The top 20 foods for beating diabetes What you eat can help you control and fight

your diabetes. Incorporate these healthy foods into your diet

Every time you roll your shopping cart into the supermarket, youre making a decision that goes far beyond whether youre going to have pork or pierogies for dinner. Youre actually choosing between being a victim and a victor. What you put in your cart goes a long way toward determining whether youll be compromised by diabetes or start controlling and eventually even beating it. Thats why weve assembled the following list of the 20 best foods for fighting diabetes. Every time you go to the store from now on, take this list with you and check off each item. In fact, if your favourite store has a delivery service, sign up for it so your supplies are automatically replenished every few weeks. Research proves that making a few key changes to your dietsuch as eating more produce, fewer refined carbohydrates, plenty of lean protein, and more good fathelps improve bloodsugar control and cuts the risk of diabetes-related complications. Dont make the mistake of thinking that one or two or even five foods on this list will transform you. You need most of themyes, even the flaxseedbecause together they represent a new approach to eating, a lifestyle rather than just a diet. 1. Apples

Because they offer so many health advantages, put these at the core of your diet. Apples are naturally low in calories, yet their high fibre content (4 grams) fills you up, battles bad cholesterol, and blunts blood-sugar swings. Red Delicious and Granny Smith are also among the top 10 fruits with the most disease-fighting antioxidants. Eat them whole and unpeeled for the greatest benefit, or make a quick baked apple. After washing and chopping one apple, put it in a bowl with a dusting of cinnamon and microwave until soft (about 4 minutes). Enjoy with yogourt and oat bran sprinkles for a nutritious dessert, or serve over oatmeal for breakfast. 2. Avocado Rich, creamy, and packed with beneficial monounsaturated fat, avocado slows digestion and helps keep blood sugar from spiking after a meal. A diet high in good fats may even help reverse insulin resistance, which translates to steadier blood sugar long-term. Try putting mashed avocado on sandwiches instead of mayonnaise or on bread instead of butter. To keep whats left over from turning brown, spritz the flesh with cooking spray or coat with lemon juice and wrap in plastic. 3. Barley

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Choosing this grain instead of white rice can reduce the rise in blood sugar after a meal by almost 70 per centand keep your blood sugar lower and steadier for hours. Thats because the soluble fibre and other compounds in barley dramatically slow the digestion and absorption of the carbohydrate. Even brown rice cant compare. Add barley to soups, serve it as a side dish, or make it the basis for a stir-fry or casserole. Pearled, hulled, or quick-cooking varieties are all crackling good choices. 4. Beans

When menu planning, think bean cuisine at least twice a week. The soluble fibre in all types of beans (from chickpeas to kidney beans to even edamame) puts a lid on high blood sugar. And because theyre rich in protein, beans can stand in for meat in main dishes. Just watch the sodium content. Always rinse canned beans before using. To save time cooking beans, invest in a pressure cooker. Soaked beans are tender in just 10 to 15 minutes. 6. Berries Think of them as natures M&Ms: sweet, convenient, colourful, and satisfying. Berries are full of fibre and antioxidants. The red and blue varieties also contain natural plant compounds called anthocyanins. Scientists believe these may help lower blood sugar by boosting insulin production. Put some in an easy-to-grab location or freeze a handful to suck on or use as ice cubes. Sponsored link: Berry Simple Smoothie from Splenda 7. Broccoli Hey, dont make that face. Broccoli is filling, fibrous, and full of antioxidants (including a days worth of vitamin C in one serving). Its also rich in chromium, which plays an important role in long-term blood sugar control. If you dont already love it, either hide it in soups, pasta dishes, and casseroles, or saut it with garlic, soy sauce, and mustard, or dark sesame oil (or any combination thereof) for a taste youll fall for. 8. Carrots Dont believe what you hear about carrots rapidly raising blood sugar. While the type of sugar they contain is transformed into blood sugar quickly, the amount of sugar in carrots is extremely low. Thats good news because carrots are one of natures richest sources of beta-carotene, which is linked to a lower risk of diabetes and better blood-sugar control. Sick of raw sticks? Make some fries by slicing carrots into thin strips, scattering on a baking sheet, and flavouring with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 400F (200C) for 40 minutes. Who needs McDonalds? 9. Chicken or turkey

These meats can be high-fat disasters or perfectly healthy fare. It all depends on the cut and how its prepared. Breast meat, whether ground or whole, is always lower in fat than dark meat such as thighs and drumsticks. Never eat the skin because of its high saturated fat content, and when buying ground turkey, make sure the package says ground turkey breast. Otherwise, you may as well be eating hamburger. And need we remind you, the Colonel is not your friend. (Why are you eating anything that comes in a bucket anyway?) If you stick to these rules, youll enjoy a nice, low-calorie dose of sustaining protein. No time to cook? Pick up a rotisserie chicken. 12. Flaxseed No, this is not something you fill the bird feeders with come winter. Rather, these shiny brown seeds hit the diabetes trifecta: Theyre rich in protein, fibre, and good fats similar to the kind found in fish. Theyre also a source of magnesium, a mineral thats key to blood-sugar control because it helps cells use insulin. Ground flaxseed spoils quickly, so buy whole seeds in bulk, keep in the fridge, and grind as needed. Sprinkle on cereal, yogourt, or ice cream or blend into meat loaf, meatballs, burgers, pancakes, and breads. It works in just about anythingincluding bird feeders. 13. Milk and yogurt Both are rich in protein and calcium, which studies show may help people lose weight. And diets that include plenty of dairy may fight insulin resistance, a core problem behind diabetes. Go lowfat or fat-free, though. If you dont like the taste of skim milk, try 1 percent. Its a little thicker and creamier than skim. Likewise, reduced-fat Greek-style yogurt tends to taste richer than its Canadian counterparts because of how its made. Drizzle with honey and imagine youre on the Mediterranean. 14. Nuts Because of their high fibre and protein content, nuts are slow burning foods that are friendly to blood sugar. And even though they contain a lot of fat, its that healthful monounsaturated kind again. Roasting really brings out the flavour of nuts and makes them a great addition to fall soups

and entres. Just spread shelled nuts on a cooking sheet and bake at 300F (150C) for 7 to 10 minutes. 15. Seeds Like nuts, seeds of all typespumpkin, sunflower, sesameare filled with good fats, protein, and fibre that work together to keep blood sugar low and stave off heart disease. Theyre also a natural source of cholesterol-lowering sterols, the same compounds added to some cholesterollowering margarines. Fill an empty Altoids mint tin with your favourite unsalted seeds and stash it in your purse or pocket in case of snack emergencies. Or tell the waiter to hold the croutons on your Caesar and substitute pumpkin or sunflower seeds instead. 16. Oatmeal Ever wonder why oatmeal is so good for you? Its because its loaded with soluble fibre which, when mixed with water, forms a paste. Just as it sticks to your bowl, it also forms a gummy barrier between the digestive enzymes in your stomach and the starch molecules in your meal. So it takes longer for your body to convert the carbs youve eaten into blood sugar. Dont like oatmeal in the morning? Buy oat flour and use it as a thickener in autumn stews, casseroles, and soups. Or add ground oatmeal (not the instant kind) to muffin, pancake, or waffle batters. You wont even know its there. 17. Olive oil This stuff is liquid gold. In fact, it contains an anti-inflammatory component so strong that researchers liken it to aspirin. This may be one reason why people who follow a Mediterranean dieta traditional way of eating that emphasizes olive oil along with produce, whole grains, and lean meathave such low rates of heart disease and diabetes, both of which are linked with inflammation. Unlike butter, the good fat in olive oil wont increase insulin resistance and may even help reverse it. A touch of olive oil also slows digestion, so your meal is less likely to spike your glucose. Dribble it on salads, baked potatoes, pastajust about anything. 18. Peanut butter

One study found that eating peanut butter dampens the appetite for up to 2 hours longer than a low-fibre, high-carb snack, making this childhood favourite a grown-up weight-loss ally. The monounsaturated fats in PB also help control blood sugar. Looking for a new way to enjoy it? Try raw or steamed veggies with this peanut dip: Bring 2/3 cup water to boil in a saucepan, stir in 1/3 cup creamy PB, 1 clove minced garlic, 2 teaspoons fresh-grated ginger, 2 medium chopped scallions, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and a dash of chili powder. Simmer 2 minutes, remove from heat, and stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Wait until it cools, then start dipping! 19. Whole-grain bread Eating white bread is practically like eating table sugar when it comes to raising blood sugar. So if you eat a lot of it (and this includes bagels), simply switching to whole grain may improve your sensitivity to insulin. In one study of nearly 1,000 men and women, the higher their intake of whole grains, the greater their insulin sensitivity and blood-sugar stability. Dont mistake any old brown bread, or even multigrain, for whole grain. If it doesnt have the word whole in the first ingredient, dont buy it. And look for the coarsest bread you can find; the coarseness will slow digestion.

Best Choices Whole-grain flours, such as whole wheat

Worst Choices White flour

flour Whole grains, such as brown rice Cereals containing whole-grain ingredients and little added sugar Whole-grain bread Baked potato or baked steak fries Whole-grain flour or corn tortillas Processed grains, such as white rice Cereals with little whole grain and lots of sugar White bread French fries Fried white-flour tortillas

Supplements to increase WBC count quickly To fight with moderate leukopenia I can recommend an effective complex of supplements, that increase the leukocytes count ( especially neutrophils ) in the blood:

Vitamins of group B. B vitamins may help to increase the leukocytes count. Just as in the case of red blood cells count reducing it's necessary to take a multivitamin complex that contains 400 micrograms of folic acid and from 50 to 100 mg each of the other B vitamins in one capsule. As already mentioned the B vitamins are water soluble, are easily derived and do not accumulate in the body. Therefore, an overdose of B vitamins is almost impossible.

Bee Pollen. Pollen is rich in high-molecular substances such as nucleic acids, which can stimulate the production of white blood cells. Pollen contains large quantities of all essential and nonessential amino acids. 24% of the pollen is a protein that contains all 10 essential amino acids. The additional supply of amino acids have a positive effect on hemopoiesis in general and in particular on the formation of white blood cells. Besides pollen is the source of almost all known vitamins. Therefore, pollen may also stimulate erythropoiesis and increase hemoglobin levels.

Brewers Yeast. High quality supplements it is dried and inactive yeast. They have a high nucleic acid count. Brewer's Yeast rich in protein and vitamins B. Yeasts also contain large amounts of polysaccharides with immunomodulating properties. These include polysaccharide such as beta-glucan. Beta-glucan has the ability to recover the

white blood cells count and also red blood cells count and even platelets count. Moreover, he is able to significantly reduce the adverse effects of chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation on the processes of hematopoiesis in bone marrow. Through of all these features the Brewer's Yeast can stimulate leucopoiesis. Polysaccharides, including beta-glucan, and other substances with immunomodulatory properties found not only in yeast, but also in other mushrooms - such as reishi, shiitake and maitake. It should be noted that algae and in particular Spirulina or Chlorella also contains beta-glucan, and therefore can not only enhance erythropoiesis, but also increase the leukocytes count. Some companies produce beta-glucan as a separate supplement. In case of insufficient effectiveness of this supplements complex it is possible to change its composition by replacing or adding some components. This you can read in an article on "How to increase the platelets count".

Studies about the effect of food on leucopoiesis was not conducted. Therefore, in this issue has to rely on logic and experience. In this article was described the supplements, which promote increase the leukocytes count in the blood. However, these supplements are essentially at the same time is a food. For example, bee pollen. Many companies produce pollen, not only in the form of capsules, but also sell it in the form of dried whole granules. If you have an possibility to buy fresh, not dried whole granules of pollen, it will be the best option, since this pollen is most helpful. I can't not say about the other bee products - Royal Jelly. Royal jelly also contains a large amount of nucleic acids and stimulates leucopoiesis. Of food can often find honey with royal jelly. This kind of honey will be very useful during chemotherapy. Some companies produce fresh royal jelly or in the tablets. The second example is mushrooms. As has already been a talking companies produce mushrooms extracts, such as Brewer's Yeast, reishi, shiitake and maitake. But mushrooms are also a foodstuff. Mushrooms are rich in polysaccharides, many of which are immunomodulators and stimulants leucopoiesis. So it would be useful to eat mushrooms.

If you have a leucopenia, it is believed, that will be helpful to eat a caviar. Is this really true and what products are also useful? If you know someone who is ill with gout you probably know that he must comply antigout diet, and you don't know, then you know it's now. The fact that people suffering from gout should avoid foods from your diet with

high content of purines and purines are components of nucleic acids. And as you already know that nucleic acids can stimulate leucopoiesis, then products are harmful for gout will be useful for leukopenia. What are these foods? Meat, fish, meat soups, liver, kidneys, brains, of course caviar, as well as beans and cauliflower. So there is some logic, that patients with leukopenia eat caviar. The downside here might be that most of the above are products of animal origin and contain unfortunately quite a lot of cholesterol, even caviar. By the way mushrooms are also rich in purines, but do not contain cholesterol course.

As mentioned earlier stimulating effect on leucopoiesis have some polysaccharides such as beta-glucan. It will be useful to include in your diet these products. By the way, quite useful in increasing white blood cells count can be non-alcoholic beer, which is known made with using of yeast. In addition to mushrooms and algae a large amount of betaglucan also contains many grains such as oats and barley and to a lesser extent rye and wheat. Barley can be put in first place on the content of beta-glucan, and therefore to raise the leukocytes count the brew of barley can be quite effective. To make it, you need a half cup of barley to pour with two liters of water and boil until half of it. The brew can be sweeten with honey or add some salt - as you like.

White blood cells are your body's front line battalion. The white cells, as part of your immune system, make you fight infection by killing viruses. Several types of nutrients increase your white blood cell count and help you stay healthy. If you are constantly getting sick and suspect you are not getting the nutrition you need, speak to your doctor for advice.

Vitamin A Vitamin A increases the number of white blood cells in your body and is essential to normal immune function. The vitamin is also an antioxidant that keeps you healthy by fighting free-radicals, molecules that cause stress to your cells, which can lead to premature aging. The Food and Nutrition Board's recommendations for this nutrient range from 300 to 500 micrograms in children under 8 years old, and 700 to 900 micrograms for children and adults over the age of 9 years. Breastfeeding women should boost their intake of vitamin A to 1,300 micrograms daily to keep their white blood cell count at appropriate levels. Food sources of vitamin A include milk, sweet potatoes,

carrots, broccoli, dark leafy greens such as kale, cantaloupe, eggs and butter. Generally, most foods that are orange or dark green in color contain vitamin A.

advertisement Vitamin C Bulk up on vitamin C to increase both the production and function of white blood cells. The vitamin is readily available in a number of fruits and vegetables, including citrus fruits, potatoes, broccoli, bell peppers and strawberries. Adults should consume between 75 and 90 milligrams of vitamin C daily for optimum health; children ages three to 18 should get between 25 and 65 milligrams based on age. Refrain from taking more than 200 milligrams of the vitamin daily, cautions pediatrician Dr. William Sears. Your body cannot store vitamin C in the long term and excretes excess nutrients through urination.

Selenium Selenium is a nutrient that increases white blood cell count and activates your cancerfighting cells to fight against illness. You do not need large amounts of selenium to stimulate your immune system; infants and toddler recommendations range from 15 to 20 micrograms daily, and older children need 30 to 40 micrograms. Adults should consume approximately 55 micrograms of selenium daily. A number of meats and fish, including shrimp, salmon beef, chicken and crabmeat, contain the mineral. Brown rice, walnuts, whole wheat bread and milk are vegetarian sources of the nutrient.

Zinc Zinc not only boosts your white blood cell count, but also helps the cells work more aggressively to rid your body of illness. Zinc is found in a variety of nuts and beans, including almonds, cashews, peanuts, baked beans and chick peas. Beef, oysters, pork, poultry, milk and cheddar cheese are additional food sources of zinc. Adults should consume between 8 and 12 milligrams daily based on gender and pregnancy status. Sustain good immune function in children through 2 to 8 milligrams of zinc each day.