Even though it's commonly believed that the best medicine for treating any illness is laughing, when you have diabetes, the long-prescribed medication may be a much superior option for lowering your blood sugar. However, there are other options available for enhancing your health and lowering your risk of disease in addition to medications. Another wonderful choice with extensive medicinal benefits is healthy food. Foods have a remarkable ability to treat a variety of symptoms, illnesses, and diseases.
Since Hippocrates famously stated, "Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food," we have known this to be true. Selecting healthy foods is a wise investment. So, follow your doctor's recommendations, but keep in mind that there are a variety of foods you can select to aid in your recovery. Here are some "excellent investments"—the easy pickings of foods that can treat typical ailments.
Broccoli
Eating green veggies like broccoli is one of the best things you can do on a daily basis to enhance your health and lower your risk of illness. Researchers have named broccoli "Green Chemoprevention" because to its high concentration of bioactive chemicals. Sulforaphane, a chemical found in high concentrations in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and cabbage, is thought to work on a genetic level to "switch off" cancer genes, causing the targeted death of cancer cells, according to results from epidemiological studies and experiments. The prevalence of prostate, breast, lung, and skin cancer has been shown to decrease when broccoli is consumed raw or lightly steamed a few times a week. Please note that Broccoli's beneficial component is removed during prolonged heavy steaming or boiling.
Spinach
A review of studies published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reveals that the consumption of lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids found in spinach, may considerably lower the incidence of breast cancer when ingested in large quantities. Additionally abundant in the pregnancy-essential B vitamin folate, which strengthens DNA, is this salad green. Low folate levels have been related to an increased risk of breast cancer in a study published in the PLoS One journal.
Beans
In contrast to animal sources of protein, beans don't contain any bad fats. That could be the reason why a significant epidemiological study published in JAMA Internal Medicine discovered that those who ate beans at least four times per week had a 22% lower chance of developing heart disease than those who ate them less frequently. Similar to how eating beans, lentils, peas, and other legumes frequently lowers the risk of cardiovascular illness, coronary heart disease, and high blood pressure, a 2019 meta-analysis published in Advances in Nutrition supported this claim.
Apples
Putting down the salt shaker won't help the millions of people with high blood pressure avoid the two main risks of hypertension: stroke and heart attack. But altering eating patterns can have a significant impact. There is no one food that will magically lower your blood pressure to a healthy level. However, you can take an apple. It is a component of the DASH diet and, in accordance with a 2020 research published in Critical Reviews in Foods Science and Nutrition, is especially advantageous for cardiovascular health, maintaining the flexibility of blood vessels, and lowering blood pressure. Each apple contains 4.5 grams of blood pressure-lowering fibre, as well as quercetin, which tests conducted by the American Heart Association have proved to be an efficient anti-hypertensive.
Oats
Oatmeal's impact on blood sugar regulation can help prevent type 2 diabetes and may even help cure it. A form of soluble fibre found in oats called beta-glucan appears to enhance metabolic health. Researchers discovered that when a group of persons with type 2 diabetes were given a 5-gram supplement of oat beta-glucan once a day, their blood sugar management improved, their hunger decreased, and they felt content for longer after 12 weeks. Additionally, they saw improvements in the quality of their gut flora, which is crucial for maintaining good metabolic health. The formation of a gel in the gut, which postpones the release of glucose into the circulation, is one potential way beta-glucan regulates blood sugar. In addition to improving overall health, beta-glucans also significantly reduce LDL, or "bad" cholesterol.