Foods That Decrease Blood Sugar

Choosing the right foods can help you decrease your overall blood-sugar levels. No single foods will produce an instant decrease in your blood sugar; food doesn't work like insulin that way. However, eat the right food, and you will achieve lower blood-sugar levels overall through two actions: less increase in blood sugar by monitoring carbohydrate intake and more insulin production. If you are under a doctor's care, talk with him before making substantive changes in your diet. Monitor blood-sugar levels to avoid hypoglycemia.

Increasing Insulin Production

Insulin is produced by the pancreas. In a healthy person, the amount produced is sufficient to manage the food that is eaten. Diabetics either produce no insulin or insufficient amounts; they may also be insulin resistant, a condition in which the body's cells do not respond normally to insulin. The nutrients mannose, b-keto acids and the amino acids leucine and arginine may help your body increase insulin secretion. Foods you can eat that may help your body produce insulin include cherries, garlic and flaxseeds.

Glycemic Index

The Glycemic Index is a measure of how much different foods raise blood sugar. By choosing foods with a low or moderate Glycemic Index rating, you can avoid raising your blood sugar. Protein and fat have virtually no impact on blood sugar and have very low Glycemic Index ratings. Generally, the more complex and less starchy a carbohydrate is, the lower its Glycemic Index. The presence of fiber also helps ameliorate the Glycemic Index of certain carbohydrates because it slows their absorption into the body. Avoid foods that contain processed sugar and flour, such as white bread, soft drinks, pasta, white rice, candy, most breakfast cereals, etc. Choose healthier complex carbohydrates like brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, wild rice, whole grain products, fruit, vegetables, milk, yogurt, etc. Do not eliminate all carbohydrates from your diet; foods containing carbohydrates are important sources of energy, fiber and nutrition.

Beneficial Foods

Certain foods are especially beneficial to include in your diet if you want to decrease your blood-sugar levels. Many of these foods are thought to compete with insulin in the body, making more insulin available in the blood stream, thereby lowering blood sugar levels. Avocados contain healthy fats, soluble fiber and make your body more sensitive to insulin. Cinnamon can help lower your blood sugar; use cinnamon in your cooking or take cinnamon capsules. It takes about three weeks to see maximum benefit from increasing your cinnamon intake. Like avocados, flaxseeds contain beneficial fats. Eating foods with flaxseed can help lower your cholesterol, lower your blood sugar and improve your sensitivity to insulin. In addition to boosting immunity, garlic can help lower your blood sugar and increase insulin sensitivity as well. Onions help reduce blood sugar levels and raise beneficial cholesterol levels. Almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, pecans and walnuts contain healthy fats and can make your body more sensitive to insulin.