Sugar is one of the worst things you can add to your diet and if you want to stay healthy, you need to pay attention to your blood sugar levels. High blood sugar can eventually lead to serious health issues like diabetes. It also increases your chances of heart problems, strokes, kidney disease, and vision problems. 

The most obvious way to reduce your blood sugar is to avoid any foods and drinks with lots of added sugar. However, cutting out sodas doesn’t guarantee your blood sugar levels will be healthy because lots of foods have sugar, even if you don’t necessarily realize it. Often, people have high blood sugar levels because they are eating the wrong type of carbs, which then turn into sugar as they are digested. 

The good news is, there are a lot of great foods that have been shown to help regulate and lower your blood sugar levels. By adding more of these foods to your diet on a regular basis, you can improve your overall health and avoid any serious problems in the future. Being healthy doesn’t have to mean sacrificing flavor either because they’re all delicious foods. These are some of the best foods to add to your diet if you want to regulate your blood sugar levels. 

Vegetables 

Image Source – Pixabay CCO License

It’s no secret that vegetables are great for you and you should add plenty of them to your diet, but did you know that they are excellent for managing blood sugar levels too? People often rely on starchy carbs like potatoes and bread to make them feel full, but this will cause your blood sugar levels to skyrocket. Vegetables are very low in calories, so you can afford to load up on them instead of eating carbs, so you still feel full. You’ll also get a lot of great nutrients too, so it’s a win-win. 

When preparing vegetables, you should try roasting them instead of boiling them because they retain more of their nutritional value. Try out this great recipe for roasted vegetables with a lemon vinaigrette to make a delicious healthy side for your meals. Raw vegetables are also incredibly nutritional, so simple salads packed full of crunchy vegetables are great too. Wherever possible, try to swap out carbs for a big pile of vegetables and you will find it a lot easier to manage your blood sugar levels. 

Legumes 

Image Source – Pixabay CCO License

People often fill up on carbs like pasta and rice with their meals, but if you opt for healthier legumes instead, you can manage your blood sugar. Things like lentils, dried peas, and beans are all much healthier for you and they’re incredibly versatile. They can be used in place of your normal sides or made into all sorts of great main dishes. Lentils, for example, are perfect for making delicious curry dishes like lentil dhal. Beans are a great option for replacing meat in dishes like chili if you want a vegetarian option. Although these foods still have carbs in them and they’ll fill you up, they are more nutritious and they will help you manage your blood sugar levels. 

Oatmeal 

Image Source – Pixabay CCO License

Oatmeal is a very popular breakfast option, but it’s often loaded with sugar. People use toppings like fruit or honey, which are still healthy but it does increase your sugar intake, which isn’t great first thing in the morning. However, a lot of people don’t realize that you can eat oatmeal as a savory dish, and it’s incredibly good for you. If you want a big filling meal but you don’t want to load your plate up with lots of carbs, it’s a great option. Check out these 5 Savory Oatmeal Recipes Kids Will Love to get some ideas that will work for the whole family. Oatmeal topped with an egg and some cheese is a brilliant balanced meal that will fill you up and give you plenty of protein and nutrients without loading up on unhealthy carbs that boost your blood sugar levels. 

Fatty Fish 

Image Source – Pixabay CCO License

People always assume that fat is unhealthy for you no matter what, but that isn’t the case. There are a lot of healthy fats and they are great for filling you up without the need for heavy carbs. Fatty fish, in particular, are excellent and they are also a good source of protein, which will keep you fuller for longer. A nice grilled salmon served on a healthy salad of raw vegetables is ideal if you are trying to keep your blood sugar under control. The fats in fish are much healthier than the fats in meat, so you should consider making the switch for some of your meals at least. 

Yogurt 

Image Source – Pixabay CCO License

High protein foods are ideal for people that are trying to reduce carbs and manage their blood sugar levels. However, a lot of the go-to protein sources like red meat contain a lot of fat and eating too much of them can be very unhealthy for you. If you are looking for a good protein source that isn’t too high in fat, yogurt is ideal. It’s perfect as a topping on breakfast cereals like granola or you can have it with some fresh fruit. You can also use yogurt to make delicious dips and sides for your main meals. However, you need to be careful when buying yogurt and check the ingredients. You might assume that the low-fat option is the best, but they often have added sugar. So, if you are trying to control your blood sugar levels, go for the full-fat option but limit how much you eat. 

Peanut Butter

Image Source – Pixabay CCO License

 Snacking is one of the biggest problem areas for people with high blood sugar. Most store-bought snacks tend to be sugary sweet things or high-carb options like potato chips. Finding healthier snack options is the best way to reduce your blood sugar levels and improve your overall health. Peanut butter is a great alternative to your normal unhealthy snacks because it’s delicious and it’s high in protein, so it will fill you up more than your usual unhealthy snacks. It’s great on a piece of wholemeal bread but if you want to reduce your carbs even more, try dipping some celery sticks into peanut butter. Just make sure that you don’t go overboard with it because it does have a relatively high fat content. 

When buying peanut butter, you need to look for healthy brands with all-natural ingredients. A lot of the big brands have high amounts of added sugar and other additives to stabilize it. But raw peanut butter that is only made using a few basic ingredients is becoming more popular, so you should be able to find it easily. It is a little more expensive but it’s a lot better for your health. 

 

The hardest thing about improving your diet is finding options that are interesting as well as healthy. If you are trying to manage your blood sugar levels, cutting out any sugar or carb-filled snacks is the best place to start. However, you also need to reduce your overall intake of carbs and find healthier replacements instead. People tend to find this difficult because they rely on the carbs to fill them up, so when they cut them out, they get hungry and end up snacking. However, all of the foods on this list will fill you up properly without increasing your blood sugar levels. Making a few simple changes to your diet and incorporating more of these foods will help you reduce your blood sugar levels and avoid serious health problems in the future.