If you are trying to get healthier, why not eat some foods that will naturally help lower or maintain your blood sugar? If you are on the ketogenic diet, controlling your blood sugar is a major consideration. Every time you eat anything, you will have a blood sugar spike. How much it spikes is controlled by what foods you are eating. You wouldn’t expect your blood sugar to rise as much if you had a small salad as compared to a donut. So we know that by making a conscience decision about what foods we want to consume will greatly impact your health.
So, what if we choose foods that would actually help lower our blood sugar to further reduce the impact of eating. That can be very advantageous if you are trying to get into ketosis or even maintain ketosis. As you know, if your blood sugar gets too high you will be kicked out of ketosis. Essentially, every time we eat we get kicked out of ketosis, even if it is for a few minutes. The amount of time you are out of ketosis is affected by the food eaten.
There are a variety of reasons why the foods below are able to help lower your blood sugar. Foods that have a lot of fat in them indirectly help lower blood sugar. The fats in them are much slower to digest than sugars or carbohydrates. Because of the slower metabolism of fats, you will stay full longer and wont feel the need to eat as often. So indirectly they will help to lower blood sugar by helping to reduce the frequency that you feel hungry and eat.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is very high in antioxidants. They protect cells from oxidative stress which is very important to keep your cells healthy. Cinnamon will also mimic insulin in the body and will help lower blood sugar by improving the transport of glucose to cells. The effects of lowering blood sugar can last for a while. Cinnamon will also help lower LDL cholesterol. Cinnamon is also low in carbs. It will come in two main types, Ceylon and Cassia. Ceylon is more pricey, and has more antioxidants than Cassia, but either will work well. I like adding cinnamon to my tea.
Avocados
Avocados are actually a fruit and have fructose (which has to be metabolized in the liver). But, it is loaded with healthy fats, which will help improve your insulin sensitivity. The fats also increase your satiety and are good for your blood pressure and help reduce inflammation. There have been studies that show that avocados can lower your risk of metabolic syndrome, reducing your risk of diabetes.
Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids
Fish like salmon, trout, albacore tuna, mackerel and halibut are all high in omega-3 fatty acids. Since fish is mainly a protein, it will not significantly impact your blood sugar levels (eaten in moderation). Protein also helps you stay full, so you will not need to eat as often.
Garlic
Garlic has been used to treat illness for thousands of years. There have been studies that show that garlic can lower your blood sugar levels when you are fasting. Eating garlic won’t increase your blood sugar and doesn’t have any carbohydrates.
Sour cherries
While all fruits do have sugars, usually fructose and glucose, some are much less than others. Sour cherries have a low glycemic index (comparatively speaking). They also contain a substance called anthocyanins that have been shown to help protect against diabetes and obesity by slowing digestion. You would want to eat in moderation and not very often, but if you are wanting fruit, these may be a good option.
Apple Cider Vinegar
This wonderful product is helpful in many different ways. Check out my blog about ACV. The acetic acid in ACV reduces certain enzymes in the stomach which can help improve insulin sensitivity. So if you are eating something that you think will cause a sugar spike, drink a few tablespoons of ACV and it will help reduce the sugar spike. Plus, you increase your stomach acidity, which improves digestion.
Onion
Onion has been shown to reduce your blood sugar levels. It also has almost no glycemic impact.
Dark leafy greens
Dark leafy greens like kale, chard, mustard greens, turnip greens and spinach are very high in fiber and nutrients. Two of the nutrients that help lower blood sugar are magnesium and vitamin A. These greens have a very low glycemic index and should be part of your diet.
Chia seeds
Chia seeds are a great source of fiber, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. The omega-3’s will help reduce blood sugar. Chia seeds can also help reduce your LDL cholesterol.
Raw Cacao and very dark chocolate
Cacao is the bean-like seed that is used to make chocolate. In its natural form, it has a lot of health benefits. They are high in antioxidants, and a flavanol called epicatechin that helps to regulate glucose production. Basically, it will help regulate your blood sugar. Once you use up your cocoa (baking chocolate), buy cacao instead to get more health benefits from your baked goods. You can also buy cacao nibs, which is actually part of the seed that is dried like a nut. They are bitter, but can be added to foods instead of nuts. And yes, chocolate can be part of the ketogenic diet. The key here is to eat very dark chocolate (which is pretty bitter, but low in sugar) or chocolate that is sweetened with stevia. Remember, most commercial chocolates are full of added sugars.
Blackberries and Blueberries
Neither one of these berries will raise your blood sugar much as they have low glycemic indexes. They are also high in fiber and contain a substance called anthocyanins which inhibit certain digestive enzymes to slow your digestion. They can also help prevent or level out blood sugar spikes. Remember these are still berries and have sugar, they just have less than other types of berries. These are acceptable in small quantities.
Nuts
Most nuts have been shown to help regulate and slow the rise of blood sugar. They can help increase insulin sensitivity. Check out my blog about nuts if you want to know more of their benefits. You want to stay with the lower carbohydrate nuts, which eliminates cashews (which is the seed of a fruit) and peanuts (which is a legume, not a nut) because neither is actually a nut. Almonds have a lot of health benefits, but they can also inhibit some vitamins from being absorbed. Walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, brazil nuts are all great options. They are have antioxidants, magnesium and potassium. They also have healthy oils and fats. Click here if you want to read more about eating nuts while eating low carb.
Eggs
Believe it or not, eggs are very good for you on the keto diet. They do have high levels of cholesterol (but will not raise your cholesterol) and have a lot of healthy fats. Those fats can help reduce your cravings, allowing you to eat less often. If you want more info on eggs, check out my blog here.
Coffee
Coffee has been shown to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes by up to 10%. But a word of caution here, be careful what you add to your coffee. Many creamers are loaded with sugar, so choose wisely what you use. Coffee does contain antioxidants (the main source of antioxidants in the average western diet), B2, B5, Manganese, Potassium, Magnesium and Niacin. Everyone knows that coffee has caffeine, but you may not be aware that caffeine has been shown to help burn fat. Your morning cup of java has also been shown to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. There are also studies showing that coffee (caffeine) can help reduce your risk of some cancers and diseases.
Red Cabbage
Red cabbage has high amounts of anthocyanins. The anthocyanins will increase your insulin sensitivity. Cabbage is fairly low in carbohydrates and has a lot of fiber. Fermented cabbage (sauerkraut and kimchi) are very good for your digestive system.
Eggplant
Like red cabbage eggplant is also high in anthocyanins.
Tumeric
Tumeric is one of those spices that often gets overlooked. The active substance in turmeric is curcumin, and will help increase insulin sensitivity and will help lower blood sugar. As an added bonus, turmeric can help reduce the fat accumulation in the liver, reducing or helping to prevent a fatty liver and it has anti-inflammatory properties.
Green tea
Green tea has been shown to slow down the digestion of carbs and helps to lower blood sugar levels. It will also increase your insulin sensitivity. There is a compound in green tea that mimics insulin in the blood, which will help lower blood glucose levels by facilitating the transport of glucose to cells. Green tea also has anti-inflammatory properties, and helps to lower LDL cholesterol.
Healthy oils or fats
Foods like olive oil or coconut oil are healthy fats and are excellent in blood sugar management. They have almost no effect on blood sugar themselves, and will help you be satiated for longer. Coconut oil is known to contain medium chain triglycerides (MCT). If you have not heard of the benefits of MCT, then you should know that they are a form of fat that takes little if any metabolism in order for the body to use. Basically, it is a fat that is in the form that our body can readily use for energy. These healthy fats have been shown to lower the risk of insulin resistance.
I realize that you will not be able to eat these foods everyday. But, on the occasion that you can slip them into your recipe, why not. They will be able to minimize your risk of insulin resistance and for some will actively reduce your blood sugar. Keeping your blood sugar low and being able to maintain lower blood sugar will have tremendous long term effects on your body. The ketogenic diet by itself will change your health for the better, but if we can improve it just a little bit more by eating more of these foods, all the better.
Some other tips to lower your blood sugar:
- Hydrate well. Sugar tends to flow with water. If you are staying well hydrated, and you will be flushing some sugar out with your urine.
- Exercise. By having some sort of exercise routine, you will be burning up muscle glycogen. As you use up muscle glycogen, any excess sugar in your blood can be converted back into glycogen in your muscles.
- Intermittent fasting. If you are following the ketogenic diet, you may want to try intermittent fasting. During your fasting period, your blood sugar levels will drop some.
- Manage your stress. Cortisol is the stress hormone that is created when ever you are stressed. Cortisol can mess up the whole sugar metabolism process. Avoiding stress or minimizing it literally is better for your health. Ashwagandha has been shown to help with cortisol levels, and may be a good addition to your regiment if you are stressed.
