A healthy diet plays an important role in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Generally, a diet rich in whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables and healthy fats (e.g., polyunsaturated fats) and low in added sugar and added salt is recommended.
Besides, some foods can be particularly helpful in reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes.
Here we introduce 5 foods that can help you achieve this goal:
Foods rich in plant protein
Plant protein is usually found in soy, beans, seeds and nuts. A recent study from University of Eastern Finland shows that consuming plant protein is linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
On the contrary, foods rich in meat is linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. The finding is published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Legumes
Legumes can provide many health benefits because they are rich in vitamin B and dietary fiber.
It is known that dietary fiber can help reduce risk of type 2 diabetes.
In previous article, we mentioned that eating whole fruits are much better than drinking juice for people with diabetes because whole fruits are full of fiber.
Why fiber can help reduce diabetes risk?
Research shows that in the gut, the lack of short-chain fatty acids is linked to type 2 diabetes. Dietary fibers can help produce short-chain fatty acids that nourish gut lining cells.
Fiber can also reduce inflammation and help control appetite.
Legumes are also considered a low-glycemic index food. This means after legumes consumption, the blood sugar levels only increase slowly.
A recent study shows that compared to people who ate legumes less than 0.5 servings per week, people who ate legumes 1 serving per week had 33% lower risk in type 2 diabetes.
Avocado
Avocado is listed here because recent research shows that it can help reduce metabolic syndrome. This health condition is a clustering of risk factors including high blood sugar, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high BMI.
These factors play big roles in many chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity and some cancers.
One caveat here is that avocado is full of monounsaturated fat. A recent study finds that foods rich in monounsaturated fat, like avocado and olive oil, may pose a threat to the liver.
The study on mice finds that monounsaturated fat could lead to fatty liver disease more seriously than saturated fat.
Apple cider vinegar
It is known that apple cider vinegar has some health benefits. One study from Colorado State University finds that this beverage may help control blood sugar and reduce risk of type 2 diabetes.
The researchers found that people with insulin resistance had a slower increase in blood sugar after eating starch carb foods if they drank diluted apple cider vinegar before eating.
It is possible the cider vinegar can help decrease carb absorption or slow down the breakdown of the carb into sugars.
Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate has lots of health benefits, especially to the heart. It also helps reduce stress and inflammation and improve memory and cognitive functions.
The health benefits are from cocoa, a major source of flavonoids. A recent study finds that people who eat dark chocolate every day have reduced insulin resistance and better liver enzymes.
As a result, the food can protect the heart. Researchers suggest that cocoa-based products may represent an additional dietary recommendation to improve cardio-metabolic health.
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