Know the Foods that Lower Blood Sugar Almonds: High blood sugar levels can increase your risk for insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. Scientists at Purdue University studied the impact of almond consumption on glucose levels in patients with impaired glucose tolerance. They found that participants consuming almonds along with a 75 g carb breakfast lowered their glucose levels after their meal compared with those who didnt have almonds. The findings were published in the January 2011 issue of Nutrition & Metabolism. Lower Blood Sugar With Apple Cider Vinegar: Stir 2 tablespoons of Apple cider vinegar into a glass of water or juice. Drink this right before you go to bed. The Power of Super Food: Chia A Chia Recipe for Your Optimal Health The following recipe is a fantastic way to start the day. Chia Seeds are a super food when it comes to health benefits. Along with balancing your blood sugar, it will keep your blood sugar from spiking throughout the day. Chia is high in fiber, protein, boron and magnesium. Its also great for weight loss, your thyroid (which can affect your pancreas, if its not healthy) and intestinal regularity. You can throw 2 T of Chia in a smoothie but the following recipe makes a fantastic start to your day and takes just minutes to prepare. Chia Seeds are odorless and have no taste so plan on adding nuts and dried fruit to give the following a great flavor! Chia Porridge Pour about 1/2 Cup of boiling water over 2 Tablespoons of Chia Seeds and 2 Tablespoons of Hemp Seeds and let sit for 3-4 minutes. Cloves: Eating a piece of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving may not be so problematic after all, if cloves were used in the baking process. Cloves come from a flower bud of a tropical evergreen tree. Research promotes the use of cloves for patients with diabetes for the glucose-lowering impacts experienced when consuming cloves on a daily basis. When consumed for more than 30 days, according to research published by Dr. Alam Khan in 2006, cloves have the potential to lower an average serum glucose from 225 mg/dl to 150 mg/dl. Aloe vera belongs to the lily family of plants, although it truly resembles a cactus. Aloe vera gel might help to lower blood glucose levels. Aloe vera is believed to contain phytosterol compounds which are otherwise known as plant sterols, that give aloe vera its anti diabetic properties. These compounds are the same ingredients that are added to certain foods such as butter to lower cholesterol levels. A standard dose of aloe vera juice for lowering blood sugar is between 15-30 ml or 50 mg. per day. American ginseng: can help to stabilize blood sugar levels. A recommended dose is 200 mg. in capsule form once a day. Ginseng is known as the feel good herb and can help type II diabetics lower their blood sugar levels. For treating diabetes, American ginseng is useful because it contains something called ginsengosides. This component of ginseng is thought to reduce glucose levels and helps to lower blood sugar. Lower Blood Sugar by Eating Plenty of Celery: celery lowers blood sugarCelery has a very distinct taste. Whenever the crunchy and tender stalks of this vegetable are introduced into a salad, the taste does not go unnoticed no matter how many other ingredients are included. The unique taste of celery comes from the very essential oil that’s responsible for its healthful properties. However, when it comes to nutrition, it does not measure up with other vegetables because it is poor in carbohydrates as well as proteins and it is virtually absent of fat. Celery contains a small amount of glycoquin, which is a substance that mimics the action of insulin; that makes it beneficial in lowering blood sugar levels. Although celery contains some carbohydrates, it is still a food that diabetics can enjoy with moderation. Cinnamon: Researchers are finding that cinnamon reduces blood sugar levels naturally when taken daily. If you absolutely love cinnamon you can sprinkle the recommended six grams of cinnamon on your food throughout the day to achieve the desired effect. If you are not that big a fan of cinnamon there is another alternative…cinnamon capsules. This gives you the recommended cinnamon dose all in one tidy capsule. Two Grams of this Household Spice Lowered Blood Sugar by a Whopping 62 mg/dl Cumin is a popular spice used in Mexican, Indian, and Middle Eastern cooking. Cumin has a few special powers when it comes to your nutritional health. It can stimulate your digestive enzymes and help you to break down nutrients, so they can be used as fuel and other resources by the rest of your body. Cumin seeds are a good source of iron. They are thought to exert an anti-tumor effect against cancer. And now researchers have found that cumin seeds may also have a unique ability to keep blood glucose in check. For their study, the research team investigated the effect of an extract of cumin seeds on diabetes and oxidative stress. (By the way, cumin has other great health properties. See the article, This Spice is a Great Antioxidant.) They also compared results from the cumin extract and a common diabetes drug, glibenclamide. Diabetic rats were given either the cumin seed extract or glibenclamide for 28 days. The researchers found that both treatments caused a reduction in blood glucose, creatinine (a waste molecule that can build up in the kidneys) and blood urea nitrogen. Both treatments also improved insulin and glycogen (liver and skeletal muscle) content when compared to diabetic control rats. When it came to preventing oxidative stress, the cumin seed extract and glibenclamide began to show differences. The cumin seed extract caused a significant reduction in renal oxidative stress compared to the diabetic controls and glibenclamide. The cumin seed extract also improved antioxidant status in the kidney and pancreas of the diabetic rats. Some other interesting changes in the diabetic rats given the cumin extract occurred. Their collagen levels improved, as did their ability to digest proteins. The researchers concluded that a cumin seed extract exerts an antidiabetic effect similar to that of glibenclamide, but that it has a better effect in controlling oxidative stress. Fenugreek seeds: help with lowering blood sugar levels, particularly after meals. The active components of fenugreek are trigonelline, and 4-hydroxyisoleucine. These ingredients seem to have the ability to stimulate insulin directly. This reaction is dependent upon high glucose levels, so it may not act in the same manner in lower blood sugar levels. A normal range for blood sugar is 4-7mmol/l before meals, and lower than 10mmol/l one and a half hours after a meal. A standard dose for treating high blood sugar is between 10 and 15 grams per day divided and taken with meals. Ginger The herb ginger is commonly used as a spice and has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Although its better known for its ability to relieve stomach upset and fight cold symptoms, ginger can also lower blood sugar levels. As a result, if youre taking blood sugar medicines and consuming ginger or taking ginger supplements, your doctor might need to adjust your diabetes medication. Ground flaxseed: has the ability to stabilize blood sugar levels in diabetics. Try to eat two tablespoons on a daily basis. You may add it to cereals, baked goods, blended smoothies, or your oatmeal. Flaxseed works by helping the body to metabolize sugar more effectively. Flax seed is a renowned source of Omega 3, which has a broad range of benefits for diabetics that includes lowering blood sugar levels, regulating metabolic activity, and helping with weight loss, all of which are common concerns relevant to diabetes. Hibiscus Hibiscus tea, made from hibiscus flowers, showed blood sugar and cholesterol lowering properties in a study published in the November 2003 issue of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology. In the study on laboratory animals, hibiscus supplementation for 21 days lowered blood sugar by as much as 46 percent and insulin by 14 percent. The extract also lowered total cholesterol by 22 percent and triglycerides by 30 percent. Of note, hibiscus increased HDL cholesterol, the good form of cholesterol, by 12 percent, whereas the diabetes drug glibenclamide raised HDL levels by 1 percent, in the study. How to Use Onions to Lower Blood Sugar Step 1 Eat more onions. According to the University of Michigan, onions contain a compound called allyl propyl disulphide, or APDS, which seems to stimulate insulin production in the pancreas and thus lower blood sugar. Raw onions seem most effective, so add chopped or sliced raw onions to salads and sandwiches. Step 2 Take an onion powder supplement. If you dont like the smell or taste of onions, an onion powder supplement may be right for you. Onion powder is available in capsule form at health-food or nutrition stores. Step 3 Try onion extract. Onion extract is a liquid used medicinally by adding several drops to food or drink, or taken straight by placing drops under your tongue. Store onion extract in a cool dry place for optimal results. Peanut Butter Eat 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. If you dont want to eat it alone, put it on apple slices. Do not put it on crackers or bread for they are carbohydrates and counterproductive to lowering your blood sugar. This writer ate peanut butter, and it quickly lowered her blood sugar level by at least 40 points. Pistachio Nuts Pistachio nuts are full of healthy fat and fiber, both of which help lower blood glucose levels. In a study published is the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2010, scientists at the University of Toronto discovered that men and women eating a meal containing white bread plus pistachios had lower glucose levels after the meal compared with those eating only white bread. Sage: This herb contains phytosterols reputed to have a cooling action. Herbal medicine practitioners use it to treat uterine bleeding and cramps. A German study on this herb shows that diabetics who drank infusions of sage on an empty stomach reduced their blood sugar levels. It is popularly used to flavor meat and soup dishes and can even be drunk as tea. Turmeric: is a key ingredient in curry powder and contains several active compounds, including curcumin. In an Indian study published in the journal Plant Foods for Human Nutrition in 2002, researchers found that giving turmeric or curcumin to diabetic rats significantly lowered blood glucose levels and glycosylated hemoglobin, which is hemoglobin to which glucose is bound. More human studies are needed, but in the meantime, speak to your doctor about spicing up your meals with turmeric or taking curcumin or turmeric supplements. Unsweetened Green Tea An article suggests that drinking one cup of green tea often lowers blood sugar levels as much as 30 points. Regular black tea is also effective, and white tea helps, too. Green tea supplements also have a positive effect on blood sugar levels. Chromium: To help your body’s cells respond properly to insulin you can use Chromium. There are studies that are finding that people with diabetes have lower Chromium levels that people without the disease. So how do you add Chromium to your diet? Well it is a trace mineral so the best bet it to take a Chromium Picolinate dietary supplement. Zinc: The mineral Zinc plays a huge role in your body’s production and storage of insulin. It is now being brought to light that people with diabetes have a Zinc deficiency. You can go about increasing the Zinc in your diet by either taking a supplement or by eating foods that are high in Zinc. This would include lamb, oysters, pecans, almonds, chicken and sardines. Salacia oblonga: Also something interesting I read about and also heard from someone on a podcast they were taking in Sri Lanka. Salacia oblonga is an herb that’s been used for centuries which is native to regions of India and Sri Lanka, binds to intestinal enzymes that break down carbohydrates in the body. Ohio State University, researchers saw insulin levels drop 23 percent and blood sugar levels drop 29 percent in patients who took a 1,000-mg dose of the herb. Amazing! These are just a few of the natural foods and supplements that will lower your blood sugar level naturally. One thing that is very important is that you keep your health care provider up to date on any supplements that you will be utilizing as a natural way to lower your blood sugar. They will be able to help you safely figure out what does and does not work for you.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 00:37:35 +0000
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