Blood Sugar Levels Can Be Lowered!

Blood sugar levels can be prevented from spiking… you already know that fiber can play a part in helping you to lower and maintain more stable blood sugar levels. One of the foods which has a boatload of fiber and is allowed to have heart healthy package labeling from the USDA,is oatmeal and oats. Oatmeal is a food that many adults remember from childhood breakfasts but have unfortunately eliminated from their diet as they have grown up.

First Thing’s First: Switch from Refined to Whole Grains:

Overall, whole grains may be good for you but unlike sugary cereals or pasta, they are just not very exciting. In fact, for some people whole-grain breads and cereals often pale in contrast to other choices. Many people grew up with white bread and have a hard time changing from refined breads to whole-grain breads. But if you are serious about controlling your type 2 diabetes you have to work some serious fiber into your diet.

If you think whole wheat, rye or barley are just a little too different or even too strongly flavored, the answer you may have been looking for is oatmeal and other oat products. They make:

cereals breads crackers snack bars desserts and many other food items with oatmeal.

Best of all, foods made with oatmeal often have minimal amounts of fat and cholesterol.

Why Oat Fiber Matters:

Foods high in fiber are particularly good for diabetics because they don’t spike your blood sugar levels quickly. They are processed more slowly by your body than other types of carbohydrates, such as fruit juices or sweet desserts. Every day you should eat between twenty and thirty-five grams of fiber, whether it comes from grains, beans, vegetables (and of course) oats!

There are many ways to consume oats. Having oatmeal for breakfast can provide four grams of fiber. You can add to that with an oatmeal bread sandwich for lunch. Oat bread is tasty and can have up to 6 grams of fiber per serving. Some people don’t like bread with lots of seeds and nuts… and oatmeal bread with its smooth texture is the perfect option for a high fiber bread option.

Benefits of Oatmeal:

Oatmeal bread and other oat foods can not only help diabetics by stabilizing blood sugar levels but can help reduce “bad” cholesterol and raise “good” cholesterol levels. This can aid in the prevention of heart attacks and strokes. Most people who have type 2 diabetes die from heart problems, not diabetes itself. Oatmeal can actually attach itself to the bad cholesterol and take it out of your blood vessels.

Unlike refined grains, oatmeal has lots of vitamins and minerals, which research shows have a positive effect on diabetes management. For example, oatmeal is unusually high in B-complex vitamins, calcium, vitamin A and iron.

The only way oatmeal can be harmful to you, is if you eat too much at one sitting. Like all carbs, it needs to be part of your overall goal of weight loss. Three bowls of oatmeal as a snack should not be part of most people’s plan! However, including oats into your diet is one of the smartest moves you can make for reversing diabetes.