As nurses, you dedicate your lives to taking care of others, so you know first-hand just how easy it is to ignore your own health and make poor food choices.
When you’re working the long hours that most nurses do, people tend to grab quick, portable foods that may be convenient, but lead to health complications like Diabetes.
Type II diabetes occurs because the body becomes resistant to insulin or when the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin---this is often connected to an inactive lifestyle, as well as consuming foods that breakdown into sugar.
So in honor of National Diabetes Month, here are a few suggestions for snacks that help keep diabetes at bay.
Apples: Eat these gems fresh or baked, because they’re not only a sweet snack that’s low in calories, it fights bad cholesterol and its high in natural fiber, which stops the natural sugars from causing volatile blood sugar swings.
Avocado: The creamy, delicious flesh of an avocado is a great tool against diabetes, because good fats like avocado help to reverse insulin resistance. Avocado also slows digestion and helps prevent blood sugar spiking after meals.
Beans: Adding beans in your diet twice a week helps to keep blood sugar low due to the high protein and fiber. Pairing beans with a soluble fiber whole grain like barley (instead of rice) is a great way to compound the blood sugar regulating benefits.
Berries: Berries, especially blueberries and red berries (like raspberry) are fibrous and packed with antioxidants. They also contain anthocyanin, a compound scientists say lowers blood sugar by increasing insulin production.
Carrots: While carrots are a fairly sweet veggie, the amount of sugar per carrot is very low, and more importantly, this nutritious gem is teeming with beta-carotene, which is linked to lowering risk of diabetes. If you don’t want to hard crunch, try mixing things up by cutting carrots into thin strips, seasoning them with olive oil, salt and pepper and baking them into carrot “French fries”.
Yogurt: Rich in protein, yogurt, along with other low fat dairy like cheese can help to fight insulin resistance. Nuts: Almonds, walnuts and the like are great choices because the fiber, protein and healthy monounsaturated fat combination responds well to blood sugar.
Oatmeal: This is an old staple for many of us, and for good reason. Oatmeal is packed with soluble figures and it works because it forms a gummy wall between digestive enzymes in your belly and starch in your food.
Peanut Butter: If you thought you had to give up this childhood favorite to avoid diabetes, think again. The monounsaturated fats help to control blood sugar. However, instead of eating it with white bread, try it with a whole grain bread instead. Better yet, you can pair it as a dipping sauce with fruits and veggies like apples and celery.
If you have any other snack recommendations that help to fight diabetes, let us know in the comments, or Tweet us @ceufast.
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