Can Spinach help lower blood sugar levels? After checking with your healthcare provider on any changes to your diabetes diet, why not try?
From Damndiabetes.ca, we provide thoughts on this issue supported by our principles of Expert and Authoritative review and Trust (EAT). The information herein has yet to be medically reviewed. Still, it is provided as an interest piece with full disclosure that any proposed revisions to your diabetes diet should be discussed with your healthcare team.
At Damndiabetes.ca, we know how hard it is to stay on track with diabetes goals and are always looking for ways to help simplify the path to a better quality of life living with diabetes. This article about spinach and diabetes presents an exciting and natural opportunity to work towards putting your Type 2 diabetes into remission.
While there is no cure for diabetes, you may be able to reverse course and lower your blood sugar back to a healthy level.
Diabetes and Spinach
What makes spinach an excellent vegetable for lowering blood sugar levels and controlling diabetes?
Spinach is a high-fibre and low-calorie vegetable containing many beneficial nutrients. It has a negligible impact on raising blood sugar, making it a good choice for a diabetes diet.
As it is a non-starchy vegetable, you should be able to enjoy the green delight as much as you want. Spinach is also considered a low-glycemic index food, which suggests it should not have much impact on raising blood sugar levels.
Spinach and Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the nutrients that have the most significant effect on blood sugar levels. The higher the carbohydrate content, the more impact a food will have on your blood sugar. Each cup of raw spinach only has 1.1 grams of carbohydrates, and each cup of cooked spinach has just 6.8 grams.
What benefits of Spinach?
We could “wax wildly” about the benefits of having spinach in your regular diabetes diet. Suffice to suggest that the benefits are considerable, including not negatively impacting blood sugar levels, to providing a range of vitamins and minerals that are positive for your health, such as:
Vitamins
Spinach is rich in vitamins A, B, E, K, and C, which can help improve skin texture and treat numerous skin-related disorders. Spinach also helps protect the skin from the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation, and it promotes skin healing in case of sun damage. It is also said to boost the body's immune system, helping prevent infections and inflammations.
Minerals
Spinach contains potassium, magnesium, copper, zinc, and manganese, which help the body regulate body fluids, cell functions, heart rate, and blood pressure. Spinach is also beneficial in iron deficiency (anemia) because it is iron-rich.
Antioxidants
Spinach is regarded as a superfood because of its abundance of healthy antioxidants. The leaves are a great source of antioxidants, vitamin A, vitamin C, and antioxidant flavonoids such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta carotene promoted as good for the body’s immune system.
Anti-inflammatory
Spinach may help relieve several inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis, osteoarthritis, asthma, and migraine headaches.
Conclusion
There are many other purported benefits to eating spinach as part of a diabetes diet that have been “left off the list.” Suffice it to say, Spinach, a high-fibre, low glycemic index vegetable, should be considered seriously for inclusion in your diabetes diet.
Please remember, before making any changes to your diabetes diet, to discuss this and other food-related issues you may have with your healthcare team and then go for it onward to a better quality of life living with diabetes.
Best wishes...
Wayne Drury was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes more than one year. He quickly discovered there was scant diabetes information providing a roadmap to a better quality of life living with diabetes.
With his passion for learning, helping and providing Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trust (E-A-T) to the diabetes community, Damndiabetes began. A boutique firm in Vancouver, they live and breathe the consequences of treating diabetes daily. If you wish help with your diabetes management, are frustrated and have nowhere to turn, call on Damndiabetes and experience their EAT today. We are always happy to help.
Passion for diabetes knowledge is our centrepiece; EAT is what we deliver.
Disclaimer of Medical Advice: Statements and opinions expressed on this Website do not constitute medical advice or recommendations. You should not rely on any information in such posts or comments to replace consultations and decisions with qualified healthcare professionals.
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