When a person is diagnosed with diabetes, pre-diabetes or insulin resistance, often the first reaction is to restrict:

“Watch your portions.”

“Cut back on carbs.”

“Stop eating sugar.”

“Switch from white rice to brown rice.”

What if, instead of thinking of ways to cut back, we focused on adding nutrition to manage blood sugars?

How Adding Foods to Your Meals and Snacks Can Lower Your Blood Sugar

When it comes to blood sugar, the main nutrient of concern is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are readily broken down into sugars in the digestive system, then absorbed into the bloodstream. As our blood sugar rises, our pancreas releases insulin, signalling cells to take in the sugar from the bloodstream to be used for energy.

In the case of diabetes (specifically type 2), pre-diabetes and insulin resistance, the cells are not responding to the insulin as effectively, and thus are not absorbing the sugars from the bloodstream as readily. Chronically high blood sugars can lead to damage to our blood vessels, increasing our risk for heart disease and damage to parts of our body that have many small capillaries, like our eyes, kidneys, and extremities.

The foods and nutrients listed below can help slow the digestion process, which in turn slows the release of sugar from the digestive system to the bloodstream, giving our cells more time to respond to the insulin and keep our blood sugars under control.

4 Nutrients/Foods to Add to Your Meals and Snacks to Lower Blood Sugar

1. Protein

Examples of Food Sources of Protein:

• Meat and poultry

• Eggs

• Fish and seafood

• Dairy

• Beans/legumes

• Tofu

• Nuts and seeds

2. Fat

Examples of Food Sources of Fat:

• Fats and oils

• Avocado

• Nuts and seeds

• Most animal-based sources of protein (meat, fish/seafood, eggs, dairy)

3. Fibre

Examples of Food Sources of Fibre:

• Whole grains (generally also contain some protein)

• Vegetables

• Fruits

• Beans/legumes

• Nuts/seeds

4. Vinegar

In addition to helping to slow digestion, vinegar (or more specifically, acetic acid) has also been shown to help stimulate uptake of sugar into cells.

Examples of Food Sources of Vinegar/Acetic Acid:

• Vinaigrettes and dressings

• Pickles

As a dietitian I often recommend variety as a way to help maximize nutrition. These examples show how including a variety of foods within meals allows different nutrients to work together to improve health.