Increased blood sugar levels are common in a majority of the population during these days. This trend can be caused due to a variety of causes including internal and external.
Internal causes happen when your liver produces glucose in excess, the body generates an insufficient amount of insulin; the glucose regulating hormone, and also when the body is unable to use the insulin effectively to regulate the blood sugar levels.
External causes become the most important reason behind the unhealthy glucose levels in the body and they include dietary choices, lack of proper exercise, a sedentary lifestyle, and so on.
However, the most fortunate thing about this condition is that you can still get back the balance with deliberate choices and efforts in your food choices, which we will discuss in this article in detail.
Best Dietary Choices For Blood Sugar Control: Which Are The 7 Super Healthy Foods?
Maintaining a stable lifestyle and a healthy body is a challenge for many people. These are some of the best foods to improve blood sugar that are essential for everyone to eat.
Broccoli
It is commonly known that cruciferous vegetables have the potency to reduce blood sugar levels in vegetables. Broccoli is one of the best cruciferous vegetables that you can consider having daily if you are struggling with increased blood sugar levels.
Apart from that, it is also proven to reduce the oxidative stress related to diabetes. It is always better to have Broccoli raw or lightly steamed.
Seasoning steamed or raw broccoli veggies with mustard powder may also help in increasing the blood sugar-reducing properties of the same. It is the sulforaphane that is found in Broccoli that is responsible for promoting insulin sensitivity in individuals.
Seafood
This is one of the best food items that you can consider including in your daily diet if you would like to control your blood sugar levels. Fishes, especially those that belong to the shellfish category are quite rich in various vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other essential nutrients which make it a perfect food item to curb your blood sugar level.
The high protein content in seafood would also help in increasing the time taken for digestion thereby reducing the sugar levels in blood. This property can also reduce the post-meal spikes of the sugar levels in the blood.
Moreover, high protein content would also help you have a sense of fuller feeling for a longer period of time, preventing you from overeating.
Thus increased blood sugar levels caused by overeating can also be effectively controlled. This would also help in burning out the fat content in the body, thus reducing obesity-caused diabetes.
The best choice would be to go for salmons and sardines which are quite rich in all the essential nutrients required for weight management and diabetes control.
Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds and having pumpkin as a whole can also help in reducing the blood sugar levels in individuals. These food choices are quite rich in fibers and antioxidants, known for their ability to control blood sugar.
Apart from that, the carbs found in this bright orange-colored vegetable are also quite beneficial in reducing the frequent blood sugar spikes. You may have it in various forms such as soups, puddings, sauteed, and so on.
If you prefer pumpkin seeds over the whole pumpkin, the best way is to add them to your smoothies, oatmeal, chia puddings, and so on. The presence of healthy fats and protein in pumpkin again makes it a healthy food choice to regulate the blood sugar in human beings.
Nuts
Most of the people with increased blood sugar would be following a low-carb or carb-controlled dietary pattern. For such people, it would be quite beneficial to have nuts as a part of their daily diet. Having nut butter can also be a healthier choice in this regard.
However, it is quite important to choose healthier nut butter with no refined or added sugar content in them, since this would again contribute to the sugar spikes in individuals. Peanuts and almonds are considered to be the best choices when it comes to effective blood sugar management.
Okra
This is one of the most common vegetables found in almost every Indian household. This particular vegetable is popular for its blood sugar-controlling properties with the presence of flavonoid antioxidants and polysaccharides.
However, it is important to make sure that you are consuming the same along with its seeds since the blood sugar-regulating properties of this vegetable are mostly concentrated in its seeds.
The diabetes-regulating qualities of okra are based on its working mechanism of inhibiting certain enzymes that are responsible for frequent blood sugar spikes.
Flaxseeds
This is one of the ingredients that has been used in various Indian home remedies for health benefits including effective weight and blood sugar management. Apart from that, it is also quite effective to improve digestion and bowel movement in human beings.
It is recommended to have flaxseeds along with curd to have the maximum benefits. You may also add the same to your overnight oatmeal, smoothies, and chia puddings, that you have for breakfast.
The rich fiber and healthy fat content found in flaxseeds may also help you have a lot of other health benefits apart from weight management and blood sugar regulation.
Lentils
This is one of the best and most cost-effective food choices that you can consider including in your diet. It is always better to have them as a combination along with crabs such as white or brown rice.
When consumed along with them, you may get all the essential amino acids and thus your protein intake would be complete. Apart from that, it is the best way you can control your post-meal blood sugar spikes effectively.
Conclusion – Practices And Tips To Improve Blood Sugar
Now you know what to have if you would like to control your blood sugar levels through dietary choices. However, the key is to have more protein-rich food items that are high in fiber content. It is also important to control your sugar intake and reduce the carb intake so that you will not experience any sudden blood sugar spikes.
Apart from that, it is also important to stay hydrated and make it a habit to work out every day to sweat out all the toxins from the body. If you are properly hydrated, you will also be able to flush out the excess glucose from the body and thus maintain a healthy blood sugar level.
Leading a healthy lifestyle requires incorporating these best foods to improve blood sugar levels daily.