Maintaining your blood sugar level is essential to your overall health and helps prevent or delay serious issues. Potential factors that influence your blood sugar levels include genetics, stress levels, activity, and body weight. However, you can also lower blood sugar levels by adopting a healthy diet. To help you choose the best foods possible to achieve this goal, we have compiled a list of 10+ foods that will lower blood sugar.
Pumpkin
Pumpkins are rich in antioxidants and fiber, making them the perfect choice for the regulation of blood sugar levels. In many countries such as Iran and Mexico, pumpkin has been traditionally used as a diabetes remedy for many years. Yummy pumpkins are packed with polysaccharides, a type of carbohydrate that has long been studied for its potential to regulate sugar levels. Pumpkins are also enriched with protein and healthy fats, making them perfect foods for the management of blood sugar levels.
Seafood
Sulforaphane is a plant chemical with blood sugar-reducing properties produced when broccoli is chewed or chopped. Broccoli extract is rich in sulforaphane and has been shown to possess potent antidiabetic effects in several animal, test-tube, and human studies. These properties help enhance insulin sensitivity and reduce oxidative stress markers. Broccoli sprouts are rich in glucosinolate, compounds that also help promote sensitivity to insulin and reduce blood sugar levels in individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Beans and Lentils
Both lentils and beans are packed with nutrients that can help in bringing down blood sugar levels, such as fiber, protein, and magnesium. They also contain significant quantities of resistant starch and soluble fiber which aid in slowing down digestion and improving postmeal blood sugar response. In a study involving 12 female subjects, it was shown that adding chickpeas or black beans to rice notably reduced blood sugar levels after a meal compared to a meal of rice alone.
Chia Seeds
Consuming chia seeds may help with blood sugar management. According to several studies, eating chia seeds reduces blood sugar levels and improves sensitivity to insulin. A review of several animal studies conducted in 2020 found that consuming chia seeds may reduce the risk of developing certain diseases, including diabetes. A study involving humans revealed that subjects who consumed 25 grams of ground chia seeds along with a sugar solution exhibited a 39% blood sugar level reduction in comparison to subjects who only consumed the sugar solution.
See more on the next page