These 5 healthy vegetables must be in every diabetic diet plan.
Having a meal plan assigned to you might be one of the most frustrating but necessary things in life that you must follow. And no, meal plans are not wars against flavor. You can still get good and flavorful food, provided you drop some of the most calorie-filled ones.
Pretty sure that as a diabetic, you’re obligated to fill as much as half of your plate with vegetables, and after some time, the dishes might seem a tad too repetitive. To spice things up, we prepared a list of five vegetables that you can include in your diet and are proven to be anti-diabetic.
- Bitter Gourd
This vegetable is famous (or infamous) for its bitter taste and proven track record of helping the body regulate its blood sugar levels. This medicinal quality is due to the presence of polypeptide-p or plant insulin, a compound that naturally lowers blood sugar. This compound, contrary to popular belief, is not found in every plant worldwide, instead, it can only be found in bitter gourd. Grown widely in Southeast Asia and India, bitter gourd belongs to the same plant family as squash, watermelon, and cucumber.
Other than its well-known anti-diabetic effects, this vegetable is also very nutritious. A potent superfood, it only clocks at 17 calories per 100 grams. Bitter gourd is also a rich source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and dietary fiber.
- Carrots
If bitter gourd is for diabetes, then the carrot has always been linked closely with improved eyesight. However, this changed due to the discovery of the ability of beta-carotene to lower the risk for diabetes mellitus by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in California. The scientists also found that the carrot contains health-boosting antioxidants that, together, can help prevent diabetes.
Other than the antioxidants, carrots also have Vitamins A, C, D, E, and K, although it is Vitamin A that is the most dominant. This humble vegetable is also filled with minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and calcium; and a high fiber content.
- Broccoli
Probably the vegetable that most kids hate with a vengeance (together with the fourth entry below), it was only recently that researchers discovered that a chemical in cruciferous vegetables like the broccoli helped lower the glucose levels of diabetic lab rats. The researchers saw a 10% reduction of the overall level of blood sugar in the blood among 97 human volunteers, enough to reduce possible complications in the blood, kidneys, and eyes. Benefiting the most were obese participants with higher baseline glucose levels than normal.
Sulforophane, the chemical compound that the researchers think was responsible, works quite differently from Metformin, the most well-known anti-diabetes medication. The former works in the liver, suppressing the enzymes that stimulate glucose production, whereas the latter makes the cells more sensitive to insulin.
- Asparagus
Another vegetable that kids love to hate, asparagus has also been raised as a possible anti-diabetic weapon by researchers. A new study published by the British Journal of Nutrition states that asparagus aids in preventing diabetes by keeping the body’s blood sugar at normal levels. Furthermore, scientists at Karachi University in Pakistan found out that regular consumption of this vegetable can help keep the body’s blood sugar levels in check and increase the insulin production of the body.
Other than its medicinal quality of regulating blood sugar, asparagus is also known to be one of the few vegetables that contain inulin, a carbohydrate that promotes the growth and activity of friendly bacteria in the intestines. Also, this green vegetable is also tagged as anti-carcinogenic and is an excellent source of folacin, a compound necessary to produce DNA and red blood cells.
- Red Onions
A staple in Southeast Asian cuisine, red onions have been proven to increase a person’s insulin levels. Traditionally, it is also highly recommended as an anti-diabetic herbal medicine in Europe and Asia. Researchers found out in a study that lab rats who were given the strongest does of onion extracts had lower fasting blood sugar levels and cholesterol compares to those who were just given metformin.
Red onions are also fibrous, containing 1.5 grams of fiber. This helps the digestive track move things more efficiently. Furthermore, they also have flavonoids, the same compounds that give them their pigmentation. These can reduce bad cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.
A Balanced Diet Trumps All
Experiment with your meals as much as you like just be sure to remember your own limitations. The vegetables we listed here are just the beginning of a very long list of veggies and greens that you could include in your meal plan. The most important thing is that it should be balanced.
All meal plans, even one clearly dominated by vegetables, should be balanced and should come from your own doctor or nutritionist. Self-medication, most of the time, results to more harm than good. Meal plans are also not just for losing weight but for gaining vitamins and minerals that the doctor and the nutritionist thinks your body needs.
