More than 38 million Americans live with diabetes, and that number is projected to continue to rise. While exact causes vary, one thing is clear: when blood sugar levels spike too high, the body struggles to regulate them.
Achieving a stable blood sugar level is attainable, and it often starts with what’s on your plate.
A diabetes-friendly diet focuses on foods that digest slowly and help keep blood sugar steady. Here’s why: Excess fat stored around organs such as the pancreas can increase inflammation and impair the function of insulin—the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. “By maintaining a healthy weight or losing some weight, patients can reduce that inflammation and improve blood sugar control,” Dr. Wood says.
To that end, Dr. Wood recommends three key strategies:
Choose whole grains over refined grains. Instead of white flour, white pasta, white bread, and white rice, opt for whole-wheat flour, brown rice, quinoa, barley, millet, and bulgur. “There’s so much fiber in the whole grain version, plus healthy fats, and those two things really slow the absorption of the starch into the bloodstream,” Dr. Wood says.
Reduce added sugars. Fruit is fine—in fact, up to two servings daily are generally recommended, because fiber slows sugar absorption. But added sugars like syrups, high-fructose corn syrup, and sucrose (table sugar) can cause quick blood sugar spikes.
Consider the order in which you eat your food. “If you start with protein, vegetables, and healthy fats, then move on to carbs, your blood sugar won’t spike as much,” Dr. Wood says.
