HealingFoodWorks

Teeny tiny, shiny brown flax seeds are good for your blood sugar as well as your heart, so if you haven’t tried them yet, it’s time for a trip to the store.  Buy ground flax seed and grind it yourself in a food processor or coffee grinder.  If you don’t see it in your supermarket, look for it in a natural food store.  Using flax seed may be unusual now but once you start using it its easy to incorporate into your diet. You may enjoy it’s pleasant, nutty flavour.

Flax seed is rich in both protein and fiber (more than 2 g per tablespoon of ground seeds).  It is also a good source of magnesium, a mineral that helps blood sugar control, because it helps cells use insulin.  Several large studies have found that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases when magnesium intake is low.  Even if you already have diabetes, getting plenty of magnesium can help.

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Tags: flax seed, Omega 3 Fatty Acids

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The Greenland Inuit eat an incredibly high fat diet with few vegetables, yet their rate of heart disease is stunningly low.  Chalk it up to all the fatty fish they eat: the staple food in their diet is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids.  You have probably heard that Omega 3′s fend off heart disease – something that could be right around the corner if your blood sugar is stuck in overdrive.  It’s no wonder fish makes our list of perfect foods.

A study at the Harvard School of Public Health found that women (with diabetes) who ate fish just once a week had a 40% lower risk of dying from heart disease then did women (with diabetes) who ate fish less than once a month.

But Omega 3′s do more than protect your heart.  They also quell inflammation in the body, a major contributor to numerous chronic diseases of aging, including insulin resistance and diabetes.  It may even play a role in brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s as well as certain cancers.

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Tags: fish, healthy fats, vitamins

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This penetrating, pungent spice not only is a standout ingredient in strong, flavourful dishes like Indian curry’s, it’s also proven to help tame blood sugar.  In fact, fenugreek supplements are sold for that reason.  New research suggests that it has an uncanny knack for mimicking insulin, which brings down blood sugar.

The yellowish brown seeds, which smell like celery but are more bitter, also pack a soluble fiber punch, which helps lower blood sugar.  One study in animals even suggested that fenugreek could help prevent weight gain, in part by preventing the absorption of fat calories.

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Tags: Fenugreek

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If there is one food that’s developed an undeserved reputation over the years for being bad for your health, its eggs.

Eggs are an excellent, inexpensive source of high quality protein – so high, in fact, the egg protein is the gold standard nutritionist use to read all other proteins.  What makes the protein in eggs superior?  It contains all the essential amino acids (the ones your body can’t make on its own) in just the right proportions.

Because they are all protein and fat, eggs have no impact on your blood sugar, making them a much better breakfast choice than, say, a stack of white flour pancakes.  And like all protein foods, they may help control your appetite by keeping you full longer.  One study found that women who ate two eggs with toast at breakfast felt less hungry before lunch and ate significantly fewer calories during the rest the day.

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Tags: cholesterol, eggs, protein, vitamin d, vitamin k

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Aside from a eggplant parmesan, which contains more fat than two large servings of fast food french fries, eggplant dishes aren’t exactly regulars on most of our tables, but they should be. Voluminous and almost meaty in texture, eggplant is a great addition to pasta because it lets you use less pasta, lowering the glycemic level of the meal, and it still fills your plate.  It is also a fabulous filling for lasagne in place of meat, reducing calories in saturated fat.

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Tags: antioxidant, Eggplant, vitamins

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