If you have type 2 diabetes, you’re probably worried about the effects of everything you eat. You may also be overweight and feel it’s almost impossible to lose excess pounds and stay healthy. At Pro Weight Loss in Massachusetts, we understand your confusion. We also know that even thought you have diabetes, your body is unique and you may require even more refinement in your diet. Eliminating food high in calories isn’t necessarily a good option. For instance, avocados are high in both fat and calories, but it’s healthy fat. Avocados provide other benefits for diabetics and could be a good addition to the diet.
Controlling your blood sugar is important.
Carbohydrates tend to cause spikes in blood sugar levels that can create havoc in the body of a diabetic. Luckily, avocados don’t have much of an effect on blood sugar levels. They are low in carbs and according to a more recent study, including a half an avocado in a traditional diabetic lunch has little or no effect on blood sugar levels in overweight, yet healthy people. An avocado is a high-fiber food. Soluble fiber tends to slow the absorption of glucose by increasing the thickness of the contents during digestion. That slowing of the digestion of carbs and glucose absorption helps prevent spikes in blood sugar.
Avocados may help regulate sugar metabolism because of the nutrients they contain.
Avocados are a rich source of vitamins, phytonutrients and minerals that are beneficial to weight loss. It’s also a good source of vitamin K. Vitamin K aids in the regulation of insulin sensitivity and sugar metabolism. One study tested both men and women for vitamin K intake. The results showed that the those that ranked in the top 25% of intake had a 19% lower risk of developing diabetes. Leafy greens were another good source of vitamin K. Another survey showed that eating a medium avocado daily reduced the risk of metabolic syndrome by 50%.
Avocados help diminish belly fat.
Research on the fat and oils in avocados triggered interesting results. Avocado oil is rich in oleic and monounsaturated fatty acids. Switching from regular cooking oil to avocado oil can help reduce abdominal fat, which can lower the risk of metabolic syndrome. One study compared a two groups, one used oils high in polyunsaturated fat, such as a flax/safflower blend and the other used oil high in oleic fatty acids, like avocado oil. The group using the high-oleic oil daily for four weeks reduced abdominal fat 1.6% more. Using monounsaturated fat may also prevent belly fat.
- You need fat to absorb many nutrients. Avocados can provide that fat. It’s monounsaturated, which has shown to increase absorption of fat soluble nutrients, such as carotenoids, compared to saturated and polyunsaturated fat.
- Help keep your cholesterol in check with an avocado a day. One study compared a low fat diet with two medium fat ones, one containing avocado and one not. The diet containing avocado lowered LDL—bad cholesterol—levels by 13.5 mg/dL compared to the low fat diet.
- Avocados are high in antioxidants, which can neutralize free radicals that attack your mitochondria that are responsible for regulating metabolic activity and providing energy. Damaging mitochondria negatively affects your metabolism.
- Research showed that consuming food higher in monounsaturated fat, compared to those consuming higher amounts of saturated fat, were more active and had a 4.5% higher post-meal metabolism.
For more information, contact us today at ProWeightLoss