There are certain foods that you can add to your diet to help promote better blood glucose control and keep your numbers in optimal range. Some of these foods are high in fiber, others though have certain compounds that are more extraordinary. Here are a few spices that have been shown in studies to help reduce glucose numbers. If you haven’t tried incorporating any of these into your diet yet, now may be the time to do so.
Cinnamon
As discussed in our slideshow, Two Foods That Can Lower Your Blood Sugar, cinnamon is a great spice for blood glucose. By adding it to food you’re already eating you can reduce the increase in glucose from that food. It’s been shown in studies that the active component in cinnamon, cinnamaldehyde promotes insulin release, enhances insulin sensitivity, and increases insulin disposal.(1)Â Cinnamon may also have a beneficial effect on lowering fasting blood glucose.(2) Although the availability of cinnamon supplements makes it a tempting choice, the actual spice is better. Cinnamon can be added to yogurt, smoothies, cereal, oatmeal, or even a dash in your coffee. Another easy low-carb dessert would be to take your low-fat ricotta cheese, add a dash of cinnamon and some sugar substitute and you have yourself a delicious, high-protein, cannoli mix.
There are certain foods that you can add to your diet to help promote better blood glucose control and keep your numbers in optimal range. Some of these foods are high in fiber, others though have certain compounds that are more extraordinary. Here are a few spices that have been shown in studies to help reduce glucose numbers. If you haven’t tried incorporating any of these into your diet yet, now may be the time to do so.
Fenugreek
Fenugreek is of Asian origin, an aromatic plant traditionally used in curries and other Indian recipes. Fenugreek seeds are the part of the plant that has been studied for use as a blood glucose lowering food. The seeds are naturally high in fiber and help to reduce the absorption of carbohydrates. In addition to lowering glucose, fenugreek seeds have been shown to reduce total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides. (3) There are many traditional Indian recipes including curries that include Fenugreek which you can find in the DiabetesCare.net Recipe Center. If you haven’t tried this type of cusine before, they are delicious and many are or can be made nutritious.
There are certain foods that you can add to your diet to help promote better blood glucose control and keep your numbers in optimal range. Some of these foods are high in fiber, others though have certain compounds that are more extraordinary. Here are a few spices that have been shown in studies to help reduce glucose numbers. If you haven’t tried incorporating any of these into your diet yet, now may be the time to do so.
Garlic
Although garlic isn’t technically a spice, we included it because of the many versatile things you can do with it along with its blood glucose lowering abilities. A study was done with diabetic rabbits, and their blood glucose levels were significantly lowered after being fed garlic extract. (4) Garlic can be used in a variety of dishes, soups, appetizers and many more. Try adding it to many of your Italian, Indian, or American style foods. You can cook garlic into meats, with vegetables, or roast it along with other foods.
There are certain foods that you can add to your diet to help promote better blood glucose control and keep your numbers in optimal range. Some of these foods are high in fiber, others though have certain compounds that are more extraordinary. Here are a few spices that have been shown in studies to help reduce glucose numbers. If you haven’t tried incorporating any of these into your diet yet, now may be the time to do so.
Other Herbs & Spices
Although this list is short, and there aren’t studies on every herb and spice on lowering blood glucose, we encourage you to test out new spices and herbs in foods you eat or would be adventurous enough to try. You won’t know the effect these foods have on you until you test your glucose after your meals. Remember to check with your healthcare team to determine whether certain foods are okay to add to your diet. You need to be sure your medication won’t have any reaction to these new foods.
