If you have diabetes, it’s vital for you to control your blood sugar levels to protect yourself from severe complications, and your diet is the primary key for that.

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Recommended Foods for Diabetic Diet

Here are several good foods that you have to eat if you have diabetes to control your blood sugar levels:

1. Leafy greens

These vegetables are low in calories, a good source of many vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and zeaxanthin. What makes leafy greens vegetables like spinach good for you is the low levels of digestible carbs that they have.

These carbs raise the blood sugar levels fast. Eating leafy vegetables will protect your heart and eyes too.

2. Eggs

There are several health benefits for eating eggs:

  • Keeps you full longer.
  • Reduce the risk of heart disease.
  • Decrease inflammation.
  • Improve insulin sensitivity.
  • Increase your good cholesterol levels and lowers the bad cholesterol.
  • Decrease the risk of eye disease.

3. Turmeric

Turmeric has a potent active ingredient known as curcumin, and it has many health benefits such as:

  • Reduces inflammation.
  • Lower blood sugar levels.
  • Decrease heart disease chances.
  • Enhance your kidney’s health.

4. Broccoli

Broccoli is considered one of the superfood, so if you have diabetes, you will gain so many benefits from eating it.

Broccoli also helps in lowering insulin levels and then controlling your sugar blood levels. It’s a good source of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.

5. Flaxseeds

A study that was published in PLoS One journal found that eating flaxseeds when you have diabetes for 12 weeks may help in improving the haemoglobin A1c.

Not only that, flaxseeds can improve your gut health, insulin sensitivity, lower heart disease, decrease your blood sugar levels and keeps you full for longer.

6. Strawberries

Everyone loves strawberries because of its fantastic taste, but do you know that there are many health benefits you can get from these berries?

  • It helps you maintain low cholesterol.
  • Reduces insulin levels after a meal.
  • Improve blood sugar levels.
  • Decrease chances of heart disease.
  • Lowers inflammation.

7. Garlic

Despite its unpleasant smell, eating garlic can reduce your blood sugar levels, lower your cholesterol and reduce blood pressure.

8. Fatty fish

Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel are a great source of omega 3, which is essential for your health in many ways:

  • Protect your blood vessels.
  • Reduce inflammation.
  • Lowers the risk of heart failure.
  • Decrease heart disease and stroke chances.

9. Nuts

The regular consumption of nuts may help in reducing inflammation and lower your blood sugar levels? Nuts are one of the most important food that you need to include in your diet if you have diabetes.

Unrecommended Food for People With Diabetes

After you read about the best food for diabetes, it’s time to know what are some of the food to avoid.

1. Starchy Food

Starchy food is food such as bread, pasta and rice. These foods are low in fibres and high in carbs, which increase your blood sugar levels. You can replace these with whole grain food.

2. Dried fruits

If you have diabetes, you should avoid eating dried fruits. The health benefits that you get from dried fruits is not the same as fresh fruits. Dried fruits have high levels of sugar, which can lead to serious health issues.

3. Sugary beverages

Sugary beverages are an obvious one to avoid; those drinks are high in carbs and fructose. Fructose is linked to insulin resistance that may lead to metabolic changes in your body and is very harmful to your cholesterol levels. Try to cut sugary drinks from your diet.

4. Fruit juice

Fruit juice is loaded with sugar and carbs, just like sugary drinks.

5. Whole milk

If you have diabetes, you are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease later on in life, and because of that, you should avoid whole milk.

Whole milk increases your cholesterol levels, and this can increase your risk of heart disease.

6. Canned vegetables

Canned vegetables have a lot of added sodium, which can be dangerous for your health. Always go for fresh vegetables and fruits.

In summary, every case is unique, and to have the best diet; we encourage you to consult a dietitian or nutritionist. You can find them at Okadoc.