10 Foods That Can Lower Your Blood Sugar Naturally0

 

CDC - Wikimedia.org
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It's no exaggeration—balancing your blood sugar could be a matter of life or death. Chronic high blood sugar levels are toxic to your body, destroying organs and blood vessels and paving the way to a heart attack, type 2 diabetes, stroke, dialysis, nerve damage, erectile dysfunction, or even blindness. The good news? Out-of-control sugar levels can be reigned in and regulated with the right foods.
We turned to The Carb Sensitivity Program, leading naturopathic doctor Natasha Turner's breakthrough book, to find the most potent blood sugar-lowering foods so you know how to lower blood sugar levels naturally.

Blueberries

Evan-Amos Wikipedia.org

Blood sugar benefit: A groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Nutrition in 2010 found a daily dose of the bioactive ingredients from blueberries increases sensitivity to insulin and may reduce the risk of developing diabetes in at-risk individuals. That's important because eating too many carbs produces too much insulin, which could lead to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Avocados

Muhammad Mahdi Karim   Wikipedia.org

Blood sugar benefit: Don't let the fat content of avocados fool you—they're still good for you! Avocados are full of monounsaturated fat, the kind that helps slow the release of sugars into the bloodstream, prompting less insulin release. Avocados also contain beta-sitosterol, a compound that could help quell inflammation after an intense workout. Just limit yourself to one-quarter of an avocado at a time to avoid calorie overload. Or, try avocado oil drizzled on a fresh salad or veggies.

Chia Seeds

Ramon FVelasquez  Wikipedia.org

Blood sugar benefit: This ancient gluten-free grain stabilizes blood sugar, manages the effects of diabetes, improves insulin sensitivity, and aids symptoms related to metabolic syndrome, including imbalances in cholesterol, higher blood pressure, and extreme rises in blood sugar levels after meals. Tiny chia seeds are also potent anti-inflammatory agents and contain fiber, magnesium, potassium, folic acid, iron, and calcium.
Cinnamon


Simon A. Eugster   Wikipedia.org

Blood sugar benefit: A 2003 study in the journal Diabetes Care showed that cinnamon may cause muscle and liver cells to respond more readily to insulin, thereby improving weight loss. Better response to insulin means better blood sugar balance and, therefore, less insulin released into your body.
Ceylon cinnamon also seems to reduce several risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high blood sugar and levels of triglycerides, LDL ("bad") cholesterol, and total cholesterol. Just ½ teaspoon a day for 20 days is enough to improve your insulin response and lower blood sugar by up to 20%.

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Studies show that Magnesium plays a crucial role in optimizing your metabolism , keeping your risk for type 2 diabetes low, 3,751 magnesium-binding sites on human proteins and is required by more than 300 different enzymes in your body.

Low Magnesium May Play Key Role in Insulin Resistance and Diabetes

By Dr. Mercola

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body. If you don’t have enough of it, your body simply cannot function at its best. Insufficient cellular magnesium levels set the stage for deterioration of proper metabolic function that typically snowballs into more significant health problems.
As reported by GreenMedInfo,¹ researchers have now detected 3,751 magnesium-binding sites on human proteins, reflecting how important this mineral is to a great many biological processes.
For example, magnesium plays a role in your body's detoxification processes and therefore is important for minimizing damage from environmental chemicals, heavy metals, and other toxins.
Even glutathione, considered by many to be your body's most powerful antioxidant, requires magnesium in order to be produced.
Magnesium also plays roles in preventing migraine headaches, cardiovascular disease (including high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes), sudden cardiac death, and even reduces death from all causes.
This important mineral is required by more than 300 different enzymes in your body, which play important roles in the following biochemical processes, many of which are crucial for proper metabolic function:

Creation of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy molecules of your body	Proper formation of bones and teeth	Relaxation of blood vessels
Action of your heart muscle	Promotion of proper bowel function	Regulation of blood sugar levels

Low Magnesium Levels Consistently Found in Those with Elevated Insulin

In just the past year, there have been several significant studies about magnesium’s role in keeping your metabolism running like a well-oiled clock—specifically in terms of insulin sensitivity, glucose regulation, and protection from type 2 diabetes. Here are just a few:

• One 2013 study involving pre-diabetics found that most had inadequate magnesium intake. Those with the highest magnesium intake reduced their risk for blood sugar and metabolic problems by a whopping 71 percent.²
• An ADA study from October 2013³ found that higher magnesium intake reduces risk of impaired glucose and insulin metabolism and slows progression from pre-diabetes to diabetes in middle-aged Americans. Researchers stated, “Magnesium intake may be particularly beneficial in offsetting your risk of developing diabetes, if you are high risk.”
• In a large Japanese study (the Hisayama Study) published in Diabetic Medicine December 2013, researchers found magnesium intake was a significant protective factor against type 2 diabetes in the general Japanese population, especially among those “with insulin resistance, low-grade inflammation and a drinking habit.”⁴
• And in the Framingham Offspring cohort (2006), higher magnesium intake improved insulin sensitivity and reduced type 2 diabetes risk.⁵

Why Is Magnesium So Critical for Proper Metabolic Function?

The mechanism by which magnesium controls glucose and insulin homeostasis appears to involve two genes responsible for magnesium homeostasis.⁶ Magnesium is also required to activate tyrosine kinase, an enzyme that functions as an “on” or “off” switch in many cellular functions and is required for the proper function of your insulin receptors.
It is well known that people with insulin resistance also experience increased excretion of magnesium in their urine, which further contributes to diminished magnesium levels. This magnesium loss appears to be secondary to increased urinary glucose, which increases urinary output.⁷
Therefore, inadequate magnesium intake seems to prompt a vicious cycle of low magnesium levels, elevated insulin and glucose levels, and excess magnesium excretion. In other words, the less magnesium your body has, the less it appears to be able to “hang onto it.⁸
Rarely do so many studies from around the world find universal agreement on a subject! The evidence is clear: if you want to optimize your metabolism and keep your risk for type 2 diabetes low, one of the things you need to do is consume adequate magnesium. Unfortunately, this is not the norm, as an estimated 80 percent of Americans are magnesium deficient.

Are Your Magnesium Levels Up to Par?

Dietary surveys suggest that the majority of Americans are simply not getting enough magnesium from their diets alone. Other factors that can make you more prone to magnesium deficiency include:

An unhealthy digestive system: which impairs your body's ability to absorb magnesium (Crohn's disease, leaky gut, etc.)	Diabetes: especially if poorly controlled, leading to increased magnesium loss in urine	Age: older adults are more likely to be magnesium deficient because absorption decreases with age and the elderly are more likely to take medications that can interfere with absorption
Unhealthy kidneys: which contribute to excessive loss of magnesium in the urine	Alcoholism:  up to 60 percent of alcoholics have low blood levels of magnesium	Certain medications:  diuretics, antibiotics, and medications used to treat cancer can result in magnesium deficiency

Magnesium Deficiency Can Lead to Heart Arrhythmias, Coronary Spasms, and Seizures

There's no lab test that will give you an accurate reading of the magnesium status in your tissues. The reason for this is that only one percent of the magnesium in your body is found in your blood. Fifty to 60 percent resides in your bones, and the remaining is in your soft tissues. Since most of your magnesium is stored inside your cells and bone rather than in blood plasma, there are no satisfactory blood tests for assessing it.
That said, some specialty labs do provide an RBC magnesium test, which is reasonably accurate. Other tests your doctor may use to evaluate your magnesium status include a 24-hour urine test or a sublingual epithelial test. Still, these can only give you an estimate of your levels, and doctors typically need to evaluate them in light of the symptoms you exhibit. Early signs of magnesium deficiency may include headaches, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting, and fatigue or weakness. However, ongoing magnesium deficiency can lead to far more serious symptoms such as:

• Abnormal heart rhythms and coronary spasms
• Muscle cramps and contractions
• Seizures
• Numbness and tingling
• Personality changes

In her book, The Magnesium Miracle, Dr. Carolyn Dean lists 100 factors that will help you decide whether or not you might be deficient. You can also follow the instructions in her blog post, “Gauging Magnesium Deficiency Symptoms,”⁹ which will give you a checklist to go through every few weeks. This will help you gauge how much magnesium you need in order to take away your deficiency symptoms.

Your Best Magnesium Source: REAL Food

Most people can keep their magnesium levels in the therapeutic range without resorting to supplements, simply by eating a varied diet, including plenty of dark-green leafy vegetables. However, it is important to remember that the magnesium content of your foods depends on the richness of magnesium in the soil where they're grown. Most soils are now sorely depleted of nutrients, and for this reason, some magnesium experts, such as Dr. Dean, believe that virtually everyone needs to take supplemental magnesium. Organic foods may have more magnesium if grown in nutrient-rich soils but it is very difficult to make that determination.

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One way to really increase your magnesium, as well as many other important plant-based nutrients, is by juicing your greens. I typically drink one pint to one quart of fresh green vegetable juice every day, and this is one of my primary sources of magnesium. An article in GreenMedInfo lists more than 20 foods that are exceptionally high in magnesium, including the following (for the full list, please refer to the original report). All listed portions equate to 100 grams, or just over three ounces:


Red Algae often grows vif coral becomes bleached
By  :  Johnmartindavies
Wikimedia.org

Powdered form

Seaweed, agar, dried (770 mg)
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A scene of Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) leaves
By  :  Thamizhpparithi Maari 
Wikimedia .org

Spice, coriander leaf, dried (694 mg)
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Pumpkin seeds  By  :  Mk2010
Wikimedia.org
Dried pumpkin seeds (535 mg)
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 A bowl of cocoa powder.  By  :  blair

Wikimedia.org

Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened (499 mg)

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Basil Fresh

Basil Basilico Ocimum basilicum albahaca (Thai Basil)

By  :  Castielli

Wikimedia.org

Dried form

Spices, basil, dried (422 mg)

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Whole and Ground Flax Seed
Vita Medica

Flaxseed (392 mg)
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Raw Almonds  By  :  Sanjay ach
Wikimedia.org
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 Almond butter  Recipe  By  :   Hug A Tree With Me

Almond butter (303 mg)
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Whey Protein on Diplay at Health Food Store
By  :  Adrem68
Wikipedia.org


Powdered Whey

Whey, sweet, dried (176 mg)
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Related articles

• Low Magnesium May Play Key Role in Insulin Resistance and Diabetes
• 11 Miraculous Ways Magnesium Heals Your Mind & Body
• Could Magnesium Deficiency Be Causing Many of Your Health Problems?
• 16 Magnesium Deficiency Symptoms - Signs of Low Magnesium Levels
• Magnesium Deficiency a Serious Problem

Just ¼ Tsp. of Ginger Daily Could Reduce Type 2 Diabetes Markers

by Elizabeth Renter
April 1st, 2014
Updated 04/01/2014 at 3:06 am

Anytime you can treat, prevent, or even eliminate a common modern medical problem with food or herbs, it’s exciting. Largely because we are so bombarded with toxic formulas for everything form a skinned knee to an upset stomach, these natural treatments are a breath of healing fresh air. One of the latest studies affirming the benefits of the easily-found ginger root indicates it may only take about a quarter-teaspoon of the food each day to significantly reduce inflammatory markers associated with Type 2 diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association estimates some 25.8 million U.S. adults and children have type 2 diabetes. That’s 8.3% of the population. It’s the leading cause of kidney failure, increases your risk of heart disease and blindness, and is one of the most common causes of limb amputation. Most important of all—it’s entirely preventable, and many would say curable with strict adherence to diet.
The latest study, published in the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition, sought to examine the effects of ginger consumption on lipid profile, glycemic status, and inflammatory markers associated with type 2 diabetes.

The double-blind, placebo controlled study involved 70 type-2 diabetes enrolled for 12 weeks either in a ginger group or the control group. Each day, one group received 1600 mg of ginger, the equivalent of approximately ¼ of a teaspoon.

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More fresh fruit deters diabetes while juice boosts risk

• AFP
• August 31, 2013 12:33AM

inShare

Participants in a study who consumed one or more servings of fruit juice each day saw their risk of type 2 diabetes increase by as much as 21 per cent.

EATING more whole fresh fruit, especially blueberries, grapes, apples and pears, is linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, but drinking more fruit juice has the opposite effect, says a study.

British, US and Singaporean researchers pored over data from three big health investigations that took place in the United States, spanning a quarter of a century in all.
More than 187,000 nurses and other professional caregivers were enrolled.
Their health was monitored over the following years, and they regularly answered questionnaires on their eating habits, weight, smoking, physical activity and other pointers to lifestyle.
Around 6.5 per cent of the volunteers developed diabetes during the studies.
People who ate at least two servings each week of certain whole fruits, especially blueberries, grapes and apples, reduced their risk of Type 2 diabetes by as much as 23 per cent compared to those who ate less than one serving per month.

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• Pick Blueberries or Apple Over Juice to Cut Diabetes Risk - Bloomberg
• Skip the juice, go for whole fruit
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