Nutrients and foods that help prevent Diabetes

To avoid the complications regarding this deadly disease, it is important to note the foods that help prevent diabetes which also helps in providing adequate dietetic treatment with regular control of the blood glucose level.

Therefore, diabetics have to be careful and quite constant with their diet plan or dietary habit for the rest of their lives.

What is Diabetes?

This disease which is also known as diabetes mellitus is a disorder of the glucose metabolism. Diabetes is quite common in Western nations and now springing up like never before in all parts of the globe.

This disease in reality includes two diseases characterized by an elevated sugar level in the blood. They are:

1. Type I diabetes
2. Type II diabetes

Type I diabetes is also called insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes. As a result of toxin, autoimmune reaction or viral infection, they all reinforced through a pre-disposition of the heredity, then the insulin a producing cells of the pancreas are destroyed.

Type II diabetes is also seen as non-insulin dependent diabetes or adult onset diabetes mellitus. Here, the causes are unknown but likened to be triggered by a diet rich in sweets and foods that are refined and also quite poor in whole grains.

The problem with type II diabetes is that it has nothing to do with lack of insulin but excessive or poor secretion.

Arteriosclerosis, obesity, hypertension, cardiac disease, kidney failure and also retinal disorders coupled with vision loss are the various complications of diabetes that occur frequently.

I wouldn’t want to go into details as this post is only on foods that help prevent diabetes.

List of Foods that help prevent diabetes

The following are some of the foods that help prevent diabetes and their purposes and effects.

The use or consumption of these foods should be on the increase while sugars, honey, shellfish, meat, alcoholic beverages, salt, saturated fat, refined baked goods and others should be eliminated from the diet of individuals suffering from diabetes.

Foods that help prevent diabetes are:

1. Artichoke
2. Nuts
3. Avocado
4. Potato
5. Nopal
6. Celery
7. Legumes
8. Vegetables
9. Fruit
10. Whole Grains
11. Onion
12. Mushroom
13. Guar
14. Wheat Germ

Artichoke

The active ingredient in artichoke called cynarin helps in lowering the sugar level in the blood (i.e. mildly hypoglycemic).

It also contains inulin which is a carbohydrate that is highly beneficial to those suffering from diabetes. This component is formed from fructose molecules.

Therefore, artichoke is one of the recommended foods that help prevent diabetes.

Nuts

The oil-bearing nuts, squash seeds and also sunflower seeds make available energy that’s in form of fatty acids, vitamin B, E and minerals.

Good thing is these nutrients are easily assimilated. According to Healthline, nuts help improve the health of diabetics.

They also are somewhat poor in carbohydrates.

Avocado

One of the advantages of consuming artichoke is that it helps maintain adequate level of blood sugar.

As one of the foods that help prevent diabetes, it reduces cholesterol, and improves the balancing of the fat composition in the blood.

 

Potatoes

Since they provide complex carbohydrates and fiber, this makes them to release glucose quite slowly during digestion.

They are well tolerated by people suffering from diabetes. Another good thing about potatoes is that they do not cause drops in level of blood glucose.

Nopal

Studies conducted in Mexico show that eating the fleshy leaves of the nopal helps improve a rapid drop in the glycemia level. However, it is in individuals with non-insulin dependent diabetes and not in individuals that are healthy.

Celery

I made a well detailed post on celery; you may proceed to see it here. Celery does not only cleanse the blood. It helps regulate the level of blood glucose.

As one of the foods that help prevent diabetes, it inhibits cholesterol and also neutralizes excess acids which may cause its production in the blood because of diabetes.

Legumes

Legumes contain between 20% to 30% carbohydrates, however, they are tolerated by diabetics. Their function is to help regulate the glucose level in the blood due to their fiber content. Therefore, legumes are ideal food for diabetics.

Vegetables

All vegetables are recommended for diabetics because they are well tolerated by them.

And as a result of their low calories content, they help in preventing or treating the obesity that seems the same as adult diabetics

The ones among the vegetables which are particularly appropriate are:

1. Cauliflower,
2. All types of cabbage
3. Broccoli
4. Sauerkraut
5. Green beans, endive, lettuce, peas etc

Fruit

Fruits are recommended for diabetics because of their antioxidant vitamin content which helps in fighting against diseases and also protect against cardiovascular complications.

The idea that people with diabetes should not eat fruit due to their richness in sugar is actually an error. The only precautions are the need to regulate their intake so as to avoid excess sugar.

As one of the foods that help prevent diabetes, mangos and bananas are the best ones among these fruits.

Whole grains

In preventing diabetes, whole grains are recommended because they are well tolerated by diabetics. Their use should be liberal. The best among them are barley, wheat and oats.

Onion

Onion as of the foods that help prevent diabetes helps reduce blood glucose especially in cases of diabetes. They also act as alkalizers and work to protect against arteriosclerosis.

Mushroom

Laboratory animals were used in studies conducted at the University of Surrey which show that mushrooms helps in improving the condition. In essence, they make available proteins, few carbohydrates and B group vitamins.

Guar

The gum gotten from the seeds of the tree is used in treating diabetes. This is because it slows the absorption of glucose from other foods. As one among the foods that help prevent diabetes, it stops the level from increasing in the blood.

Wheat Germ

Wheat germ contains vitamins B₁ and E and their combined action is quite anti-diabetic. Four (4) to five (5) spoonfuls is capable of reducing the level of glucose. It can also substitute the need for insulin.

List of nutrients or components that help

The following are some of the nutrients or substances that help prevent diabetes

1. Antioxidants
2. Fructose
3. Magnesium
4. B Group Vitamins
5. Trace Elements

Antioxidants: They help protect our cells from destructive activities occasioned by excess sugar in the extracellular media and its inadequacy in the intracellular space.

Provitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E, as well as flavonoids are some of the natural antioxidants that are quite effective. Their consumption make come in form of supplements, and as part of nuts, fruits and vegetables.

Fructose: This is found naturally in fruits and together with glucose and sacchrose, it requires less insulin for metabolic activities. This makes diabetics to assimilate it easily even more than glucose.

Its consumption should not be abused as it could lead to increase in triglycerides and uric acid in the blood.

Magnesium: Adult diabetics are always at the risk of lacking this mineral involved in production of insulin in the pancreas. Some of the food sources of magnesium are wheat bran, seeds, nuts and legumes.

B Group Vitamins: Essential for metabolism of glucose and converting it to energy are vitamins B₁, B₂, and B₆. Wheat germ, legumes, nuts and brewer’s yeast are all ideal sources of B group vitamins.

Trace Elements: Manganese, chromium and copper are largely involved in the production of insulin. Chromium is primarily found in fresh fruits, eggs, wheat germ, brewer’s yeast and vegetables.

Molasses is quite rich in chromium and other trace elements but its use should be regulated with care, especially in case of diabetes.

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