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Prescribed Foods For Diabetic Patients
by Dr Maria Williams
French bean
French bean is one of the most commonly used vegetables all over the world. There are several varieties, the most widely used being the French bean, is also known as common or kidney bean.
Beans are high in carbohydrates and fiber. They should be eaten liberally to keep diabetes under control.
A decoction prepared from the beans is an excellent remedy for diabetes. This decoction is prepared by boiling 60 grams of fresh kidney bean pods, after removing their seeds, in four liters of water on a slow fire for four hours. It is then strained through fine muslin cloth and allowed to stand for eight hours. One glass of this decoction every two hours during the day is recommended. This treatment should be continued for four to eight weeks along with the prescribed diet restrictions. The decoction must be made fresh every day, as it loses it medicinal value after 24 hours.
The juice extracted from French beans is also valuable in controlling diabetes. It stimulates the production of insulin. This juice is generally used in combination with the juice of Brussels sprouts. The patient must, however be on a controlled diet.
Dr. James Anderson of the Human Nutrition Research Center of the US Department of Agriculture insists that the same foods that lower cholesterol and fight heart disease are also excellent for diabetics, who are at high risk of heart disease. This puts foods like beans that are high in soluble fiber in “highly recommended” category. Dr. Anderson quotes confirm that high fiber foods significantly reduce blood sugar along with cholesterol.
Lettuce
Lettuce belongs to that group of vegetables that contain three percent or less of carbohydrates. It is among the important foods that can be prescribed for diabetes. Diabetics can use it freely.
Onion
The onion has been used as a treatment for diabetes since ancient times. Recent research studies have proved that this pungent vegetable can lower blood sugar in diabetes. In recent investigations in India, scientists fed onion juice and whole onions in does of 25 to 200 grams to a group of diabetics and found that the greater the dose, the faster the decrease in blood sugar levels. It made no difference whether the onion was eaten raw or cooked. It was found that the onion affected the liver’s metabolism of glucose, or release of insulin, or prevented the destruction of insulin.
The probable active hypoglycaemic substances in the onion are allyl, propyl, disulphide and allicin. In fact, as early as 1923, researchers had detected the blood sugar lowering properties of onion. And in the 1960s, scientists isolated anti-diabetic compounds from onions, which are similar to the common anti-diabetic pharmaceuticals that are used to stimulate insulin synthesis and release.
Soya bean
Soya bean is one of the most nutritious foods of the great value in the treatment of diabetes. The journal of the American Medical Association quotes from an article by Dr. Christian Becker published in an authoritative German Medical journal. In this article, Dr. Becker points out that the Soya bean bread is a valuable food for diabetics. It contains very little starch, but is rich in fat and protein, both the excellent quality. Soya bean has steadily grown in importance from a therapeutic point of view, since 1910 when studies indicated it to be a valuable part of diabetic diet. Its usefulness in diabetes is attributable not only to its richness in protein and its palatability, but also to its ability to cause, in some unexplained way, a reduction in the percentage and the total quantity of urinary sugar in diabetes patients on the usual dietary restrictions.
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