Best Foods to Eat for Diabetes Prevention and Care

Diabetes is becoming an epidemic for many in America and other countries that eat too many processed foods, but there are many foods that fight the dreaded disease as well.

Everyone craves white sugar, flour, and foods containing unnatural processed ingredients every once in a while because of their pervasiveness in our culture, but the key is to maintain a healthy balance and to keep consuming healthy foods whenever possible.

Diabetes prevention has taken center stage, now it's time to shift the focus to the positive things people can do to stay healthy and to keep this disease out of their lives rather than simply focusing on the negatives.

Here are some of the best foods to help in preventing diabetes:

Garlic- Widely known for its heart-healthy benefits among many others, garlic bulbs and/or extracts in pill form are one of the best health supplements for diabetes prevention and overall health for that matter. Studies have shown that compounds in garlic have decreased fasting blood glucose in diabetic rats.

Onion- Packed with compounds similar to garlic, onion is a great food for diabetes prevention as it has been widely studied for anti-diabetic qualities. One human study showed that onion extract was able to reduce hyperglycemia as well.

Red Cabbage- This vegetable is not consumed in large amounts but it has a wide array of fantastic benefits including the ability to protect against oxidative stress. Diabetes research focused on rats and red cabbage supplementation showed that the kidneys were positively affected and blood glucose levels were lowered, along with renal function restored.

Cucumbers- The popular watery vegetable actually has a ton of nutrients packed inside even though it may seem like it doesn't contain as much as darker vegetables. The cucumber has a hormone used by cells of the pancreas to produce insulin, so it's excellent in keeping your body primed to continue working properly.

Beans and complex grains- With higher fiber, complex carbs and virtually no side effects, beans like garbanzo, green, string, pinto, and more and grains like amaranth, oats, brown rice, and millet are among the best ways to get the good carbs into your diet.

They are also loaded with protein and have been found to be important for the prevention and healing of diabetes, especially since they are a great alternative to breads that are processed and/or contain refined flours. Even many of the so-called healthy breads on store shelves contain diabetes unfriendly ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup so it is a wise idea to eat more beans and unique grains such as these.

Chlorella- This popular dark green algae supplement helps to reduce AGEs, which are produced as toxic substances resulting from consuming refined sugars. The algae also helps to detox heavy metals from the system such as mercury and to repair damaged tissue, all of which contribute to a healthy body to fight diabetes. In addition, it contains gamma linolenic acid which is an essential fatty acid needed by diabetics to maintain proper function.

These are just a handful of some of the best foods for diabetes prevention and care. To sum, the more natural and simple the diet, the more likely a person will be able to stave off diabetes in the face of the epidemic we've seen created by processed foods. Add some of these foods to your diet and you'll feel much better about the next time you slip up and feel guilty for eating a burger and having a shake from a fast-food joint.

Sources: The Tree of Life 21+ Day Program, Gabriel Cousins, MD

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