You can easily learn how to reverse diabetes naturally and achieve this ultimate goal by simply adding the right foods to your diet. Although this might sound hard at first, it gets easier as the routine becomes a habit.
However, it is vital to remember following a diabetes diet is what enables you to get back to living your normal life. You can be in total control of diabetes and also feel good by introducing some foods to your diet. High-nutrient, low GL (glycemic load) foods are optimal for diabetics and they also help you achieve remarkable results by increasing your weight loss.
Foods to Reverse Diabetes
Green vegetables
Nutrient-dense green vegetables including cruciferous vegetables and leafy greens are the most important foods you should focus on in order to reverse diabetes. Higher consumption of green vegetables among diabetics is associated with lower hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels.
Non-starchy vegetables
Non-starchy, non-green vegetables like onions, mushrooms, eggplant, garlic, and peppers are essential components of your diabetes reversal diet. Besides having almost nonexistent effects on the blood sugar level of diabetics, they are packed with phytochemicals and fiber.
Beans
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Beans and legumes such as lentils are the ideal sources of carbohydrates for diabetics. Beans have a low glycemic value load due to their abundant fiber, moderate protein, and resistant carbohydrates, starch that is not digested in the small intestine.
Therefore, the number of calories absorbed from the beans is greatly reduced. Moreover, the resistant starch is converted to alcohol and organic acids that protect against cancer of the colon.
Consumption of beans and legumes is associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer and diabetes.
Seeds and nuts
Besides being low in GL, nuts promote weight loss and also have an anti-inflammatory effect that prevents the development of insulin resistance. According to The Nurses’ Health study, eating at least five servings of nuts per week reduces the risk of diabetes by 27%. Eating the same quantity per week reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke among diabetics by 47%.
5. Fresh fruits
Fruits are rich in antioxidants and fiber and are a great nutrient-dense choice for satisfying your sweet cravings. Diabetics should eat at least 3 servings of low-sugar fresh fruits such as kiwi, melon, oranges, and berries each day in order to minimize glycemic effects.
Nutritional Guide to assist you with Planning Your Diabetes Diet
Vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, sweet potato, artichokes, kale, green beans, and squash.
Fruits: Pears, peaches, kiwifruit, bananas, oranges, grapes, and the entire berry family.
Whole grains: Whole grain pasta, brown rice, oats, millet, barley, rye, bran cereal, bulgur wheat, couscous, oats, and pumpernickel bread.
Pulses: such as soya beans, baked beans, chickpeas, split peas, lentils, peas, kidney beans, and low-fat soya products.
Always choose foods that have a low glycemic load when making your selections, avoid all animal products, keep the consumption of vegetable oils to a minimum, and choose foods that come from natural plant sources.
Understanding how to reverse diabetes and applying these guidelines when creating your diabetes diet will deliver amazing results and even enable you to eliminate the use of medications for good.
If you find yourself in the pre-diabetes category, (which is basically, higher than normal blood glucose levels, but not high enough to be classed as Diabetes type 2), and want to clean up your type 11 diabetes diet, you are going to have to make some pretty serious changes in your life to prevent the condition from blowing out into full diabetes. I am very much into healing the body with natural remedies, diet and regular exercise so today I’m going to share my “9 top Superfoods” that you should try and include into your diabetes diet on a regular basis, to get you well on the way to a healthier you!
BLUEBERRIES
Blueberries are one of my favorites – they are one of the few foods that are naturally colored blue! They are high in vitamin K and vitamin C, fiber and manganese (vital for maintaining healthy bones and skin)
Blueberries are also high in antioxidants, and studies have shown that they may help reduce the risks of cancers, depression and anxiety – great addition to your type 11 diabetic diet.
1 cup of blueberries is equal to:
1.1 gram protein
0.5gram total fat
0.0 saturated fat
21.5grams carbs
3.6 grams fiber
And only 84 CALORIES
2. ROLLED OATS
This is my favorite breakfast cereal! – especially in the colder months. It’s full of soluble fiber, which slows down the absorption of glucose and as a result, helps with keeping your blood sugar levels under control. Evidence from a review published in ‘Nutrition Reviews’ showed oats to help reduce cholesterol and has good antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects. It’s also a great source of manganese, protein, thiamine, iron, copper and zinc…..and potassium! So much goodness!
½ cup of oats is equal to:
5.3 grams protein
2.6 grams total fat
0.5 grams saturated fat
27.4 grams carbs
4.1 grams fiber
And only 153 CALORIES
3. ALMONDS
Almonds are a great snack between meals, if you are desperate for one! Make sure you eat the unsalted, raw nut. Almonds are high in vitamin E, protein, fiber, manganese, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, niacin, calcium…the list goes on! Almonds also improve blood lipid levels (that’s blood fat levels). Don’t go wild…just a small handful for a snack is perfect! Awesome addition to your Type 11 diabetic diet plan.
1 ounce is equal to:
6.3 grams protein
15 grams total fat
1.2 grams saturated fat
5.5 grams carbs
3.3 grams fiber
And only 169 CALORIES
4. NON FAT YOGURT
Nonfat yogurt, is an essential part of anyone’s diet – more so for people following a type 2 diabetes diet. In a recent 11 year study in the eastern country of Norfolk, results concluded that people who included nonfat yogurts and low fat cottage cheese, were 24% less likely to develop diabetes, compared to the people who didn’t.
I love the Greek yogurt – it’s actually more beneficial to your health than some of the other brands, as it has twice as much protein. Whichever you prefer, just make sure that it states it contains ‘live cultures’.
There are many health benefits of non or low fat yogurt – many of them are related to the GIT (gastrointestinal tract) in particular, the colon. Yogurt is a high in B6, B12, protein, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, contains the friendly bacteria (probiotics) and once again, the list goes on!
1 cup is equal to:
12.9 grams protein
3.8 grams total fat
2.5 grams saturated fat
17.3 grams carbs
0.0 grams fiber
And only 154 CALORIES
5. QUINOA (pronounced keen-wa)
I love quinoa! It’s so versatile. I make salads with it, use it in place of rice when making curries and stews. It’s gluten free, so that’s a plus with all the gluten intolerance around these days. Makes a great breakfast, sprinkled with ground cinnamon, or stewed blueberries. It contains a great source of B6, Protein, fiber, Manganese, Magnesium, Phosphorus, copper, iron and zinc (just to name a few!)
1 cup is equal to:
8.1 grams protein
3.6 grams total fa
0.0 grams saturated fat
39.4 grams carbs
5.2 grams fiber
And only 222 CALORIES
6.FISH
Fresh fish have loads of great health benefits especially for diabetics, however the oily fish is the most beneficial, (like mackerel, salmon, pilchards and sardines) are so rich in omega-3 fatty acids. When cooking with sardines and pilchards, I buy the canned ones, generally combine them with some mashed sweet potato and finely chopped onion and garlic, 1 lightly beaten egg and heaps of fresh herbs (I put fresh herbs in almost everything I make!) They’re even great cold, for lunch the next day.
Oily fish is an excellent source of B6, B12, E, C, protein, niacin, thiamine, selenium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, riboflavin, and of course, omega 3.
I’ll use pilchards as an example:
3.75oz / 92 grams is equal to:
19.1 grams protein
9.6 grams total fat
2.1 grams saturated fat
0.0 grams carbs
0.0 grams fiber
And only 168 CALORIES
7. KALE
Surely we’ve all heard of Kale by now – it’s everywhere! It contains twice as many antioxidants as any other green leafy vegies. This is one reason why Kale is known to be effective in helping prevent cancer and heart disease.
Kale also has a high level of lutein and zeaxanthin which has been associated with helping prevent diseases of the eyes, such as cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Another plus for Kale, is it’s high level of sulphoraphane, confirmed by a 2012 study in Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry showing kale reduces the growth of colon cancer cells!
1 cup is equal to:
2.5 grams protein
0.5 grams total fat
0.1 grams saturated fat
7.3 grams carbs
2.6 grams fiber
And only 36 CALORIES!
8. BEANS
Beans are a great, cheap food to include in a type 11 diabetes diet, that can be added to so many dishes, quite simply! They are Low GI (glycemic index), they contain a high level of high quality carbohydrates, protein and soluble fiber and are excellent for helping to stabilize blood glucose levels.
You can purchase canned beans, chick peas, soya beans etc for convenience, or you can purchase the dry variety from a health food store or drugstore and start from scratch. It requires soaking overnight or at least 5 hours, so you need to be a little more prepared.
To be honest, I tend to go for the canned varieties of beans – as I’m usually pushed for time. Canned beans, still hold all their nutrients, however they may contain additional sodium or salt, so you must be aware of that if you are also following a low sodium diet.
I’ll use cooked black beans as an example
1 cup is equal to:
15.2 grams protein
0.9 grams total fat
0.0 grams saturated fat
40.8 grams carbs
15.0 grams fiber
And only 227 CALORIES
9. AVOCADO
Wow! How would I cope without avocados in my life! I find myself preparing them for one thing or another, every single day! Dips – salads – my favorite raw avocado chocolate pie! (Yum) Among others benefits, avocados are an excellent source of Vitamin B6, E, K, C, fiber Potassium, Manganese, copper, magnesium. They are stacked full of antioxidants, healthy fatty acids and have definite anticancer properties, especially concerning the prostate. Great addition to your Type 2 diabetes diet menu!
Beans and legumes such as lentils are the ideal sources of carbohydrates for diabetics. Beans have a low glycemic value load due to their abundant fiber, moderate protein, and resistant carbohydrates, starch that is not digested in the small intestine.
Always choose foods that have a low glycemic load when making your selections, avoid all animal products, keep the consumption of vegetable oils to a minimum, and choose foods that come from natural plant sources.
