While high blood sugar is the characteristic symptom ofdiabetes, your blood sugar can also be high even if you don’t have the condition. To avoid making high blood sugar worse, it is important to make good dietary choices and choose foods that can help you regulate your blood sugar.
Verywell / Danie Drankwalter
Fiber-Rich Foods
Broccoli or Broccoli Sprouts
Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli also contain glucosinolates, sulfur, and nitrogen compounds that can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce glucose levels in the blood.
Type 2 Diabetes Diet
Beans or Lentils
Legumes such as beans and lentils contain soluble fiber and resistant starch, which are digested much more slowly than simple carbohydrates and glucose molecules. Because soluble fiber is broken down at a slower rate, it helps reduce the rate of stomach emptying, increasing feelings of fullness and preventing spikes in blood sugar.
Citrus Fruits
While citrus fruits contain sugar, they do not raise blood sugar as much as other sugar-containing foods or simple carbohydrates because of their high fiber content in the skin and pulp. Because fiber slows down digestion, blood sugar stays stable, as sugar does not enter the bloodstream as quickly and the rate of sugar absorption is slowed down. This helps improve glycemic control and regulation of insulin release to keep blood sugar levels regulated.
Citrus fruits, especially grapefruit, also contain naringenin, a polyphenol that has antioxidant effects to regulate enzymes and decrease inflammation and oxidative stress, which have a negative impact on blood sugar regulation and insulin resistance.
Elevated levels oftumor necrosis factor, an inflammatory protein, is associated with insulin resistance, and naringenin has been shown to decrease the effects of tumor necrosis factor on cellular functions.
Naringenin also helps stimulate enzymes that increase the uptake of glucose into muscles and promotes the glucose-sensing ability of cells in thepancreasto be able to release insulin in response to elevated blood glucose levels.
Flax Seeds
Clinical research supports that daily consumption of 30 grams of flaxseed in yogurt over the course of eight weeks may help lower hemoglobinA1C levels. Hemoglobin A1C is a measurement that indicates the average blood glucose level over the last two to three months.
Healthy Fats
Fatty Fish
Consuming fatty fish can help lower inflammation throughout the body through the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids. Decreased inflammation and oxidative stress help prevent disruption in blood sugar levels and insulin resistance.
Clinical research provides evidence that supports eight weeks of consuming 150 grams of salmon, a fatty fish, compared to cod, a lean fish, five times a week results in decreased blood sugar levels. It is suggested that the healthy fat content helps enhance sensitivity to insulin after a meal, increasing the release of insulin and helping uptake glucose from the bloodstream to stabilize blood sugar levels.
Nut Butter or Nuts
Tree nuts are also a rich source of magnesium, a mineral that helps regulate the ability of insulin to uptake glucose from the bloodstream to decrease blood sugar.
Avocados
Avocados are a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids similar to tree nuts, like almonds and walnuts, and have similar benefits of improving insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake to lower blood sugar levels. Also like tree nuts, avocados are rich in magnesium, which can also help regulate insulin and glucose uptake to lower blood sugar.
Clinical evidence suggests that incorporating either a half or full avocado into a meal can significantly decrease blood sugar spikes and overall blood sugar concentrations over the course of six hours after eating.
Eggs
Eggs, especially egg yolks, are a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. They can help decrease inflammation throughout the body and disruptions to glucose metabolism.
Foods With Probiotics
Fermented Foods
Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, fermented cabbage, or fermented seaweed can help regulate blood sugar levels through the beneficial effects of probiotics. Probiotics are healthy bacteria that, when consumed, can help restore levels and functioning of the natural bacteria within the gut.
Certain foods alter the structure and activity of gut bacteria. This results in chronic inflammation and metabolism dysfunction and increases the risk of developing obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.
Consuming kimchi has also been shown to help lower hemoglobin A1C levels and decrease maximum peak glucose levels in patients with diabetes.
Kefir and Yogurt
Yogurt and kefir, a fermented milk product, are also good sources of gut-healthy probiotic bacteria. Specific strains of bacteria such asLactobacillusandBifidobacteriumare the most common probiotic bacteria used in food such as fermented dairy products and can help decrease blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes. It is suggested that the probiotic bacteria can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress to prevent insulin resistance and produce polypeptide compounds that help increase the uptake of glucose into muscles.
A clinical trial investigating the effects of daily kefir consumption on blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes found beneficial effects in reducing hemoglobin A1C levels.
Further clinical research suggests that daily consumption of 150 grams of yogurt over the course of four weeks can lower blood glucose levels after eating and regulates the insulin response.
Summary
Some foods like those rich in fiber, beneficial fatty acids like omega-3, and probiotics can help you lower your blood sugar levels. Eating a balanced and healthy diet is the easiest way to manage your blood glucose and keep it stable.
A Word From Verywell
Limiting your intake of sugar and simple carbohydrate foods and eating more foods rich in fiber, healthy fats, and probiotics can all help balance blood sugar levels and improve your body’s response to insulin.
Before starting any new dietary program, consult with your healthcare provider to make sure any changes you make to your diet are done safely.
16 Sources
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