Sometimes battling blood sugar issues can feel like you’re fighting a losing battle. Days when despite your very best efforts, the numbers on your meter won’t budge. Or worse, they keep rising.
Don’t lose hope; you can get those numbers moving in the right direction again. And it won’t require a complicated, restrictive diet or more risky drugs either.
In fact, making a few small and painless changes could end up having a big impact on your numbers.
Tame your blood sugar with easy as pie trades
Following are four simple food swaps that can lead to better blood sugar all day long.
1. Swap light colored greens for darker ones:
Why it works…
Veggies are great for helping to keep your blood sugar in check. But typically the darker the green the more nutritious it is.
Darker greens, such as spinach, kale and arugula, pack in more vitamins and minerals including three blood-sugar heroes…
- magnesium,
- potassium
- fiber
Studies show that magnesium-rich foods could lower your risk for diabetes. Plus experts say the essential mineral could improve blood sugar.1,2
Low levels of potassium are associated with type 2 diabetes.3.4.5 Plus studies show that low levels of this important mineral can have an impact on how effective your body is at metabolizing sugar.6,7,8
And, of course, fiber is great for helping to prevent blood sugar spikes.9,10
2. Swap white rice for brown:
Why it works…
You should already be limiting your carbohydrates, of course. But there are still times when a meal simply demands a little bit of rice.
When that happens, swapping out nutrition-stripped white rice for healthier brown rice is the way to go.
Brown rice, delivers twice the blood-sugar-friendly fiber. Plus it comes with a fistful of other good-for-you nutrients, including blood-sugar buddies potassium and magnesium.
And with a lower spot on the glycemic index brown rice is far less likely to spike your blood sugar than nutrient-stripped white rice.
Pro tip: If you spot “black rice” in your favorite natural food store, try it. Black rice, which turns a slightly purple color when cooked, contains blood-sugar friendly anthocyanins.
3. Swap your fruit juice for whole fruits:
Why it works…
If you’re still indulging in fruit juice—such as your OJ with breakfast—it’s a good idea to switch to whole fruits instead.
Without the skin, pulp and fiber to slow things down, the fructose in fruit juice can hit your system like a freight train, sending your blood sugar skyrocketing.
4. Swap white potatoes for beans:
Why it works…
If you’re craving a starchy side dish, but you’re trying to watch your blood sugar, beans are a much better choice than white potatoes. They’re high in fiber and protein, they pack in around DOUBLE the blood-sugar balancing potassium, and they’re significantly lower on the glycemic index (depending on the type of bean 50 percent lower or more).
What that means for you and me is that our blood sugar takes less of a hit. Pro tip: Swap out your white potatoes for garbanzo beans and you’ll plummet from around a 100 on the glycemic index down to around 10!
Not sure how to fix your garbanzos? Try this delicious, and fun, recipe…
| Kicky Roasted Chickpeas |
|---|
| This dish isn’t just delicious, it’s versatile too. You can serve Kicky Roasted Chickpeas in place of rice or potatoes with a meal, toss some on top of a salad for extra protein and crunch, or put them into a bowl and snack on them while watching a movie on Netflix. Ingredients: • 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) Directions: *Note: Shake or gently stir the chickpeas periodically as they bake to keep them from getting scorched. |
References:
1. “Magnesium Intake and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Men and Women,” Diabetes Care, January 2004; vol 27: pp 134-140
2. “Oral magnesium supplementation improves glycaemic status in subjects with prediabetes and hypomagnesaemia: A double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial,” Diabetes & Metabolism, June 2015, Volume 41, Issue 3, Pages 202–207
3. “Potassium and risk of Type 2 diabetes,” Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Sep; 6(5): 665–672
4. “Serum and Dietary Potassium and Risk of Incident Type 2 Diabetes: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study,” Arch Intern Med. 2010 Oct 25; 170(19): 1745–1751
5. “Low serum potassium levels and risk of type 2 diabetes: the Toranomon Hospital Health Management Center Study 1 (TOPICS 1),” Diabetologia. 2011 Apr;54(4):762-6. doi: 10.1007/s00125-010-2029-9
6. “Prevention of the glucose intolerance of thiazide diuretics by maintenance of body potassium,” Diabetes. 1983 Feb;32(2):106-11.
7. “Glucose intolerance with hypokalemia. Failure of short-term potassium depletion in normal subjects to reproduce the glucose and insulin abnormalities of clinical hypokalemia,” Diabetes. 1973 Jul;22(7):544-51
8. “Effect of experimental potassium deficiency on glucose and insulin metabolism,” Metabolism. 1980 Jun;29(6):498-502
9. “Carbohydrate Quality, Measured Using Multiple Carbohydrate Quality Metrics, is Negatively Associated with Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in US Women,” Circulation, March 10, 2015, Volume 131, Issue Suppl 1
10. “Dietary Fiber for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus A Meta-analysis,” J Am Board Fam Med. 2012;25(1):16-23
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Good info and to the point. I like being reminded or informed about “why” these recommendations work .