Introduction: As people's living standards improve, the food they eat has become more and more diverse. This has also led to many people developing certain diseases, among which diabetes is a common and frequently occurring illness, which has brought great inconvenience to many people. In addition to taking medication as prescribed by a doctor, diabetic patients also need to use diet to assist in conditioning. The following are 10 types of food recommended for diabetic patients, let's take a look together.
1. Bitter Melon
Bitter melon has tender flesh, a cold nature and a bitter taste. It is rich in various nutrients, especially vitamin C, whose content ranks first among all melons. Pharmacological tests have found that the momordicoside contained in bitter melon has a significant hypoglycemic effect. It not only has an insulin-like effect, known as "plant insulin," but also has the function of stimulating insulin secretion. Some experiments have shown that using momordicoside preparations orally for the treatment of type 2 diabetes can achieve a total effective rate of 78.3%. Therefore, diabetic patients often eating some bitter melon is beneficial for blood sugar control. Moreover, eating it raw can clear summer heat, purge fire, and relieve heat and vexation; eating it cooked can nourish blood and moisten the liver, moisten the spleen and kidneys, eliminate pathogenic heat, relieve fatigue, clear the mind and improve vision, and replenish qi and strengthen yang. However, when eating bitter melon, one should also pay attention not to damage the qi of the spleen and lungs.
Pork Stuffed Bitter Melon
2. Onion
Onion is a very common and inexpensive home-cooked dish. Its flesh is tender, juicy with a light pungent taste, and of good quality, suitable for eating raw. It originated in western Asia and is cultivated all over China, available all year round. The part of the onion that is eaten is the fleshy bulb underground (the onion head). Abroad, it is hailed as the "queen of vegetables" and has high nutritional value. It is not only rich in nutrients such as potassium, vitamin C, folic acid, zinc, selenium, and fiber, but also contains two special nutrients—quercetin and prostaglandin A. These two special nutrients give onions many health benefits that other foods cannot replace:
In addition, onions can effectively prevent "rich man's diseases." Onions contain muconic acid, which allows cells to make better use of sugar, thereby lowering blood sugar. Onions also contain prostaglandin, which can dilate blood vessels, reduce peripheral vascular resistance, promote sodium excretion, and lower high blood pressure.
Crispy Onion Rings
3. Cucumber
Cucumber is sweet, cool, slightly bitter, and non-toxic. It enters the spleen, stomach, and large intestine; it has the effects of clearing heat, promoting urination, and detoxifying; it is mainly used for treating thirst, sore throat, eye inflammation, and scalds. It also has a weight-loss effect. Moreover, the sugar content of cucumber is only 1.6%, so diabetic patients can use it as a substitute for fruit and obtain vitamin C, carotene, cellulose, and minerals from it. Cucumber also contains malic acid, which can inhibit the conversion of carbohydrates into fat in the body. Therefore, obese diabetic patients and those with complicated hypertension and hyperlipidemia should eat more cucumbers. In addition, cucumber can also be used for beauty: cucumber is mild and removes dampness, it can tighten and eliminate skin wrinkles, and the effect is especially good for people with darker skin.
Boneless Meat with Cucumber Salad
4. Lettuce
Lettuce is rich in nutrients and has a high potassium content, which is beneficial for promoting urination and reducing the pressure on the atrium, making it extremely beneficial for patients with hypertension and heart disease. It contains a small amount of iodine, which has a significant impact on a person's basic metabolism, mental and physical development, and even emotional regulation. Therefore, lettuce has a sedative effect, and regular consumption helps to relieve tension and improve sleep.
Not only that. Lettuce has low sugar and fat content, and it contains insulin activators, which are beneficial for diabetic patients. Lettuce is a high-fiber food that can delay the digestion of food and the absorption of glucose in the intestines of diabetic patients, helping to control postprandial blood sugar.
Lettuce Stir-fried with Bacon
5. Tremella (Snow Mushroom)
Tremella is sweet, bland, neutral, and non-toxic. It has the effects of strengthening the spleen and whetting the appetite, as well as replenishing qi, clearing the intestines, and nourishing yin and moistening the lungs. Moreover, it has high medicinal value and is praised by people as the "pearl among fungi." It can not only enhance human immunity but also enhance the tolerance of cancer patients to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Tremella is rich in natural plant-based gelatin, and with its nourishing yin effect, it is a good moisturizing food that can be taken for a long time. Moreover, tremella has low thermal energy and is rich in dietary fiber, and its consumption by diabetic patients can delay the rise in blood sugar. In recent years, research has reported that tremella contains more tremella polysaccharide, which has an effect on the hypoglycemic activity of insulin.
Cranberry Tremella and Pear Porridge