Top 10 Vegetables For Diabetes Patients
7. Onions
Onions are a low-calorie vegetable to include in your diabetic diet. They contain high amounts of fibre, iron, potassium, vitamin C, and various essential micronutrients called flavonoids. Quercetin, a flavonoid antioxidant that’s highly concentrated in onions, has been shown to reduce symptoms of diabetes. In an October 2010 study published in the journal, “Environmental Health Insights,” suggested that consumption of fresh onions may reduce blood glucose levels among type 1 and type 2 diabetics.
Therefore, including onions in your diabetic diet may be an excellent food choice to control blood sugar level.
6. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are an excellent vegetable-fruit choice for diabetes patients because tomatoes are low in calories and carbohydrates which help diabetics to maintain healthy weight. Tomatoes are also a good source of potassium, manganese, vitamin C, vitamin K and lycopene — which is a powerful antioxidant and may reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, and macular degeneration. As per 2011 study published in International Journal of food Science and Nutrition, it was found that 200 grams of raw tomato each day reduced blood pressure in people with type 2 diabetes. Researchers concluded tomato consumption might help reduce cardiovascular risk that’s associated with type 2 diabetes. Therefore people with or at risk of diabetes should include tomatoes in their daily meal plan.
Tomatoes can be consumed in both raw and in cooked forms. Just choose fresh tomatoes and cut them up in small pieces and add them to your salads or prepare its soups or use them as an ingredient into your variety of vegetable dishes.
5. Cabbage
Cabbage is extremely nutritious vegetable to include in your diabetic diet because it is an excellent source of vitamin K, C, and B6, and is a very good source of manganese, fiber, potassium, vitamin B1, folate and copper. It is very low in calories and carbohydrates and is also low on the glycemic index. Cabbage also has a lot of antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic properties that make it a medicine for diabetes. As per scientific study done in 2008 on diabetic rats, it was discovered that all the rats which were fed red cabbage for 60 days has lower blood glucose levels, lost weight, and had restored renal function. The research findings were published in the Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Scientists believe that it’s the antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic properties which help with diabetes.
Therefore diabetics are recommended to include cabbage into their daily diet. You can include cabbage in your diet by adding it to your salads, soups or by preparing its vegetable or juice.
