Type 2 diabetes: Eating this popular Asian delicacy could lower blood sugar

Type 2 diabetes is a condition that causes the body to lose control of the amount of sugar in the blood. The body doesn’t respond to insulin properly and may not produce enough, causing blood sugar levels to become too high. If blood sugar levels aren’t controlled properly and stay too high, a number of problems can occur, including kidney failure, nerve damage, foot ulcers, heart disease and stroke.

READ MORE

• Type 2 diabetes: Eating this food for breakfast may lower blood sugar

Regularly eating a poor diet can cause blood sugar levels to rise and increases a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes, so when it comes to controlling blood sugar and preventing the condition, it’s important to make changes to what you eat.

Experts say there’s nothing you cannot eat if you have type 2 diabetes, but certain foods should be limited.

You should aim to eat a wide range of foods, including fruit, vegetables and some starchy foods like pasta, keep sugar, fat and salt to a minimum, and eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day – don’t skip meals.

But individual foods have also been found to hold blood sugar lowering properties, such as edamame.

Edamame is a soybean found in cuisines with origins in East Asia, and the pods can be boiled and steamed so they’re easy to remove during eating or the beans can be served outside the pod.

Like other beans, edamame is also low in carbs, relative to protein and fat.

All the carbohydrates people eat and drink are broken down into glucose. The type and amount a person consumes can make a difference to their blood glucose levels and diabetes management, explains Diabetes.co.uk.

Edamame also measures very low on the glycemic index, a measure of the extent to which foods raise blood sugar levels.

Type 2 diabetes has also been linked to high cholesterol, but edamame and other soy protein foods have also been shown to lower this.

One review concluded eating 47g of soy protein per day can lower total cholesterol levels by 9.3 percent and LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol by 12.9 percent. 

Another analysis of studies found 50g of soy protein per day reduced LDL cholesterol levels by 3 percent. 

In addition to being a good source of soy protein, edamame is rich in fibre, antioxidants and vitamin K.

READ MORE

• Type 2 diabetes: Include this vegetable in your diet

These plant compounds may reduce the risk of heart disease and improve the blood lipid profile – a measure of fats including cholesterol. 

Other ways to keep blood sugar levels in check

Being active can also help lower blood sugar, according to the NHS.

It explains: “Physical exercise helps lower your blood sugar level. You should aim for 2.5 hours of activity a week.

“You can be active anywhere as long as what you’re doing gets you out of breath.

“This could be fast walking, climbing stairs and doing more strenuous housework or gardening.”

Losing weight if you’re overweight is also important as it will make it easier for your body to lower blood sugar levels.

If you drink alcohol you should stick within the recommended limits and make sure you don’t drink on an empty stomach.

If you smoke, you should also try to stop. Smoking can be especially bad it you have diabetes, warns Bupa, as diabetes increases a person’s risk of developing circulatory problems, heart disease and stroke.

The risk of these conditions is even higher if you smoke and have diabetes too.

Source: Read Full Article