10 food items that can prevent diabetes

An individual’s diet is a source of many diseases that scourge society, including diabetes. A vast majority of people live with diabetes. According to the National Diabetes Statistics Report, approximately 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3 percent of the world’s population, had diabetes in 2012. To make matters worse, 208,000 people in that pool were below the age of 20. According to the World Health Organization, the number of people with diabetes is expected to double by the year 2030.
It is of utmost importance to take care of this debilitating disease whilst also not entirely giving into myths, superstitions and word of mouth while implementing methods to steer clear of diabetes.
Here is a list of 10 foods that can prevent diabetes.

1. APPLES

Not all antioxidants are created equal, and that a particular type of antioxidant in apples had a profound effect on lowering LDLs(bad) cholesterol that gave rise to diabetes and was also a contributor to various heart diseases. In a study consisting of 200,000 people led by the Harvard School of Public Health, participants who ate five or more apples a week were 23 percent less likely to develop type-2 diabetes than those who did not.

2. BLUEBERRIES

Blueberries are distinguished from other berries by a specific type of antioxidant known as anthocyanins, which paint the blueberries blue. Blueberries also contain flavanoids that counter diabetes. Researchers from the UK, US and Singapore found in a study consisting of 187,000 people that replacing fruit juice with blueberries reduced the risk of type-2 diabetes by 33 percent, a percentage higher than any other fruit in the study.

3. CARROTS

Carrots are a rich source of vitamin A made from the antioxidant beta-carotene. According to a report in the journal Human Genetics, the antioxidant can help lower the risk for type-2 diabetes for people who have a genetic predisposition for the disease. Approximately 50 to 60 percent of Americans contain two copies of a gene variant that is associated with an increased risk for type-2 diabetes.

4. BROCCOLI

A compound in broccoli known as sulforaphane can help reverse damage to the heart and blood vessels for diabetics. It was observed that it causes a reduction in the amount reactive oxygen species (ROS) molecules which, in high amounts, can damage the body’s cells. Diabetics with high blood pressure had three times the normal amount of ROSs.
The compound sulforaphane reversed this increase by 73 percent.

5. CRANBERRIES

Sweetened dried cranberries, like blueberries, have been shown to reduce levels of insulin for type-2 diabetics. Fiber is a key component lacking in the diet of many diabetics. Dried cranberries are high in fiber and low in sugar, which can help the body regulate blood sugar.

6. GRAPEFRUIT

Red Grapefruit can help improve HDL(good) cholesterol for diabetics. Multiple studies have attested that eating or a drinking half a cup of grapefruit juice a day can significantly increase HDL cholesterol. In addition, research from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that grapefruit juice can help lower glucose levels as effectively as a prescription drug.

7. KALE

This superfood provides about 100 percent of the recommended daily intake for vitamins A and K, whilst also being associated with a reduced risk for type-2 diabetes. Research reveals that consuming one and a half servings of green leafy vegetables, like kale, a day can lower the risk of type-2 diabetes by 14 percent.

8. AVOCADOS

Avocados are widely known as a source for healthy, unsaturated fats. A 2008 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition discovered that women who ate the highest amounts of good fats, as found in avocados, were 25 percent less likely to develop type-2 diabetes than women who consumed the least amount of good fat.

9. TOMATOES

Lycopene and beta-carotene are two powerful antioxidants in tomatoes that help reduce blood pressure by acting as a blood thinner. In one study published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, type-2 diabetics who ate a daily dose of 200 grams of raw tomato for two weeks significantly lowered their blood pressure.

10. RED ONIONS

Red onions have more antioxidants than their yellow and white counterparts. In addition, they have a high dietary content of the flavonoid quercetin, which is a compound known to promote a healthy heart. In a study published in the journal Environmental Health Insights, researchers found that consuming red onions helped lower glucose levels in type-1 and type-2 diabetics.