"Your blood sugar is so high that you can go to heaven, you have to control it well!" In the morning, the protagonist Wang Dazhuang was about to go to the newly opened supermarket in front of his house to snap up discounted vegetables, but he didn't expect to meet his old friend, doctor Li Xiaodong, in the outpatient clinic of the hospital near his home.
Dr. Li's words made Wang Dazhuang suddenly feel that the sky had fallen.
Wang Dazhuang is a chef who is usually busy with work and irregular eating, coupled with the recent supermarket discounts, he bought a bunch of snacks and desserts to stock up at home.
Recently, the community retirement benefit organized a medical check-up, and this time I didn't expect my blood sugar to spike so high.
He told Dr. Li about his situation, and Dr. Li shook his head, "You can't go on like this, I'm going to tell you about the things you need to pay attention to today." ”
At the hospital, Dr. Li explained in detail the dangers of high blood sugar to Wang Dazhuang and told him some ways to improve his diet.
Dr. Lee mentioned a recent study where mulberries are known as "natural insulin" and are very effective in controlling blood sugar. Wang Dazhuang listened to it with relish and decided to go back and try it.
Dr. Lee continued, "Not only mulberries, but also two summer fruits and vegetables are also helpful in lowering blood sugar. The first is a vegetable that many of us can't eat: bitter gourd. Bitter melon contains bitter melon, which can mimic the action of insulin and help lower blood sugar.
The second type is cucumber, which is low in calories and rich in fiber, which helps control blood sugar levels. After listening to this, Wang Dazhuang wrote down this health knowledge and decided to change his eating habits.
After listening to Dr. Li's explanation, Wang Dazhuang felt that his health problems needed to be taken seriously, and immediately decided to go to the supermarket to buy some healthy food instead of snacks.
He carefully selected fresh mulberries, bitter gourds and cucumbers in the supermarket and prepared to go home to improve his diet.
After returning home, Wang Dazhuang began to study how to cook these healthy ingredients. He first made a mulberry porridge with mulberries, then fried a plate of bitter gourd eggs with bitter gourd, and used cucumbers to make cold cucumbers.
Although the taste was a little bitter, Wang Dazhuang still finished it happily thinking that it was good for his health.
A few days later, Wang Dazhuang felt that his physical condition had improved significantly, and his blood sugar had also dropped somewhat. He was secretly glad that he had met Dr. Li and learned this valuable health knowledge.
The doctor also talked about a patient, Lao Zhang, who also had high blood sugar and often ate foods with high sugar content, which made it difficult to control blood sugar.
Later, Lao Zhang began to follow the doctor's advice, increased the intake of mulberries, bitter gourd and cucumber, and checked his blood sugar regularly, and found that his blood sugar level dropped significantly.
Dr. Lee explains, "The natural ingredients in mulberries help insulin work better and lower blood sugar. The bitter melon in bitter melon has a similar effect, which can greatly promote insulin secretion.
Cucumbers are rich in fiber, which slows down sugar absorption and helps maintain blood sugar stability. These more scientific and healthier knowledge have strengthened Wang Dazhuang's confidence in sticking to a healthy diet.
For example, a study showed that patients who consumed mulberries for a long time had an average 15% drop in blood sugar levels; Another study found that bitter melon extract had a significant effect on blood sugar control in diabetic mice.
Cucumber has a fiber content of up to 95%, which can effectively slow down sugar absorption, which is very beneficial for blood sugar control.
After listening to these data, Wang Dazhuang felt that he had chosen the right direction, and decided to buy these healthy ingredients every week in the future and learn more about healthy eating.
Dr Lee encouraged him to continue to maintain a healthy diet and check his body regularly to ensure that his blood sugar levels were stable.
Later, Wang Dazhuang not only successfully controlled his blood sugar, but also improved his overall health by changing his eating habits. He felt very satisfied and began to spread the health knowledge to his friends and colleagues.
If these good fruits and vegetables are helpful for blood sugar control, can you eat more?
These healthy fruits and vegetables do help control blood sugar, but it doesn't mean that they can be eaten indefinitely. Moderate intake is key.
While ingredients such as mulberries, bitter gourd, and cucumbers have hypoglycemic effects, excessive consumption may lead to other health problems.
First of all, although mulberries contain natural ingredients that can help lower blood sugar, their sugar content is not low, and excessive consumption may cause blood sugar fluctuations.
In addition, mulberries also contain a certain amount of oxalic acid, and excessive intake may affect the absorption of calcium, causing problems such as stones. Therefore, it is enough to eat mulberries in moderation every day, and not in excess.
Although bitter gourd is known as "natural insulin" and has a significant hypoglycemic effect, its bitter component is strong, and long-term consumption of large amounts may irritate the gastrointestinal tract and cause digestive discomfort such as diarrhea and stomach pain.
Therefore, bitter gourd should also be consumed in moderation and eaten with other ingredients as much as possible to reduce the irritation to the digestive system.
In fact, in addition to these, there are some ingredients that have a significant effect on blood sugar control.
For example, oats are rich in β-glucan, which can slow down glucose absorption and control blood sugar levels; Spinach is rich in magnesium, which can help regulate the action of insulin.
Almonds are rich in fiber and healthy fats, which help stabilize blood sugar levels. In addition, sulfides in onions and allicin in garlic have also been shown to help lower blood sugar.
These ingredients can be combined to form a well-rounded healthy diet that can help better control blood sugar levels. By applying this knowledge together, patients can better manage their blood sugar and maintain their health in their daily diet.
Cucumbers are low in calories and rich in fiber, and eating them in moderation is beneficial for blood sugar control. However, cucumbers are cold, and excessive consumption may lead to spleen and stomach deficiency and cold, especially for people with weak digestive function, and should not be eaten more.
Therefore, cucumber can be added to the diet in moderation, but it should not be used as a staple food.
In addition to the ingredients mentioned above, you should also pay attention to a balanced diet, and do not rely on one or a few ingredients alone to control blood sugar.
A varied diet not only provides the nutrients your body needs, but also avoids the side effects that can occur when you overeat a particular ingredient.
These healthy fruits and vegetables can be paired with other high-fiber, low-sugar ingredients, such as oats, spinach, almonds, etc., to form a balanced diet.
To sum up, moderate intake of these healthy fruits and vegetables can indeed help control blood sugar, but not in excess.
Maintaining a varied and balanced diet with a reasonable mix of ingredients can help you manage your blood sugar levels more effectively and maintain your overall health.
A moderate, balanced diet, combined with a good lifestyle, is the best strategy for long-term blood sugar control and health.
Hope it helps, thank you!
References:[1]He Shuihua. Study on chemical composition and hypoglycemic activity of mulberry leaves in Xinjiang medicine[D].Tarim University,2022.DOI:10.27708/d.cnki.gtlmd.2022.000410.