Preventing type 2 diabetes: 4 foods that keep blood sugar levels low

Around 7.5 million people in Germany suffer from type 2 diabetes - mostly due to a poor diet. With the right food, you can not only get the disease under control again, you can even prevent it. We tell you which foods you can use to keep your blood sugar levels low.

via Tanja Seiffert

08/25/2021, 11:38

Salat mit Garnelen — A salad with prawns and a little olive oil is ideal for keeping blood sugar levels low.

Preventing diabetes: foods to combat high blood sugar

If you want to prevent type 2 diabetes or lose weight, you should focus on these foods:

1. brown rice

In contrast to white, polished rice, whole grain rice still contains the nutrient-rich silverskin and seed husks. It contains a lot of fiber, so it fills you up for a long time and is good for digestion. Due to its low glycemic load, the blood sugar level remains low for a long time.

2. rolled oats

The good old oat flakes - they are a superfood in every respect, as our mothers already knew. Instead of eating a sugary ready-made muesli for breakfast (even if they are sugar-reduced), you should mix your own muesli or prepare a delicious porridge. Oatmeal not only keeps you full for hours because it keeps your blood sugar levels low, it also contains valuable ingredients such as vitamins B1, B2, B6, K and E, as well as calcium, potassium, plenty of iron, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc and selenium.

3. berries

Do you love fruit? That's basically a good thing - but we now know that you should also be careful with fruit because of the fructose it contains. The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends two portions a day. Berries contain significantly less sugar - they also prevent inflammation in the body, as they protect us from free radicals with their antioxidants. They are also rich in vitamins and minerals!

4. fish

Fresh fish is not only delicious, it also fills you up - thanks to its high protein content and the amino acids it contains. What is also important is that blood sugar levels rise only slightly after eating fish. Fatty sea fish such as salmon, herring and mackerel are ideal for preventing type 2 diabetes. However, there are also a few types of lean fish such as trout and cod that are also recommended. If you steam the fish, it contains less fat.

How are blood sugar levels and type 2 diabetes linked?

The word "diabetes" clearly comes from sugar - but this is an umbrella term for short-chain carbohydrates, which are found in sweets, white flour products or fruit in the form of fructose. And we eat far too much of it. The short-chain carbohydrates are absorbed very quickly by the intestines and passed into the blood - with the result that the blood sugar level rises sharply and then falls again rapidly. And this triggers food cravings. If there is always too much insulin in the blood to break down the sugar, you will eventually become diabetic.

So if you want to lose weight or prevent type 2 diabetes, you should eat good, long-chain carbohydrates, such as those found in wholegrain products and vegetables. They keep you full for a long time and keep blood sugar levels low.