Top 5 Diabetes Superfoods You Should Be Eating

by DailyHealthPost Editorial

diabetes superfoods

Even though we live in a pill-popping, drug-oriented culture, more and more people are starting to realize that food is really our best medicine. In 90% of all chronic and degenerative diseases, poor diet is either the direct cause or a significant factor.

This is especially true for Type 2 diabetes. There is no stage of Type 2 that can’t be helped by making some smart dietary changes. And the earlier they are made, the more dramatic the health improvements will be.

The “Prescription” is Simple

A few simple changes in a patient’s eating habits can actually reverse Type 2 so that all metabolic functions, including the body’s insulin production, return to normal.

Here’s the shorthand version…

  • Quit consuming the foods and beverages that spike your blood sugar and trigger the insulin response (sweets, sodas, juices, refined carbs, baked goods, chips, and highly processed grain-based commercial foods, like breakfast cereals). Over-consuming these can cause Type 2, and even small amounts will make it worse.
  • Start eating more of the foods that heal the damage that insulin-resistance and diabetes have done to your body. Do this by turning your diet into an anti-inflamatory diet as inflammation is one of the root causes of diabetes (beware: inflammation destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas). In this diet try to include plenty of the following “diabetes-healing superfoods.” Here are the top 5…

1. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

If you have diabetes or prediabetes, controlling blood sugar has a huge impact on how you feel — and this marvelous monounsaturated oil can really help. A 2006 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine put people on either a low-fat diet, a Mediterranean diet emphasizing EVOO, or a Mediterranean diet emphasizing nuts. Those getting more olive oil and nuts had significantly lower blood sugar levels than those on the low-fat diet.

Thanks to the powerful antioxidant, oleocanthal (responsible for the strong, peppery “bite” freshly-pressed olive oil produces when consumed) EVOO also reduces inflammation, one of the root causes of diabetes.

Getting inflammation under control is essential for healing — and reversing — Type 2 and prediabetes. The study mentioned above also found that the olive oil diet lowers C-reactive protein, an indicator of systemic inflammation.

Unfortunately, the olive oil in your supermarket may not be strong enough. EVOO’s inflammation-fighting properties begin to fade after pressing. The longer it sits around, the weaker it gets. (Most supermarket olive oil can be a year old — or older.)

Worse, the olive oil industry is rife with scandals. Because of the premium price it commands, many companies are tempted to fluff up their products with cheaper oils, such as soybean and rapeseed, to their products to maximize profits. Try to find freshly pressed olive oil from a local farm or at your local health food stop.

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See also: Reversing diabetes Type-2

2. Onions

Onions are one of the top food sources for the trace mineral chromium, which produces a powerful benefit on blood glucose levels. Research shows that chromium helps your body use insulin more efficiently, maintains steady blood sugar levels, and reduces the need for diabetes drugs.

Chromium deficiency and diabetes often accompany each other, according to a study published in Diabetes Care. This isn’t surprising when you realize that the symptoms of chromium deficiency (such as out-of-control levels of glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and high cholesterol) resemble those of prediabetes.

A recent study published in Biochemistry shows that chromium is an insulin potentiator, meaning that it makes your insulin more effective. For people with insulin resistance or full-blown diabetes, this is a big benefit because chromium lessens your need for your body’s own insulin (or your insulin dose) to normalize your blood sugar levels.

One cup of raw onion (about ½ cup cooked onion) gives you 24mcg of the government’s “adequate intake” recommendation of 25 — 35mcg of chromium. So sauté up a big batch of onions, add some garlic and herbs, and throw them on salads, toss them in soups and fritattas, and use them to smother a juicy, grass-fed burger.

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