BP & diabetes troubling your parents? Make sure to add whole grains to their diet

It isn’t easy at all to convince your parents to adopt a certain type of diet, because they are now rigid about their eating habits. But if your parents are struggling with blood pressure and diabetes, having a customized diet is a must for them. The best case scenario is adding a lot of whole grains to their diet to keep their BP and sugar levels in check.

According to a new study published in The Journal of Nutrition, diabetes and blood pressure is common in middle aged and old-adults. That’s why a team of researchers from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University conducted this study that focuses on how whole-and refined-grain intake over time has impacted five risk factors of heart disease: waist size, blood pressure, blood sugar, triglyceride, and HDL (“good”) cholesterol.

Their study concluded that:

  • Those who eat less whole grains have large waist sizes.
  • Also, they have witnessed increase in both, sugar and blood pressure levels in those who ditch whole grains in their diet.
Keeping your blood sugar levels in check in a huge task. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

The researchers concluded that whole grains are effective in dealing with diabetes and blood pressure, especially if they belong to the elderly generation.

Here are a few must-have whole grains for diabetics and BP patients

1. Whole wheat
2. Gram flour
3. Oatmeal
4. Whole oats
5. Brown rice
6. Wild rice
7. Whole grain corn
8. Popcorn (unsalted and unbuttered)
9. Whole grain barley

Keep a strict check on your BP. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Here’s what makes whole grains the powerhouse of nutrition for the elderly
  • Whole grains are a great source of dietary fibre, which keeps the gut healthy and in check. This leads to better immunity and even better functioning of body organs. On the other hand, refined grains have either less or no dietary fibre in comparison to them.
  • They help in keeping your weight in check, as they are low in calories, have more fibre, control unwanted cravings, and also keep cholesterol levels in check. This means obesity can be kept in check, if you ensure that your parents include some of the above-mentioned whole grains in their diet.
Whole grains can help you maintain weight. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
  • They can help in reversing premature ageing. Whole grains are loaded with other nutrients like thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), folate (vitamin B9), iron, magnesium and selenium. The point to be noted here is that all these nutrients help in the regeneration of cells in our body and they also repair the damaged ones. Due to this, the body functions well for a longer period of time. This increases longevity and hence your parents can lead a healthy, happy, and a pain-free life.

Now, isn’t it wonderful to know that a simple solution like this can help your parents control their BP and diabetes? Don’t wait and after consulting their doctor, add some whole grains to their diet right away.