Type 2 diabetes is a condition that causes a person’s blood sugar (glucose) level to become too high. High blood sugar levels can seriously damage parts of the body, including the feet, eyes and nerves. One of the causes of type 2 diabetes is a poor diet, so eating certain foods can help manage blood sugar levels. Alongside cutting down on sugar, fat and salt and eating a wide range of foods such as fruit, vegetables and some starchy foods like pasta, researchers have found specific foods to have blood sugar-lowering properties. One food which is a popular choice at breakfast, that’s also been found to improve blood sugar levels, is eggs.
In one study, people with type 2 diabetes who consumed two eggs daily as part of a high-protein diet showed improvements in blood sugar levels
In one study, people with type 2 diabetes who consumed two eggs daily as part of a high-protein diet showed improvements in blood sugar levels.
The NHS states eggs are a good choice as part of a healthy, balanced diet, which is recommended for type 2 diabetes.
As well as being a source of protein, eggs also contain vitamins and minerals.
The health body adds: “There is no recommended limit on how many eggs people should eat.
“Eggs can be enjoyed as part of a healthy, balanced diet, but it’s best to cook them without adding salt or fat.
“For example, boiled or poached, without added salt, scrambled without butter and using low-fat milk instead of cream.
“Frying eggs can increase their fat content by around 50 per cent.”
One popular breakfast food which may have a negative impact on blood sugar are bagels.
Speaking to Prevention, Matthew Freeby, MD, director of the Gonda Diabetes Center at UCLA Health, said: “Many of my patients with diabetes think about sugar as being the worst thing that’s impacting their blood sugar, but it’s really about carbohydrates.
“I tell them to look at nutrition labels for the total carbohydrate content, not just the sugar content.
“Donuts and bagels made with refined and processed grains are major sources of blood-sugar-spiking carbs.”
Foods outside of breakfast have also been found to help lower blood sugar.
Several controlled studies have shown the spice cinnamon can lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity.
One study demonstrated type 2 diabetes patients who took cinnamon for 90 days had more than a double reduction in haemoglobin A1C (a form of haemoglobin that is covalently bound to glucose) than those who only received standard care.
The study was titled ‘Effectiveness of cinnamon for lowering hemoglobin A1C in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, controlled trial’.
In three trials involving cinnamon cassia, fasting glucose levels fell by between 10.3 per cent and 29 per cent with no significant changes in those on placebo.
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