What foods lower blood sugar?

On a question to whom and why, except diabetics, you need to eat foods that lower blood sugar, we will answer with an example that is familiar to many, it simply did not attach importance to it.

Well, in the yard, the spring, the sun, everything blooms and becomes beautiful, and the body simply does not give joy to life. Then abruptly comes an incredible weakness, then you get tired, although you did not strain hard at work.

Just thought about beriberi, and then there were other suspicious symptoms: causeless itching over the skin, severe thirst and dry mouth. You start to notice that the appetite has become "wolf", and wounds, even small ones, surprisingly slowly heal.

And suddenly at some point comes the realization that the body signals violations in his work, and therefore, just right hurry to the polyclinic to take a blood test for sugar, which will clarify the situation.

Is the sugar level elevated? This is not a verdict, it's just time to take care of yourself and pay attention to sugar-reducing foods.

Why does the blood sugar rise?

Sugar falls into our body together with food products that are rich in carbohydrates. As a result of chemical reactions involving carbohydrates, glucose is formed. It is then found in the blood during laboratory tests.

Laboratory testing of blood for sugar is carried out using special reagents, under the influence of which the blood begins to change color. The intensity of the color of the liquid determines the concentration of glucose. The study of blood is carried out using a special device - photoelectromancer.

The presence of glucose in the blood is not a pathology, because it is needed by the body as one of the main sources of energy for the performance of life. It is thanks to the energy obtained from glucose that many chemical reactions and biological processes are carried out in the body.

In order for glucose to acquire the form of energy, we need a component that splits it into its components. This component is considered a hormone produced by the pancreas. The name of this component is insulin. As a result of interaction with insulin, part of the glucose is converted into energy, and a small amount of it in unchanged form enters the blood.

With the rational nutrition and smooth operation of the pancreas, the sugar content in the blood is more or less stable. But if we consume a lot of carbohydrates (especially sweets, sweets, creams and cakes), thereby increasing the load on the pancreas. She can not produce the amount of insulin that could react with a large amount of sugar coming from the food, which means that the remains of glucose remain unchanged in the blood.

The blood test will show an increase in the level of glucose, and the body will signal a worsening of the state of health (the symptoms of prediabetes) about the current situation, which can stabilize with proper nutrition, but if you do not pay attention to it for a long time, it can go to the real pathology - type 2 diabetes.

This process will be accompanied by a gradual increase in blood sugar until it reaches critical levels. The reason for this is a constant overload of the pancreas, which is depleted and begins to produce less and less insulin.

In principle, a violation of the functionality of the pancreas can be caused by other causes, except for a large number of consumed carbohydrates. It, like any organ involved in the digestion process, is affected by the intake of fatty, fried, heavy food, which hinders the work of the organ, the abuse of spicy food, sauces, marinades and seasonings that irritate the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal organs and cause their inflammation, the presence of a bacterial infection , supporting this process, as well as the impact of stress factors that reduce local immunity.

All of the above factors plus bad habits, overeating, lack of sleep, poor ecology, disregard for their health and financial difficulties, which do not allow timely treatment of health disorders, have the most negative impact on the pancreas. And as a result, the increase in the incidence of pre-diabetes and diabetes, which are characterized by the symptoms that we described at the very beginning of the article. And after all these signs speak about the raised level of not processed glucose and that it is a high time to study the products lowering sugar in blood and to reconsider the ration in their advantage.

How to understand that blood sugar is elevated?

Many of the described symptoms, characteristic of the pre-diabetic state, characterized by an elevated blood sugar level, are present in other pathologies and conditions, so it is not worthwhile diagnosing them. But to check the sugar once again does not hurt.

It can be done in the laboratory of any medical institution, where, after hearing about the symptoms, they are sure to be asked to take a blood test for sugar. The main thing is not to forget that the blood test for sugar needs to be given on an empty stomach, otherwise its results will be incorrect.

But, thanks to technical progress, many people do not need to run to a clinic or hospital, wait for a doctor to write a referral for analysis, and then one more turn to make this analysis and after a while receive the answer: blood sugar is raised or the malaise was caused by another cause.

Today you can find out the blood sugar level without leaving home. To do this, you need only once to get a personal glucometer in the pharmacy, which is indispensable for pathologies with high blood glucose levels, when its content must be constantly monitored.

The reader will say: Well, I'll get a glucometer, and what the figures on the display will tell me, if I do not know which parameters are the norm, and which ones indicate a pathology? Really with the glucometer again it is necessary to run to the doctor and stand in line to decipher the indications?

That is unnecessary. It is enough to know the extreme values of the norm and the figures that will tell about the pathology, if, of course, they will be repeated from day to day. On the other hand, a one-time increase in blood sugar, caused by the fact that on the eve you overeat candy or sweets, is unlikely to cause a significant symptom, which is a cause for concern.

There are special tables developed by medical scientists who accurately calculate the rates of norm and pathology, based on the age and sex of the patient.

But, even after discovering that the blood sugar level is slightly higher than normal, it is not necessary to sound the alarm and flee to the pharmacy for anti-glycemic drugs. This is an extreme measure in diagnosed diabetes mellitus or prediabetes with a greatly reduced function of the pancreas. In more mild cases, everything is corrected by a diet, in the menu of which must necessarily include foods that lower blood sugar.

What foods reduce blood sugar?

The reader will be right if he says that it is difficult to adjust the diet if you do not know if the products used for the pancreas responsible for glucose metabolism are useful, whether they can make it easier to work and lower the blood sugar level. Let's try to understand this issue together.

All foods used in food are divided into 3 categories according to the hypoglycemic index (GI), which shows how the product is able to increase the sugar content in the blood. The lower the hypoglycemic index, the safer the product for people who have a blood sugar index higher than normal, and, of course, for patients with diabetes.

The first group of products has a high hypoglycemic index (more than 70), which means that they are able to increase the level of sugar in the blood. Do not think that the category of these products includes only sweets and pastries, among them there are also fruits and drinks.

It is clear that the products with the index of 70 and above include sweets, including chocolate, various sweets (except marmalade), honey. You can also include your favorite desserts and confectionery products (wafers, sweet cookies, cakes, pastries). By the way, as far as chocolate is concerned, only milk chocolate and chocolate bars differ by a high GI equal to 70, while in dark chocolate with a high content of cocoa, GI varies in the range of 20-30.

A high hypoglycemic index also distinguishes many dough products, which at first glance contain very little sugar or do not contain it at all: baking pastry, bakery products from high-grade flour, various kinds of pasta, for the production of which flour was used from soft wheat varieties. Even dietary wheat loaves can not boast of low GI, they have 75.

• Products with a high glycemic index

Oddly enough, the hypoglycemic index (GI) above 70 (for comparison, for pure glucose it is equal to 100) is noted in products classified as fast food, although at first glance they almost do not contain sugar.

With regard to vegetables and fruits, people with high blood sugar will have to give up eating sweet fruits and sweet boiled vegetables. High potato (95) potatoes are different if it is used in the baked and fried form or as part of casseroles, as well as boiled and stewed carrots. And even mashed potatoes with GI equal to 83 are hardly suitable for nutrition with elevated blood sugar. Very high GI equal to 146 in dates.

And among beverages, a high hypoglycemic index can boast beer (66-110 depending on the variety), juice juices with juice, carbonated sweet drinks (70).

Of cereals, high GI have round rice (90), millet (71), semolina and pearl barley (70). What is important, the cereals themselves can have a high GI, but the porridge of them is lower. For example, in a dairy mango, the GI is 65, in a viscous captive - 50, while in a pearl barrel on water it is at all 22.

If the GI score is in the range of 40 to 70, it is said that the product has an average hypoglycemic index.

For sweets with medium GI can be attributed marshmallows, marmalade, pastille. Of sweet foods, such an index has ice cream, jam and jams, raisins. Of vegetables, the index is 65 for boiled beets and potatoes in "uniforms," 60 for melons.

The average hypoglycemic index has black bread on yeast, rye bread, bezzhozhzhevoy white bread, pasta and vermicelli from durum wheat.

Average GI in many overseas fruits: bananas, coconut, pineapple, kiwi, papaya, mango, figs, as well as cranberries, grapes, melons. Average indices of GI are different than many juices without sugar: apple, blueberry, grape, grapefruit, carrot, and also canned peaches, vegetable preservation.

From buckwheat, the Gy index within 40-65 is buckwheat, wheat and oat groats (flakes). This category of products includes also ketchup and mayonnaise, some alcoholic beverages: dry wines, champagne brut, some types of beer.

And finally, products with a low hypoglycemic index. Their index is in the range 0-35. These are the very products that lower blood sugar, which should constitute the main part of the diet of people with poor analysis.

The lowest GI is equal to 0 for seafood, vodka and cognac, soy sauce. The index of 5 has crayfish, various seasonings and spices. The overseas fruit of avocado also has a very low index - only 10 units. Quietly in large quantities you can eat and leaf salad, but mushrooms with the same GI abuse is not worth it, because this product is difficult to digest, although the level of sugar is not affected.

A large number of products has a GI index of 15. These vegetables: spinach, onions, zucchini, rhubarb, cucumber, radish, dill. Various types and varieties of cabbage, including sauerkraut and stewed cabbage, are also useful. This also includes green beans (in the ripe beans the index is also low - only 25 units), red bell pepper, black currant.

A little higher index (20-30) for many fruits: cherry, gooseberry, apricot, quince. Here you can also include berries: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, red currants and others. From vegetables, you can note garlic, eggplant, artichoke, raw carrots, tomatoes.

Low GI has many legumes, as well as overseas fruits (pomelo, passion fruit, mandarins, grapefruit, oranges, pomelo, pomegranate).

• Products with a low glycemic index

The index for peaches and nectarines is slightly higher (even if they are rather sweet), plums and apples.

Products with a low hypoglycemic index include milk and dairy or sour-milk products without sugar, tomato and lemon juices, cocoa, canned peas, corn (incidentally, canned corn has an index of 35, and 55, and refers to products with medium GI) sunflower seeds, nuts, poppy seeds.

Of cereals, the lowest GI in the yachka (barley cereal), as well as porridge from it.

As for protein products of animal origin (any sorts of meat and fish, poultry, eggs), the level of glucose in them is negligible, which means that they can be safely incorporated into their diet.

But much depends on the way of cooking and the composition of the dishes. For example, roast beef liver and omelet from chicken eggs have average GI parameters, cooked sausage products GI within 25-30, and boiled meat - 0. If you fry or bake meat with vegetables, respectively, and increase the hypoglycemic index of the dish, and if there is one with a salad of raw vegetables, GI is unlikely to change much. The problem is that the heat treatment increases the hypoglycemic index of vegetables, but it reduces Gi-cereals, especially if one prepares viscous porridges.

Those who are interested in this issue in more detail, we advise you to study a special table, where all products are prescribed in accordance with their hypoglycemic index. In the meantime, let's talk about those for whom such a table should become the second Bible.

Diabetic nutrition

Especially carefully it is necessary to approach the selection of foods and the composition of foods to people who have diabetes mellitus. The pancreas in these people is so weakened that it no longer cope with its function of producing insulin. And without insulin, glucose will not turn into energy, but in its original form will go to the blood, causing all those unpleasant symptoms, which we recalled at the beginning of the article.

But in itself, diabetes is not so bad. Much worse is its complication, which occurs if a person does not receive insulin from outside (with a critical deficit) and does not adhere to a special diet. Products that reduce blood sugar in diabetes are the basis of the diet and a real rescue for patients.

We will not focus on the indicators of GI products, because they can always be found in a special table. Let us dwell only on what products are considered useful in diabetes mellitus.

Read also:

• Diabetes Diet
• Diet 9 with diabetes mellitus
• Diabetes with type 2 diabetes
• Nutrition for type 2 diabetes mellitus

Vegetables.  Without them, it is difficult to imagine a full table, because it is a storehouse of vitamins and microcells necessary for man. And if we take into account the richness of the taste, which the vegetables attach to everyday and festive dishes, they can not be excluded from the menu. And is it necessary to do this?

Most vegetables have an average and low hypoglycemic index, so they can not worsen the condition of people with diabetes. Eggplant and zucchini, onion and garlic, raw carrots, bell peppers, radish, cucumber and tomato - how many delicious dishes can be prepared from these vegetables in our strip! But with a carrot, you still need to be more careful, it is better to use diabetics only in its raw form, since heat treatment significantly increases the GI of this vegetable.

Also useful for diabetes are artichoke, any greens and green leafy vegetables, different kinds of cabbage. But potatoes and pumpkin in diabetes are not to be fond of, despite the fact that the latter improves the metabolism. However, it is not necessary to completely exclude from the diet. A small piece of fresh pumpkin and potato, cooked in a "uniform", a couple of times a week is unlikely to significantly increase the level of glucose in the body.

Fruits and berries. This is a favorite delicacy of adults and children, the safest dessert that you can think of (though not with allergies). Is it possible to provide a full meal without fruits? The answer is, of course, no. So, these delicious fruits, given to us by nature, must necessarily be present in the diet of diabetics.

True, not all fruits are useful for diabetics. The use of sweet fruit varieties will have to be limited. Persimmon, grapes, raisins, sweet apricots and dried apricots, as well as many citrus fruits - are not fruits for every day. All of them are characterized by an average GI, and therefore, consuming them in large quantities, it is possible to raise the blood sugar level, but 2-3 times a week they can be eaten a little.

But sweet and sour apricots, apples, quince, pear, plum, and sour lemon are quite suitable for daily nutrition, as well as the bulk of fragrant and healthy berries. Currant and gooseberries, raspberries and strawberries, strawberries and blackberries are an incomplete list of delicacies that patients with diabetes can afford. The exception is the biggest berry that grows in our land, watermelon, because its GI is 70 units, which is considered a high index.

Some fruits have an interesting property that makes them useful regardless of the hypoglycemic index. So, an orange (GI within 35-50 depending on the variety) contains a lot of fiber, which inhibits the absorption of glucose, which means that it is considered useful in diabetes. On the juice, however, you will not say the same, he has a larger index, and less fiber. A lemon itself has a small index, but still does not allow you to influence the level of sugar in the blood of other foods.

Cereals and legumes.  Different types and varieties of cereals can have a different hypoglycemic index. At some grains it is high enough. But is it worth worrying about, if people use cereals in the form of cereals in the composition of cereals, which are usually lower than in whole, thermally unprocessed grains.

And how can you refuse cereals if they contain a lot of microelements and vitamins necessary for our body, and fiber, which makes it possible to quickly reduce blood sugar.

In this regard, all the porridges will be useful:

• Barley porridge is the most suitable because of the low GI of cereals.
• Corn, having a small GI, is able to actively reduce the level of glucose in the blood.
• Oatmeal, millet and buckwheat are not only easy to digest, but also help to reduce weight. In this case, GI croup is considered to be one of the smallest.
• Pearl barley is considered to be a source of vegetable protein and nutrients.
• Wheat porridge with a low hypoglycemic index improves metabolism, which is extremely important in diabetes.

As with diabetes, and as a general restorative, especially useful is sprouted wheat, the sprouts of which contain the maximum number of necessary trace elements. But semolina porridge, alas, is not considered welcome guests on the table of patients with diabetes.

As for legumes, almost all of them have a small GI and are considered useful in diabetes. Lentils, soybeans and beans not only diversify the table of people with high blood sugar, but also help them to effectively stabilize the condition.

A porridge and soups made of peas even help the body of a diabetes mellitis to absorb insulin from the outside, which means that they are doubly useful in diabetes.

Milk and sour-milk products. Milk is a product that gives life, it's not for nothing that milk becomes the first food of a newborn, supplying the growing body with all the necessary substances. However, there are so many disputes around this product that it is difficult to say whether it has value for an adult, and even more so with pathologies of metabolism.

Even the nutritionists argue about the benefits of milk for diabetics. It is believed that a small amount of low-fat milk (including dishes with its content) can not raise blood sugar, because its GI ranges from 25-35 units. But paired and fatty milk with diabetes is undesirable.

As for sour-milk products, then for diabetics expanse. The choice they have is great, the main thing is that the product has a small percentage of fat content. Ryazhenka, kefir, natural yoghurt without additives and with the addition of berries and fruits, low-fat cottage cheese will help to keep the microflora of the body in order, and also to replenish the stores of calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and other important microelements.

A real discovery for diabetics will be milk whey. This low-calorie product effectively quenches thirst, helps fight excess weight and regulates blood sugar levels.

Fish and seafood. Fish is the source of animal protein, phosphorus, calcium, copper and other important microelements to the body. Sea fish is especially useful. GI fish is actually 0, because it does not contain carbohydrates, and therefore very useful in diabetes.

As for seafood, shrimps, oysters, mussels and other delicacies have extremely low GI, which makes them a welcome guest in diabetics. They are valued for their rich mineral composition and their ability to reduce blood sugar levels.

The sea cabbage (kelp) is very useful for sea people. Not only does it have a GI of only 22 units, so it is considered one of the most useful products on our table.

Meat products, eggs, nuts. Meat, eggs and nuts are the main suppliers of protein to the human body. Refusing to use them is quite dangerous, as there are them in large numbers. With diabetes, the use of all these products is allowed, because their GI is very small. But the preference is still to be given to low-fat, easily assimilated varieties of meat, so as not to overload the pancreas.

Nuts and eggs are also recommended to eat in small quantities: eggs due to the ability to raise cholesterol in the blood, and nuts because of their high caloric value.

Seasonings and spices. Almost all of our favorite spices can be attributed to products that lower blood sugar. They help to diversify the table of diabetes, because any spice allows you to make something new, special, from the usual dish.

Particularly useful in terms of normalizing blood sugar are dried garlic, dill, parsley, red and black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, ginger. They can be added to various dishes, thereby making them not only tasty, but also useful

Products from flour. Here the choice of products for diabetics is very limited. In a limited number, they can eat rye bread and products from wholemeal flour baked without the addition of yeast.

Macaroni products also need to be bought from flour of durum wheat, using them in small portions and not every day.

Mushrooms. It is very useful in diabetes, because it has a hypoglycemic index of only 10 units (for example, salted mushrooms) and many useful substances. True, fungi are considered to be difficult for digestion by the product, therefore there are many undesirable even healthy people, not to mention those whose pancreas is greatly weakened.

Beverages.  As for drinks that are useful for diabetics, preference should be given to fruit, vegetable juices and fruit and berries with low GI, fruit and berries, and also whey. Useful will be clean water and tea without sugar (you can add a little low-fat milk).

With regard to alcoholic beverages such as vodka, cognac, liquor, etc., we can say that, although they have a small GI, their benefit with diabetes is very doubtful. And the use of beer can be even dangerous, because its GI is very high, leaving behind itself the index of glucose itself.

As we see, with the right approach to nutrition, keeping blood sugar under control is not so difficult even with such a serious pathology as diabetes. And what about the situation during pregnancy, when a certain percentage of women notice an increase in blood glucose levels?

Increased sugar in pregnancy

By adjusting to the reproduction of a new life, the organism of the future mother starts to work at a different pace than usual, so many processes in it proceed differently. For example, the production of insulin pancreas increases, because it is necessary for processing a large number of carbohydrates, which are needed to provide energy to the mother and fetus organisms.

It would seem that a large secretion of insulin should reduce the level of sugar in the blood. In fact, this is the case if the pancreas of a pregnant woman works without failures. Otherwise, the increase in blood glucose can not be avoided, which is quite often observed during pregnancy.

Normally, the sugar in the blood of the expectant mother should be in the range of 3.3-5.1 mmol / l. Both the reduction and the increase of this indicator should cause caution.

A low level of sugar can signal a high probability of formation in the body of ketones, which have significant toxicity, and therefore you need to do everything possible to bring the sugar values back to normal.

Even worse, if the sugar content in the blood exceeds the norm, i.e. Is in the range of 5.1-7 mmol / l. This suggests that the pregnant woman begins gestational diabetes. Despite the fact that this pathology is considered temporary, and its manifestations disappear after the birth of the baby, it is impossible to leave everything as it is.

The fact is that even a slight increase in the blood sugar level in a future mother increases the risk of premature birth or fetal death. Against the background of increased blood sugar in women can develop late toxicosis (the so-called gestosis of pregnant women), dangerous by a decrease in estrogen levels, fetal hypoxia, intrauterine growth disorders due to developing placental insufficiency, premature birth.

An increased level of glucose in the blood can provoke a dangerous condition called polyhydramnios, the consequences of which are, again, oxygen starvation of the fetus, improper presentation of the fetus, twisting the umbilical cord.

Possible pathologies in infants whose mothers during pregnancy had high blood glucose values: diabetic fetopathy, abnormal development of the skeleton, underdevelopment of the lungs (which often results in the death of the baby in the first minutes after birth), congenital malformations of the various organs (heart, brain, organs urogenital system).

Particularly dangerous is the condition when the pregnant woman's acar rises to 7 mmol / l and above. This is no longer a temporary pathology, but a true diabetes mellitus, the treatment of which will have to continue not only during the remaining period of pregnancy, but also after childbirth.

During pregnancy, the blood composition is monitored, but the analysis for sugar 2-3 times for the entire pregnancy (at a greater risk of developing diabetes a little more often). But a woman herself can notice suspicious symptoms and alarm.

Such symptoms are: sudden increase in appetite, constantly tormenting thirst, jumps of arterial pressure, soreness and violation of urination, increased weakness and drowsiness.

With a confirmed diagnosis, the future mother and doctors will have to fight for the life of the baby during the entire time remaining before the birth, trying to reduce the sugar level in the woman's blood. Ate blood sugar is very high, without sugar-reducing drugs, it is very difficult to manage. But while sugar values during pregnancy are in the interval between the norm and the critical value, you can fight for yourself and your child with products that reduce blood sugar.

What foods will reduce sugar during pregnancy?

This question is of concern to many women who are faced with the problem of increasing blood sugar during pregnancy. After all, on the one hand, a woman should eat well, providing energy to herself and her child, and on the other hand, to limit herself by adhering to a special diet that excludes many useful products, which unfortunately have an average or high hypoglycemic index (GI).

The main supplier of glucose in the body are digestible carbohydrates. This fatty milk and dairy products, sweets and confectionery products, baked goods of high quality flour, fatty meat and lard, sausages, mayonnaise. The use of such products with an elevated blood glucose level should be reduced to zero. To forget it is necessary and about such dainties as sweet shop juices and the aerated drinks, and also sweet grades of fruit which GI is high enough.

But this does not mean that you need to lean on hard-to-digest carbohydrates (various kinds of pasta, bread products, cereals). It is necessary to know the norm in everything, especially during pregnancy.

There is a truth and such foods, the use of which helps to lower the level of sugar in the blood. Products that lower blood sugar during pregnancy are fresh cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage, green vegetables, Jerusalem artichoke, radish and many other vegetables. And also lemon, blueberries, buckwheat porridge, freshly squeezed vegetable and fruit juices without sugar, seafood and many other gifts of nature and dishes from them.

It is important for future mothers to know that GI is not the only indicator of the suitability of the product for food with elevated blood sugar. After all, some products are able to reduce the assimilation of glucose released from other products, and thus in this way it is possible to compensate for the effect of the latter.

Let us consider in more detail products that reduce sugar in the blood during pregnancy, allowing the expectant mother to eat fully:

• Sea fish and seafood, red fish, inhabiting rivers. They contain a large amount of necessary for the body to carry out various metabolic processes of omega-3 fatty acids, which regulate and exchange glucose including.
• Beef meat. It contains linoleic acid, which regulates the exchange of glucose in the body. The meat itself has GI equal to 0.
• Green vegetables and tomatoes. They contain a special component (quercetin), which helps reduce blood sugar, reducing (like fish) the risk of developing diabetes by 25 percent.

• Lemon and lemon juice. This bright aromatic and sour citrus, having low GI and calorie content, also reduces the rate of absorption of glucose from other foods that are famous for a higher hypoglycemic index. With the help of lemon juice, various dishes can be controlled not only by weight, but also by sugar in the blood.

But most importantly, the active fighter for the sugar is fiber. Alas, many products with low GI do not contain it or it is present in small amounts. But after all, fiber to a pregnant woman is very necessary, because it improves the process of digestion, controls weight and facilitates defecation, which during this period becomes problematic. What is the way out of this situation?

The way out is: pay attention not only to products that lower blood sugar levels, but also to those that are able to keep this level in the norm. As a rule, such products contain enough fiber.

Indicative in this regard, fresh cabbage, which contains a lot of fiber and beneficial to the body of substances. To cabbage had only a positive effect, you need to choose vegetables harvested in your garden without the addition of fertilizers and away from the industrial zone.

But with cabbage you need to be careful. Elevated blood sugar indicates a lack of functionality of the pancreas, for which coarse cabbage is not the best choice. To somehow soften the hard leaf and make it easier to digest it is better to use cabbage in boiled or stewed form and in not very large quantities. Even if the GI of a thermally processed vegetable is slightly higher, but not at all much.

Oatmeal (or rather, cereal) is also capable of lowering the blood sugar level of a pregnant woman, because it contains a decent amount of the same fiber that regulates the glucose content. In addition, oatmeal is considered a useful light dish for breakfast of the future mother, especially if you add fragrant fruit and berries to it, as well as a small pinch of cinnamon (cinnamon among spices is considered one of the best in terms of reducing sugar).

Useful for keeping the sugar level under control is also buckwheat, dishes from which will please a pregnant woman at any time of the day. For a change, you can buy buckwheat bran, as a source of pure and useful vegetable fiber, and use them with yogurt or yogurt.

It helps to normalize blood sugar and ease defecation during pregnancy a product that has many names: ground pear, sweet potato, sweet potato, Jerusalem artichoke. This product has a slightly sweetish flavor, but unlike conventional potato it has a small value of the hypoglycemic index, besides it can be used fresh with butter or in vegetable salads.

Rich in fiber, useful vegetable fats and protein are considered nuts. Using them a little (5-6 nuts) only once a day can reduce the risk of diabetes by almost a third. In this case, all the nuts we are popular with are useful: almonds, walnuts, hazelnut (hazelnuts or hazelnuts), peanuts, cashews, etc. True, do not forget about the high caloric content of the product, so more than 50 g per day it is not recommended to eat.

We have already mentioned cinnamon, and how much for nothing. After all, it can reduce not only the level of sugar, but also the content of cholesterol in the blood, protecting from it blood vessels that provide the supply of blood, and hence oxygen, in the tissues of the mother and the fetus (a similar property is also possessed by the onion). However, the aromatic spice is so actively fighting with excess sugar that it can reduce it too much, and hypoglycemia, as we know, is quite a dangerous condition, especially in pregnancy.

Useful in pregnancy will be a cherry, protecting the heart. As an antioxidant and a product rich in easily digestible fiber, it effectively solves the problem of increased sugar and helps the heart.

Among citrus fruits rich in vitamin C and rutin, in addition to lemon, grapefruit should also be isolated. This useful overseas fruit also reduces blood sugar.

From the foreign "guests", avocados are also valued as a sugar reducing agent. In addition, it is a storehouse of trace elements (potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, etc.) and vitamins necessary for mom, and growing up in her womb baby.

Raw garlic in a small amount is able to stimulate the pancreas and the production of insulin. Adding it little by little in different dishes, you can put in order the exchange of glucose in the body.

Of vegetables that can control the blood sugar content, pregnant women with the problem of hyperglycemia will be useful tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant and zucchini (with the exception of zucchini), green leafy vegetables (parsley, spinach, asparagus, dill, various kinds of lettuce). Useful are also legumes (beans, peas, soybeans) and mushrooms.

About these products we can say that they reduce the level of sugar in the blood by reducing the rate of its absorption in the intestine.

When preparing a diet, a pregnant woman with high blood sugar needs to know some important points:

• As we already mentioned above, preference should be given to raw vegetables. The fact is that the thermal treatment of vegetables can significantly increase their hypoglycemic index, and then seemingly safe in this regard, vegetables with GI within 30-40 can go into the category of products with a high index, which are not recommended for consumption.

This applies to vegetables such as beets, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin. Juices from these vegetables will not raise the level of sugar in the blood, which means that they can and should be consumed during pregnancy. But mashed potatoes, salads, casseroles and soups can adversely affect the condition of the future mother, if the sugar in her blood is already elevated.

• As for grains and starchy vegetables, their heat treatment increases GI dishes not by chance. The reason is starch, which is considered a complex carbohydrate. Long-term boiling or heating promotes the conversion of starch into an easily digestible form. It is for this reason that the hypoglycemic index of potatoes or macaroni from soft wheat varieties in ready-made dishes is so high.

Nutritionists recommend in a dish to combine starchy foods with vegetables, GI of which remains sufficiently low after processing, and also supplement with fresh leaf vegetables and herbs.

• Adding vegetable fats to the dishes can reduce the absorption of carbohydrates, which can not be said about fats of animal origin. Useful will be sunflower, linseed, corn and especially olive oil.
• In order to keep the sugar level under control, it is recommended to take into account not only the hypoglycemic index of the consumed products, but also the portion size. If you eat in small portions, but more often (the principle of fractional nutrition), the sugar level will not rise so quickly and not to critical indicators.

A pregnant woman, accustomed to eating for two, this principle may seem absurd, because in that case she will most likely feel constantly hungry. In fact, the problem is solved by thorough chewing food and lack of haste during meals. In this case, the feeling of satiation will come just at the end of the meal, and the woman will not be hungry. And the daily norm of products with fractional food does not become smaller, it simply breaks down into more parts.

Elevated blood sugar levels during pregnancy, no matter how dangerous the situation may seem, is actually considered a problem to be solved. It is only necessary to adjust your diet, to facilitate the work of the pancreas and soon everything will return to normal. The main thing is to include in the diet products that lower blood sugar, and to limit the use of those that are capable of exerting a reverse effect, preventing the rise in glucose levels to critical indicators and the development of diabetes mellitus. And then neither the future mother, nor her precious child will not be in danger.