1. Walnuts
Walnuts are already in a heart-healthy league of their own because of their cholesterol-improving powers. And now a small new study suggests that eating walnuts every day may help give blood vessels a much needed tune-up in people with diabetes.
2. Beans
Fiber is great for balancing your blood sugar, but which fiber source is best -- legumes or grains?
Pass the peas, please. In a study, a diet high in lentils, nuts, peas, and other legumes seemed to be more helpful than a diet high in wheat fiber when it came to tamping down blood sugar.
3. Black Tea
There are powerful little chemical compounds in tea -- called polysaccharides -- that may do your blood sugar a bit of good.
And one of the best ways to get them? Black tea. Researchers recently discovered that the polysaccharides in black tea may be tops over those in green or oolong teas. Make mine black!
4. Peanut Butter
There's something sweet and creamy that kids love -- and it may actually be good for your blood sugar.It's not chocolate pudding. It's peanut butter. Adults in a recent study who ate this childhood fave at least five times a week reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes by 27 percent.
5. Cinnamon and Spice
If you could jazz up your cooking and protect yourself from high blood sugar with a sprinkle of this and a dash of that, it's a no-brainer, right? Certain spices could help control high blood sugar or minimize the damage it causes. The kitchen roll call? Cloves, allspice, and cinnamon -- three holiday favorites.
6. Vinegar
You use it for cooking, cleaning, gardening, and a hundred other household chores. But for your blood sugar?
You bet. Seems vinegar -- the tart stuff in tasty vinaigrettes and marinades -- may help clamp down on blood sugar spikes from eating starchy carbs like potatoes and pasta.
7. Magnesium
There's a certain mineral that may help reduce your diabetes risk.
Here's a clue: You might already be getting plenty of it if you eat lots of whole grains, beans, nuts, and leafy greens. It's magnesium -- found naturally in many plant-based foods. Just how much might keep diabetes out of the picture?8. Broccoli
Like going a couple of rounds with Tyson, high blood sugar can do a number on your vital organs. But eating this may give it a one-two punch right back: broccoli.
The tasty green florets are ripped with sulforaphane, a compound that seems to help keep high blood sugar goons on their best behavior, so they do less damage.
9. Lean Protein
Do you feel hungry after exercise? Choose your nosh carefully. Postworkout snacks can have a big impact on how your body uses insulin.
Your best bet? Refuel with a handful of nuts. A little lean protein or some healthy fats can help make your body more insulin sensitive. Translation: Your body absorbs and uses blood sugar more effectively.
10. Coffee
Your daily cup of java may do more than get you going and out the door. It might also reduce your risk for blood sugar disorders.
Research shows that coffee might decrease the risk of developing diabetes by about 25 percent. But watch the sugar.
11. Lentins
For blood sugar as balanced as a Russian gymnast, try adding lentils to your diet.According to Jonny Bowden, PhD, author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, these earthy little legumes are chock-full of soluble fiber -- one of nature's niftiest gifts for keeping blood sugar in check.
12. Eggplant
Your blood sugar will be sure to salute you this Independence Day if you grill up some of this: eggplant.Purple-skinned eggplant is full of phenols that help your body better use blood sugar. And that's great, because you don't need extra blood sugar running around. Too much in the bloodstream could wreak havoc with your organs. But that's not all eggplant's got . . .
