16 Medically Approved Vegetables for Diabetic Patients

  16 medically approved vegetables for diabetic patients

Introduction

This article/blog is intended to help millions of type 2-diabetic patients world wide. In this article/blog you will be able to know about some useful and medically proven/selected vegetables that are good for diabetic patients. Diabetic patients are required to be a little cautious while eating vegetables and other foods. This article/blog is specifically designed to discuss some easily available vegetables that are good for diabetic patients. So let us first try to understand and know about diabetes, type 2-diabetes and how to regulate and maintain type 2-diabetes by consuming medically selected vegetables.

Diabetes

·       Diabetes is also called diabetes mellitus.

·       Diabetes refers to a chronic (long-lasting) disease that occurs either when the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.

Type 2-diabetes

·       Type 2-diabetes refers to a long-term (chronic) medical health condition in which your body doesn’t use insulin properly resulting in too much sugar circulating in the bloodstream.

·       Type 2-diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent, or adult-onset) results due to the body’s ineffective use of insulin.

·       Type 2-diabetes is the most common type of diabetes.

·       More than 95% of people with diabetes have type 2-diabetes.

Insulin

Insulin molecules

·       Insulin refers to a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets.

·       Insulin regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and protein by promoting the absorption of glucose from the blood into liver, fat, and skeletal muscle cells.

·       Insulin is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body.

Necessary and sufficient conditions or parameters that decide that a particular vegetable is deemed fit/good for diabetic patients are:

·       Vegetables should have low-carb content

·       High fiber content

·       Low starchy vegetables

·       Good amounts of proteins and minerals

·       Low Glycemic index (GI) vegetables

·       High nitrate content vegetables

·       Vegetables rich in vitamins and minerals

·       Vegetables rich in antioxidants

Low-carb content/diet

·       Low-carb content/diet refers to under 150-20 grams of carbs per day.

·       A low-carb content/diet means to limit carbohydrates (found in grains, starchy vegetables and fruits) and emphasize on foods high in protein and fat.

Glycemic index (GI)

·       Glycemic index (GI) refers to a system of assigning a number to carbohydrate-containing foods according to how much each food increases blood sugar.

·       Glycemic index (GI) is a number from 0 to 100 assigned to a food, which represents the relative rise in the blood glucose level two hours after consuming that food.

Antioxidants

·       Antioxidant refers to a substance that protects cells from the damage caused by free radicals (unstable molecules made by the process of oxidation during normal metabolism).

·       Antioxidants include vitamin C and E, selenium, and carotenoids (beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin).

16 well identified and medically approved vegetables good for diabetic patients are:

Beans

·       Beans are low starchy vegetables

·   Beans are rich in protein and vitamins

·   Beans are low on the GI

·       Beans are high in fiber and take long time to digest

·   Beans help to stabilize blood sugar and reduce the risk of disease

·   Kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, and garbanzo beans are good for blood glucose control

·   Beans are diabetes super food

Bitter gourd

·       Bitter gourd is also called bitter melon.

·       Bitter gourd helps in lowering the body’s blood sugar.

·       Bitter gourd has properties that act like insulin (p-insulin), which helps bring glucose into the cells for energy and control diabetes naturally.

·       Bitter gourd helps your cells to use glucose and move it to your liver, muscles, and fat.

Brinjal

·   Brinjal is also called eggplant.

·   Brinjal is high in fiber content.

·       Brinjal shows low insoluble carbohydrates.

·       Brinjal contains alpha-glucosidase that helps in controlling blood glucose level.

Broccoli

·   Broccoli is a diabetes-friendly vegetable.

·   Broccoli is low in starch.

·       Broccoli helps to promote insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar levels in people with type 2-diabetes.

Cabbage

·       Cabbage is a diabetes-friendly vegetable.

·       Cabbage is low in starch.

·       Cabbage is low in calories and high in fiber content.

·   Cabbage is low in GI

Carrot

·   Carrot is non-starchy.

·   Carrots are low in calories, rich in vitamin A, and high in fiber, which helps manage blood glucose levels and reverse insulin resistance.

·   Carrots have a low GI score of 55.

·   Carrot is considered to be a low-carb vegetable that raises blood sugar at a slow pace.

Cauliflower

·       Cauliflower is low in calories.

·       Cauliflower is rich in vitamin C, folate, and fiber.

Cucumber

·       Cucumber is low in carbohydrates.

·       Cucumber contains high fiber content.

·       Cucumber helps slow down digestion of carbohydrates and sugar, which can further lower sugar levels.

Lady finger

·       Lady finger is also called Okra or Bhindi.

·       Lady finger is a rich source of dietary fiber.

·       Lady fingers are low in calorie.

·       Lady fingers are low in Glycemic Index (GI).

·       Lady finger is found to be a super vegetable for diabetic patients.

Lettuce

·       Lettuce is rich in fat soluble vitamin A and good for sharp vision.

·       Lettuce has a low GI score of 15.

·       Lettuce is rich in fiber.

·       Lettuce acts as an antioxidant.

·       Lettuce helps in reducing inflammation often seen in diabetes.

·       Lettuce helps in lowering bad (LDL) cholesterol levels.

Mushroom

·       Mushrooms have low GI scores.

·       Mushrooms contain very low amounts of carbs, which means they do not raise blood sugar levels significantly.

·       Mushroom is a low-calorie vegetable.

·       Mushrooms are rich in selenium and certain B vitamins.

Onion

·       Onion extracts help to reduce high blood glucose levels.

·       Onion helps to improve glucose tolerance in people with type 2-diabetes.

Spinach

·       Spinach is a diabetes-friendly vegetable.

·       Spinach is low in starch and carbohydrate content.

·   Spinach is super-low in calories.

·       Spinach helps to maintain your weight, which is crucial for diabetes.

Sprouts of Brussels

·       Sprouts of Brussels are high in fiber.

·       Sprouts of Brussels are high in antioxidants, vitamin C and K.

·       Sprouts of Brussels help to maintain/regulate blood glucose levels.

Tinda

·       Tinda is also known as round gourd.

·       Tinda is rich in water content and fiber.

·       Tinda is good to cure constipation, and good for heart health.

·       Tinda is low in fat.

Tomato

·       Tomatoes have low GI scores.

·       Tomatoes are high in fiber.

·       Tomatoes can help reduce blood pressure for people with diabetes.