Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated: April 1, 2016, 8:17 AM
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One way to control blood sugar level and keep a tab on diabetes is by controlling your diet. What you eat has a direct relation to your blood sugar level, either raising it or keeping it within its normal range. So, it is important to eat sensibly to keep your blood sugar within the normal range. Here are some foods that might help.
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Bitter gourd: This vegetable is not favourite among many but a must-have for diabetics. It contains hypoglycemic or plant insulin-like substance that helps to lower blood sugar levels and also urine sugar levels. Continuous consumption can help a diabetic keep the levels within the normal range.
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Amla or Indian gooseberries: They are rich in Vitamin C, in fact, one small amla has as much of vitamin C as that of two oranges. They are also rich in phenolic compounds like flavones and anthocyanins that have strong antioxidant properties. When consumed regularly in the form of powder, juice or eaten raw, they are believed to stimulate the islets of Langerhans, that is, the isolated group of cells that secrete the hormone insulin in the pancreas.
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Jamun: This is an excellent home remedy for diabetics. The fruit and the seed both help to control diabetes. The fruit, when consumed, helps to prevent faster conversion of starch into sugar to keep a tab on glucose production.
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Fenugreek seeds or methi: For ages, fenugreek has been thought to be an excellent home remedy for diabetics. The seeds when consumed (soak a few seeds in a glass of water overnight and drink them daily) can help reduce glucose, serum cholesterol and triglycerides, thereby keeping one safe from diabetes and related ailments.
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Grapefruit: This fruit has low GI that helps in increasing insulin sensitivity due to a flavonoid called naringenin present in it. Even if you are not diabetic, eating grapefruit can help prevent the onset as you age.
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Bengal gram: Water extract of Bengal gram works as an excellent remedy for diabetics. In fact, even including the gram in the form of gravies can improve fasting blood sugar levels, glucose tolerance, urinary excretion of sugar and general condition.
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Mango leaves: While mango is thought to be a controversial fruit for diabetics, its leaves come with certain medicinal properties that do wonders for one suffering from diabetes. Choose tender mango leaves, crush them and make an infusion with warm water and drink it to lower your blood sugar levels.
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Okra: Being rich in fibre and certain enzymes that help to metabolise carbohydrates, it reduces intestinal absorption of glucose and improves insulin production. Sure, this is a wonder vegetable for diabetics.
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Cucumber: Apart from helping you cool-down; the vegetable also helps to control your blood sugar levels. It is supposed to be low on Glycemic index and helps to improve insulin production by the beta cells of the pancreas.
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Onion: Onions have anti-diabetic properties that help to fight both diabetic type I and type II. Due to their hypoglycemic properties, they help keep blood sugar under control and also improve glucose tolerance.
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Garlic: Eating two to three cloves of garlic per day can not only help control diabetes but even lower your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The component allicin present in garlic helps to raise serum insulin level and better absorption of glucose, therefore lowering blood sugar level.
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Cabbage: Cabbage also has a lot of antioxidants and antihyperglycemic properties that make it a medicine for diabetes. In a study done on rats in 2008, cabbage extracts fed to them for 60 days lowered blood sugar levels and also helped to control fluctuations and keep the readings in the safe range.
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Broccoli: Certain chemicals in broccoli may help prevent damage caused to the blood vessels due to diabetes. Alternatively, sulforaphane in broccoli may activate protective enzymes that limit this type of cell damage.
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Peppers: Since peppers are packed with fiber and are relatively low in calories and carbohydrates, they are an excellent choice on a diabetes diet.
