Top 10 Vegetables for Lowering Blood Sugar: Don't Miss Out If You Have High Blood Sugar.

Introduction: High blood sugar is not just a problem for the elderly; it is increasingly affecting younger people. If you are in a state of chronic high blood sugar, your immune system will weaken, and various vascular and neurological diseases will follow. What foods can you eat to lower blood sugar? In addition to medication, you can also eat foods that help lower blood sugar. Below, we recommend 10 foods that can help lower blood sugar. Let's take a look.

1. Bitter Melon

Bitter melon is bitter in taste. Raw, it is cooling in nature, and cooked, it is warming in nature. Raw, it clears summer heat, purges fire, relieves heat, and eliminates vexation. Cooked, it nourishes blood, enriches the liver, moistens the spleen, and tonifies the kidneys. It can expel pathogenic heat, relieve fatigue, clear the mind and brighten the eyes, and also replenish Qi and strengthen Yang. Moreover, bitter melon contains a substance similar to insulin, which can lower blood sugar. It also contains a large amount of fiber, which can slow down the absorption of sugar in the small intestine, thereby lowering blood sugar. Not only that, the crude extract of bitter melon contains insulin-like substances, making its blood sugar-lowering effect even more prominent.

There are many ways to eat bitter melon. Clam and bitter melon soup is an excellent choice for lowering blood sugar. However, when eating bitter melon, you should also be careful not to damage the Qi of the spleen and lungs. Although the weather is hot in summer, people should not eat too many bitter foods, and it is best to pair them with pungent foods (such as chili, pepper, green onions, and garlic). This can prevent the bitter flavor from affecting the heart and help replenish the lung Qi.

Bitter Melon with Fermented Black Beans

2. Lettuce

Lettuce is slightly cool in nature and has a sweet and bitter taste. It has the effects of promoting circulation, resolving stagnation, promoting digestion, reducing qi, promoting urination, increasing lactation, stimulating appetite, and relaxing the bowels. It is mainly used to treat symptoms such as fullness in the epigastrium and abdomen, loss of appetite, constipation, and indigestion. Recent research suggests that lettuce contains less sugar but more vitamins and niacin. Niacin is an activator of insulin, so diabetics who often eat lettuce can improve sugar metabolism and effectively lower blood sugar. A substance in lettuce can stimulate the optic nerve, causing dizziness and drowsiness, so people with eye diseases, especially night blindness, should not eat too much. However, note that after excessive heating, the insulin activator in this blood sugar-lowering vegetable is almost gone. Therefore, to get the most benefit from this blood sugar-lowering vegetable, we should often eat it cold-dressed, like in a salad.

Cold-dressed Lettuce

3. Pumpkin

In "Compendium of Materia Medica", Li Shizhen placed pumpkin alongside reishi mushroom, stating that it has the effect of "tonifying the middle, replenishing liver Qi, benefiting heart Qi, benefiting lung Qi, and benefiting essence Qi." Research over the years has shown that the pumpkin fruit is rich in nutrients such as citrulline, aspartic acid, trigonelline, adenine, pectin, mannitol, and various vitamins and trace elements like chromium, zinc, and copper, giving it certain health benefits. Recent research has found that pumpkin polysaccharide extracted from pumpkin is the main active component for lowering blood sugar. It can significantly lower blood sugar levels in diabetic model mice and also has a certain effect on lowering blood lipids. Pumpkin is also a high-fiber food that can slow down the absorption of sugar in the small intestine, reducing the burden on pancreatic islet cells.

Pumpkin Vermicelli Noodles

4. Cucumber

Cucumber is sweet and neutral in nature, with significant effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, promoting fluid production and quenching thirst. Its sugar content is less than 5%, and it is rich in fiber, which increases satiety. Moreover, cucumber is rich in nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, vitamin B2, vitamin C, vitamin E, carotene, niacin, calcium, phosphorus, and iron. A hormone in cucumber is beneficial for the pancreas to secrete insulin and can assist in the treatment of diabetes. The sterol components in cucumber can lower cholesterol. The dietary fiber, potassium, and magnesium in cucumber are beneficial for regulating blood pressure and preventing hypertension. In addition, cucumber can also be used for beauty: cucumber is mild and removes dampness, it can astringe and eliminate skin wrinkles, and is especially effective for people with darker skin.

Cucumber with Black Fungus in Aged Vinegar

5. Water Spinach

Water spinach is extremely rich in crude fiber, composed of cellulose, lignin, and pectin. Pectin can accelerate the excretion of toxic substances in the body, and lignin can enhance the activity of macrophages in engulfing bacteria, having a bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effect that can be used to treat sores and carbuncles. Moreover, water spinach is rich in vitamin C and carotene; its vitamin content is higher than that of Chinese cabbage. These substances help to enhance the body's constitution and prevent disease. In addition, the chlorophyll in water spinach can clean teeth and prevent cavities, and also moisten the skin.

It is worth noting that the nutritional content of water spinach is many times higher than that of tomatoes. For example, vitamin A is 6 times higher, vitamin B2 is 7 times higher, vitamin C is 2 times higher, protein is 4 times higher, and calcium is 12 times higher. At the same time, its rich fiber and insulin-like components can treat diabetes.

Stir-fried Water Spinach