10+ Foods to Help Lower Your Blood Sugar

Keeping your blood sugar at a good level is very important for your overall health. It helps you avoid or put off serious health problems. Things like your family history, how stressed you are, how active you are, and how much you weigh can all affect your blood sugar. But, you can also help control your blood sugar by eating healthy foods. To help you pick the best foods, we’ve made a list of more than 10 foods that can help lower your blood sugar.

The Amazing Pumpkin

Pumpkins are full of things called antioxidants and fiber. These things make them great for helping your body control its blood sugar. In places like Iran and Mexico, people have used pumpkin as a natural way to help with diabetes for a long time. These tasty pumpkins have something called polysaccharides, which are a type of carbohydrate. Scientists have studied these carbohydrates and found that they might help control sugar levels. Pumpkins also have protein and healthy fats, which are good for keeping your blood sugar steady.

Good Things from the Sea: Seafood

Seafood is packed with healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, protein, and antioxidants. All of these things can help lower your blood sugar. Protein helps stop your blood sugar from going too high after you eat. It also helps you feel full and helps your body digest food slowly. Eating fatty fish, like sardines and salmon, regularly can also help your body control its blood sugar. One study with 68 people who were overweight showed that eating 750 grams of fatty fish each week helped improve blood sugar levels after eating, compared to people who ate lean fish.

Broccoli: A Green Powerhouse

When you chew or chop broccoli, it makes a plant chemical called sulforaphane, which can help lower blood sugar. Broccoli extract, which has a lot of sulforaphane, has been shown to have strong antidiabetic effects in many studies with animals, in test tubes, and with people. These effects help your body use insulin better and reduce something called oxidative stress. Young broccoli sprouts have something called glucosinolate, which also helps your body use insulin better and lowers blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.

Beans and Lentils: Tiny Powerhouses

Lentils and beans are full of things that can help lower your blood sugar, like fiber, protein, and magnesium. They also have a lot of something called resistant starch and soluble fiber, which help your body digest food slowly and improve how your blood sugar reacts after you eat. In one study with 12 women, it was shown that adding chickpeas or black beans to rice made a big difference in lowering blood sugar levels after eating, compared to eating rice alone.

Chia Seeds: Small Seeds, Big Benefits

Eating chia seeds may help you manage your blood sugar. Many studies have found that eating chia seeds lowers blood sugar levels and helps your body use insulin better. A review of many animal studies in 2020 found that eating chia seeds may lower the risk of getting some diseases, including diabetes. A study with people showed that those who ate 25 grams of ground chia seeds with a sugary drink had a 39% lower blood sugar level than those who only had the sugary drink.

Okra: A Natural Remedy

Okra is a fruit that has things that lower blood sugar, like polysaccharides and flavonoid antioxidants. The seeds also have things that lower blood sugar, making them a good natural way to help with diabetes. Okra has been found to have strong antidiabetic things, like polysaccharides, and also the flavonoids quercetin 3-O-gentiobioside and isoquercitrin. While studies with animals have shown good results, more studies with people are needed to be sure.

Avocados: Creamy and Healthy

Avocados are full of fiber, minerals, healthy fats, and vitamins. This means that adding them to your meals can help control your blood sugar. Many studies suggest that avocados may help lower blood sugar levels and also protect against something called metabolic syndrome. This syndrome is a group of conditions that increase the risk of long-term diseases, like high blood sugar.

Berries: Sweet and Healthy

Berries are full of vitamins, fiber, antioxidants, and minerals. All of these things make berries a good choice for people who have trouble managing their blood sugar. A study from 2019 showed that eating 250 grams of red raspberries with a meal high in carbohydrates lowered blood sugar and insulin levels after eating in people with prediabetes, compared to a group that didn’t eat raspberries.

Eggs: A Protein Powerhouse

Many studies have found that eating eggs can help control blood sugar levels. This is because eggs have a lot of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, healthy fats, and protein. One study showed that eating one large egg every day lowered fasting blood sugar by 4.4% in overweight adults with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Also, eating one large egg per day helped their bodies use insulin better.

Oats: A Hearty Breakfast

Oats are high in soluble fiber, which makes them a great breakfast choice. Soluble fiber has been shown to lower blood sugar levels. A review of 16 different studies showed that eating oats significantly lowered fasting blood sugar levels and HbA1c compared to other meals. Another study found that drinking water mixed with oat bran before eating white bread lowered blood sugar after eating, compared to just drinking water.

Yogurt and Kefir: Dairy Delights

Yogurt and kefir are fermented dairy products that may help control blood sugar levels. One study showed that drinking 600ml of kefir significantly lowered HbA1c and fasting blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. A review of many studies showed that eating yogurt every day was linked to a 7% lower risk of getting type 2 diabetes.