Almonds and Diabetes

Grabbing a fistful of almonds every time hunger throws a tantrum, is my favorite part of following a diet, with still pampering my taste buds. Almond is a nut that has a rich and creamy taste, along with a high nutritional value. Talking more about this nut, it is actually the seed of a fruit.

Due to its health benefits, it has always been recommended as a healthy snack. One of its many benefits that may interest some sweet buds is that, it has a special blessing to tame and be able to treat the most rapidly growing disease in the world, that is diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease that defines high sugar levels due to very little or absent insulin secretion in the body. Insulin is vital for processing glucose as fuel in the body and also balance the level of glucose. For those affected with diabetes, following a diet and maintaining the sugar level becomes very important in order to keep the disease in control.

Among the list of foods to eat in diabetes, almonds have been most successful in taming sugar levels. There is a hand of research and surveys that have been conducted to study and prove the role of this nutritional snack in controlling diabetes.

There are three types of diabetes. Mainly, type 1 diabetes, that is usually detected in childhood, where little or no insulin is produced. Type 2 diabetes is the most common and rapidly growing type.

This affects adults due to decreased production of insulin in the body, and also due to the poor response of the body to insulin. Most of this type is triggered by obesity factors. The third type of diabetes is called gestational diabetes, it usually occurs when glucose levels rise above normal, mainly in pregnant women.

These women have a risk of developing type 2 diabetes later. Type 1 diabetics need insulin doses to control their sugar, whereas type 2 diabetes can be controlled well, with good exercise and a proper diet, along with medicines.

Almonds are packed with nutrition and energy. To be precise, they are powerhouses of dietary fiber, minerals like calcium, potassium, iron, manganese, selenium, zinc, and vitamins like vitamin E, and B-complex group of vitamins - mainly niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid and folates.

They are an excellent source of mono-unsaturated fats that increase the good cholesterol in the body. Most health experts suggest these nuts for diabetes.

► People who include almonds in their diet are at a lesser risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, due to the benefits of high fiber and mono-unsaturated fats.

► According to a study it is observed that including these nutritious nuts in the diet could help curb heart diseases and diabetes.With its nutritional content, it is observed that almonds can help treat type 2 diabetes.

► Diabetics have a low sensitivity to insulin, due to which, fats and glucose in the body are not completely synthesized, they remain in the bloodstream and may pose a risk. They are beneficial to trigger metabolism of fats in the body and also maintain blood glucose levels.

Another study conducted, proved that along with controlling blood sugar, these nuts also helped diabetics to tackle high blood pressure and triglyceride levels.

► According to many studies, people with diabetes may have a deficiency of manganese and magnesium. Almonds are rich sources of these minerals that can make up for this deficiency.

►They were found to stimulate insulin sensitivity in diabetics. As almonds tackle obesity issue by lowering LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) levels in the body, it is used to treat people with a pre-diabetic condition (condition where the sugar levels are high, but not so high to make the minimum that falls in the diabetes bracket) due to high cholesterol.

► The sudden rise in blood sugar levels after a meal, are another major cause that leads to diabetes. It is studied that having almonds in the diet contributed to controlling the sudden steep rise in sugar after meals. They helped in reducing the GI (glycemic index) of the meal, to maintain the blood sugar levels.

When a survey was conducted to study this effect, blood samples of the people on an almond rich diet showed better results for decreased insulin resistance and better sugar control.

With so many health benefits for diabetics, almonds are the most recommended and revered nut for treating diabetes. Whether diabetic or not, make sure you grab a handful of these for complete and balanced nutrition. Almonds and diabetes sure make a rival duo. And as truly said here too, the best one wins!