalizing the antioxidants level. Two spoonful of vinegar before meals, go a long way in diluting the concentrated sugar levels in the blood. Add a pinch of powdered cinnamon to the food as cinnamon contains natural active ingredients, like MHCP (methyl-hydroxychalcone polymer), with insulin-enhancing activities and antioxidant effects. Other exotic spices like gooseberry and turmeric also help in increasing the activities of pancreatic cells and increase the production of insulin.
A high fibre diet is good for a diabetic patient as it can lower the requirement for insulin of the body. In addition, the high fiber diets also contain chromium, which is important for vital biochemical reactions in the body. Some fiber rich foods are beans, barley, chickpeas and oatmeal.
