The basic guideline for type 2 diabetic diet

Trying to manage your blood sugar levels? Take a look at these basic guidelines for type 2 diabetic diet:

Reduce Carb Intake

An over-abundance of carbohydrates is what makes our cells insulin resistant. If you focus on eating the right types of carbs, you won’t have to monitor your carb count so closely.

Get Plenty Of Fiber

When you eat a carbohydrate that has lots of fiber in it, like a sweet potato, the fiber slows down the sugar that’s released into your system, helping stabilize your blood sugar. If you can’t get the fiber in your food, you can take fiber supplements to get enough energy and control the type 2 diabetes.

Eat a protein with a carb

When you eat protein with a carb it also slows the way sugar is released into your bloodstream. This way proteins in your diet will help you manage blood sugar levels.

Boil, Broil, Grill, Or Bake

There are two problems with frying: one is that fried food is often breaded, adding carbs. The other problem is that food is often fried in oil that is saturated fat and/or trans-fat, neither of which are good for you.

Stick To Whole Foods

Whole foods are those that are not processed. It’s hard to go wrong when you eat food the way God made it! Just eat it in moderation!

Practice Portion Control

Consciously scale down the amount of food you put on your plate. Resist going back for seconds.

Right Foods for Type 2 Diabetic Diet

Research shows there are many natural foods that can help improve blood sugar control. Learn what foods can help manage type 2 diabetes, rather than just what to avoid:

Almonds

Clinical trials have shown that restoring low magnesium significantly improves insulin response and reduces blood sugar levels. Almonds are among the best sources of magnesium in the human diet.

Dark Chocolate

Current human studies suggest that cocoa helps to improve insulin sensitivity, particularly for diabetics. Your chocolate must be really dark though, typically shown on the label as 85% cocoa or more to be included in type 2 diabetic diet.

Coffee

Large observational studies have found those who drink more coffee appear to have a lower type 2 diabetes risk, ranging from 11% up to 40%.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Research has shown vinegar can reduce glucose uptake into the bloodstream by as much as 34%. It seems to have quite an immediate impact, improving insulin sensitivity during a high-carb meal by 19-34% and minimizing any glucose or insulin spikes.

Resistant Starch

Some studies note a 33-50% improvement in insulin sensitivity after 4 weeks of adding resistant starch to their type 2 diabetic diet. That is equal to what you would see if you lost around 10% bodyweight.

Cinnamon

Certain compounds in cinnamon interfere with digestive enzymes, which slows glucose absorption. One laboratory study found cinnamon improves the effectiveness of insulin by more than 20-fold.

Green Tea

The main active ingredient in green tea is its polyphenols, which are thought to influence glucose metabolism. A review of 7 large studies found that green tea drinkers had an 18% lower risk of becoming diabetic.

Fenugreek

A study on 25 type 2 diabetics found 1g of fenugreek extract daily increased insulin sensitivity by 53%. Significant improvements to blood sugar control have also been seen in type 1 diabetics.

You might also be interested in: Foods to avoid with diabetes and their healthy alternatives