Green Vegetables in a Diabetic Diet
Many people who have been diagnosed with diabetes are searching for more methods of prevention and treatment than just traditional treatment methods. The traditional methods are extremely important to use if a doctor recommends them, but there are many dietary and lifestyle changes that can be made in order to improve diabetic symptoms.
Why Vegetables are So Important
According to a Minnesota School of Public Health study, eating just a few vegetables a day may help ward off diabetes. Carotoid vegetables, such as carrots, tomatoes, kale and spinach, also have been shown to help protect against cancer. According to the same Minnesota School of Public Health study, new research shows that carotoids also help non-smokers prevent diabetes. Researchers are still unsure, but smoking seems to block the protective benefit of carotoid nutrients and according to an article about preventing diabetes on the Healthline website, in 2006, researchers in Alabama evaluated the effects of tobacco exposure on the risk of developing glucose intolerance and both first and second-hand tobacco smoke exposure were linked to risk for developing a resistance to insulin.
Vegetables are important because they are packed full of nutrients, vitamins and minerals that are essential to staying healthy. Vegetables are also an excellent source of fiber.
What Vegetables Should Be Eaten for Diabetes?
Lettuce, broccoli, vegetable juice, spinach, peppers, carrots, green beans, tomatoes, celery, chilies, greens and cabbage are all recommended for the diabetes diet. An example of a serving of one of these vegetables would be approximately half a cup. For a salad, a serving is one cup.
Consumption of vegetables should vary throughout the day, so the diabetic doesn’t get bored. We all should be eating six to eight servings of vegetables a day. We can get one or two servings of vegetables in as snacks by eating half a cup of carrot sticks or adding a small salad and half a cup of fat-free cabbage with our lunch. That would be half of our daily amount by mid-day.
Other Vegetables Recommendations
The vegetables can be either cooked or eaten raw. Raw vegetables as snacks always work well for something fast, with little to no preparation time. For individuals who are always on the run or who work full-time, this is essential. Vegetables can also be steamed in water or broth. Other herbs and spices, such as garlic, Italian seasonings, onion powder and pepper can be used to season cooked vegetables instead of salt, which is not good to include in the diabetic diet. Always cook with olive oil or coconut oil instead of butter or margarine.
