According to the World Diabetes Federation Some 80% of Type 2 diabetes is preventable by improving the living environment. This includes dietary changes and increased physical activity.
If you are diabetic, it is essential that you understand that any time you make changes to your diet, that you should test your blood sugar in tandem in order to gauge the effects of those changes. It is advisable to your consult your pysician before making drastic dietary changes. Check your blood sugar regularly in order to get a feel as to what works and which foods help you achieve the best possible control of your blood sugar.
If there is some food that your are skeptical about, test your blood sugar and see if it worked. As long as you follow the rules that you have learned about portion sizes, total carb exchanges per meal or snack, and as long as you use whole foods within the guidelines your doctor or diabetic counselor has given you, you can experiment with types of foods to see which ones give you the best overall blood sugar control.
Cinnamon
An intake of half a teaspoon of cinnamon twice a day has the potential to reduce blood sugar by as much as 50 points. The genesis of prescribing
cinnamon for diabetes started with a study conducted by Richard Anderson, at the Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland, a branch of the U.S department of agriculture. They discovered that apple pie was one of the foods that were able to boost the efficiency of insulin in type 2
diabetics. Further analysis revealed that cinnamon, a common ingredient in apple pie was responsible. The most active ingredient in cinnamon is methylhydroxy chalcone polymer which helps convert glucose to energy.
Bitter Gourd or Bitter Melon
Bitter Gourd (referred to as plant insulin) improves the body glucose tolerance. The recommended dose is 2 ounce twice per pay between meals. It can be cooked or taken in powered forms. Bitter Melon is approved by the Dept. of Health in the Philipines as one of the foremost herbal medicines for diabetes blood sugar control.
Chromium
Helps cells to respond better to naturally produce insulin. Rich sources of chromium: seeds, whole grains, mushrooms..
Magnesium
Eating more whole grains and low-fat dairy foods rich in magnesiumalso reduced the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. Magnesium-rich foods include whole grains, vegetables, cereals, and milk.
Banaba
Referred to as a botanical insulin, it helps to lower blood sugar and acts as a glucose vehicle in the blood stream.
Milk Thistle, Silybum marianum (silymarin)
The herbal medicine extracted from seeds of the Milk Thistle, Silybum marianum (silymarin) is known to have antioxidant properties and research published this week in Phytotherapy Research shows that this extract can help people significantly lower the amount of sugar bound to haemoglobin in blood, as well as reducing fasting blood sugar levels. Silymarin contains a number of active constituents called flavolignans which are also used to help protect the liver from poisoning.
Gymnema Sylvestre
It reduces insulin resistance by increasing cell permatibility. It is recommended that people with diabetes should take 4 grams per day of this ayurvedic herb. A Harvard study concluded that it did not only reduce blood sugar in type two but type one diabetics as well. Gymnema Sylvestre is made out of a herbal plant known as ‘Masbedda’ in Sri Lanka. It has powerful medical characteristics for the cure of diabetes. The herbal preparation now market is now in dried powered form and could be dissolved in hot water and could be taken instead of tea.
Huckleberry
Improves circulation in the capillaries in the hands and feet and improves digestion and immune systems
Zinc
It is essential for the pancreas to produce insulin and makes insulin work effectively. It also helps in fortifying the insulin receptor cells. When zinc is low, the pancreas does not create sufficient insulin, thus high glucose levels
Ginkgo Biloba
An extremely effective herb used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and derived from one of the oldest trees on earth. Studies indicate that Ginkgo biloba has a beneficial effect on peripheral and cerebral circulation and can therefore help to prevent the tissue damage and poor circulation associated with diabetes. It is also suggested that Ginkgo biloba can increase blood flow to the optic fibres of the eyes and therefore help to treat diabetes-related eye disease.
Other Diabetes Herbs
Indian blackberry seeds, fenugreek, neem seeds, turmeric, mustard seeds, gooseberry, jeerakam cumin seeds, bacopa monnieri
Vitamin B complex
Vitamins of the B group are valuable in the treatment of diabetes. However, large dosages of Vitamin B should be avoided as it can interfere with the absorption of Insulin by cells. Despite an adequate intake of these vitamins, diabetics often have abnormally small amounts of vitamin B in their blood because of high urinary loss of exhibit symptoms of vitamin B deficiency. Marked clinical improvement has been reported in patients of diabetes with only 16000 units of daily supplements of vitamin B complex. Because these vitamins help reduce blood fat and cholesterol, they should be generously supplied at all times. According to experts, one small risk associated with a vegan diet is a lack of vitamin B12, so diabetics considering a vegetable diet should supplemented their diet with B12 vitamins.
Australia--Research on B vitamins and children with diabetes type 1 has revealed supplementation can normalize endothelial function, a precursor of vascular disease, which begins early in juvenile diabetes and is associated with foliate status. Thiamine or Vitamin B1
Diabetic diet inadequate in vitamin B1, often leads to the development of neuritis, which is relieved as soon as large amounts of this vitamin are given. Vitamin B1 is particularly essential in preventing brain dysfunction during diabetic acidosis. The greater the need for insulin the higher the intake of vitamin B1, pantothenic acid or vitamin B12 and biotin or vitamin B8 should be. The primary natural vegetable sources of thiamine are dark green leafy vegetables, banana and apple wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, the outer layers of rice, wheat and other whole grain cereals, pulses, nuts, peas, lime, legumes, .
Vitamin B12 (Pantothenic acid) is essential for the body to release energy from proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. It also plays an important role in developing the central nervous system and cell building. Stay healthy and keep your blood sugar at bay by eating essential foods rich in Vitamin B12 such as sweet potato, mushroom, yogurt, avocado, lobsters, and organ meats
Pyridoxine or Vitamin B6
B6 is essential for the functioning of the immune system and in enabling the body to make use of carbohydrates (sugar) and fats. When diet is low in vitamin B6 or pyridoxine, an essential amino acid tryptophan, is converted into a substance known as xanthurenic acid. It is revealed in laboratory experiments that xanthurenic acid has a negative effect on essential pancreatic functions. In addition, Foliate and vitamin B6 normalized endothelial dysfunction in children with type 1 diabetes.
Diabetics who have been given 50 mg of vitamin B6 daily have shown a rapid and marked decrease in urinary xanthurenic acid. In a particular incident, the quantity dropped almost 97 percent the first day. Total absence of urinary xanthurenic acid amongst those who continued with a daily dosage of 10 to 20 mg of this vitamin indicated that none was being formed in the body. Diabetics are thus greatly helped by a liberal intake of vitamin B6. Keep your body healthy by eating fortified cereals, poultry, some vegetables and fruits, soybeans, wheat germ, and fish - essential foods rich in Vitamin B6.
Biotin
According to techmedia Biotin is needed to process glucose. In addition a study showed that Type 1 diabetics given 16mgs of Biotin for one week cut their fasting glucose by 50%.
Vitamin A
A compound of vitamin A called topical Retin-A also known as tretinoin, mainly used to treat acne problems, enhances the healing of foot ulcers in patients with diabetes, according to a report of the Archives of Dermatology
