It can be hard to figure out what things are best for people with diabetes.

That's because keeping your blood sugar in check should be your main goal.
But it's also important to eat things that keep diabetes from getting worse, like heart disease.
Your food can help you avoid and control diabetes in a big way.

These 16 foods are great for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

1. Fatty Fish

Some people think that fatty fish is one of the world's best foods.
The omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA are found in large amounts in fish like salmon, sardines, herring, anchovies, and mackerel. These acids are very good for your heart health.
People with diabetes are more likely to get heart disease and stroke, so it's especially important for them to get enough of these fats every day.
DHA and EPA help keep the cells that line your blood vessels healthy, lower signs of inflammation, and may even make your arteries work better.
People who regularly eat fatty fish are less likely to have acute coronary symptoms, such as heart attacks, and are also less likely to die from heart disease.

Researchers have found that eating fatty fish may also help keep your blood sugar in check.

Researchers looked at 68 overweight or obese people and found that those who ate fatty fish had significantly lower blood sugar levels after meals than those who ate lean fish.
You can also get a lot of high-quality protein from fish. Protein makes you feel full and helps keep your blood sugar levels steady.

2. Leafy Greens

Leafy greens are very good for you and don't have many calories.
They don't have many digestible carbs either, which means they won't have a big effect on blood sugar levels.
A lot of vitamins and minerals, like vitamin C, can be found in spinach, kale, and other leafy veggies.
There is some evidence that people with diabetes may need more vitamin C and have lower amounts of vitamin C than people without diabetes.

Vitamin C is a strong vitamin that can also help reduce inflammation.
People with diabetes can raise their serum vitamin C levels by eating more vitamin C-rich foods. This can also help reduce inflammation and cell damage.

Besides that, leafy veggies have a lot of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin.
Macular degeneration and cataracts are common problems that can happen to people with diabetes. These vitamins protect your eyes from them.

3. Avocados

There is less than one gram of sugar in an avocado, and it has a lot of fiber and good fats. This means that it won't raise your blood sugar.
Eating avocados is also linked to a better general diet and a much lower body weight and body mass index (BMI). This makes them a great snack for people with diabetes, since being overweight makes you more likely to get diabetes.
Avocados might have special qualities that help keep diabetes away.

A 2019 study on mice found that avocatin B (AvoB), a fat protein that is only found in avocados, stops skeletal muscle and pancreas fat from burning too quickly. This makes insulin work better.

To prove the link between avocados and avoiding diabetes in humans, more study is needed.

4. Eggs

Eggs are very good for you in many ways.
That's right—they're one of the best foods for keeping you full between meals.
Eating eggs every day may also lower your chance of heart disease in more than one way.
Eggs lower inflammation, make insulin work better, raise HDL (good) cholesterol, and change the size and shape of LDL (bad) cholesterol.

A 2019 study found that having eggs for breakfast, which are high in fat and low in carbs, might help people with diabetes control their blood sugar levels during the day.

Eggs have been linked to heart disease in people with diabetes in older studies.
A more recent review of controlled studies, on the other hand, found that people with diabetes who ate 6 to 12 eggs a week as part of a healthy diet did not have higher risk factors for heart disease.

Also, some studies show that eating eggs may lower the chance of having a stroke.
Eggs also have a lot of lutein and zeaxanthin, which are antioxidants that protect against eye illnesses.
Make sure you eat whole eggs. The good things about eggs come mostly from the nutrients in the yolk, not the white.

5. Chia Seeds

People with diabetes should eat chia seeds all the time.
They have a lot of fiber but not many carbs that can be digested.
One ounce of chia seeds has 12 grams of carbs, but 11 of those grams are fiber, which doesn't raise blood sugar.
Chia seeds have a thick fiber that can lower your blood sugar by slowing down the rate at which food moves through your gut and is absorbed.

If you want to be healthy, chia seeds may help you do that. Fiber makes you feel full and less hungry. Chia seeds may also help people with diabetes keep their blood sugar levels under control.

A study of 77 people with type 2 diabetes who were either obese or overweight found that eating chia seeds helps them lose weight and keep their blood sugar levels under control.
Chia seeds have also been shown to lower blood pressure and signs of inflammation.

6. Beans

Beans are cheap, good for you, and very nutritious.
As a type of vegetable, beans are full of fiber, B vitamins, and good minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
They also have a glycemic score that is very low, which is helpful for people with diabetes.
Also, beans might help keep you from getting diabetes.

Researchers looked at over 3,000 people who were at a high risk for heart disease and found that those who ate more beans had a 35% lower chance of getting type 2 diabetes.

7. Greek Yogurt

People with diabetes can eat Greek yogurt instead of other dairy products.
Some studies show that eating certain dairy products, like yogurt, may help control blood sugar and lower the risk of heart disease. This may be because yogurt includes probiotics.
There are also studies that show eating yogurt may be linked to lower blood sugar and insulin intolerance (37).
Yogurt may also lower your risk of getting diabetes.

A long-term study that looked at the health records of over 100,000 people found that eating yogurt every day was linked to an 18% lower risk of getting type 2 diabetes. If you want to lose weight, yogurt may also help.

Studies show that people with type 2 diabetes may lose weight and change the way their bodies look if they eat yogurt and other dairy foods.
Yogurt has a lot of calcium, protein, and a type of fat called conjugated linolic acid (CLA) that may help you feel less hungry, which can make it easier to avoid eating bad foods.
Also, each serve of Greek yogurt has only 6–8 grams of carbs, which is less than regular yogurt.
It also has more protein, which may help you lose weight by making you feel less hungry and lowering the number of calories you eat.

8. Nuts

Nuts taste great and are good for you.
Nuts of all kinds are low in net carbs and high in fiber, but some have more fiber than others.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that 1 ounce (28 grams) of nuts has the following amounts of digestible carbs:

Almonds: 2.6 grams
Brazil nuts: 1.4 grams
Cashews: 7.7 grams
Hazelnuts: 2 grams
Macadamia: 1.5 grams
Pecans: 1.2 grams
Pistachios: 5 grams
Walnuts: 2 grams

Researchers have looked at a number of nuts and found that eating them regularly may lower inflammation, blood sugar, HbA1c (a marker for long-term blood sugar control), and LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Nuts may also be good for the heart of people with diabetes.

More than 16,000 people with type 2 diabetes took part in a study in 2019 that found eating tree nuts like walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and pistachios dropped their risk of heart disease and death.
According to research, nuts can also help lower blood sugar.

A study of people with type 2 diabetes found that daily walnut oil drinking lowered blood sugar levels.
It is important to know this because people with type 2 diabetes often have high insulin levels, which are linked to being overweight.

9. Broccoli

As far as veggies go, broccoli is one of the healthiest ones.
There are only 27 calories and 3 grams of digestible carbs in half a cup of cooked broccoli. It also has important nutrients like magnesium and vitamin C.

It has also been shown that eating broccoli sprouts may help lower insulin levels and protect cells from damage in people with diabetes.
Broccoli might also help you keep your blood sugar in check.

People with diabetes whose blood sugar dropped by 10% after eating broccoli sprouts, according to one study (55).
Sulforaphane, a chemical found in cruciferous veggies like broccoli and sprouts, is likely to blame for this drop in blood sugar.
Besides that, broccoli is also a good source of zeaxanthin and lutein. These important vitamins might help keep eye diseases at bay.

10. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Olive oil that is extra-virgin is very good for your heart.
It has oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that has been shown to help control blood sugar, lower cholesterol levels before and after meals, and protect cells from damage.

People with diabetes often have trouble controlling their blood sugar and cholesterol levels, so this is important.
The hormone GLP-1 may also be increased by oleic acid.
Out of 32 studies that looked at different kinds of fat, olive oil was the only one that was shown to lower the chance of heart disease.
Polyphenols are another type of antioxidant found in olive oil.

These chemicals, called polyphenols, lower blood pressure, protect the cells that line your blood vessels, and keep your LDL (bad) cholesterol from getting damaged by oxidation.

Due to not being processed, extra-virgin olive oil keeps the antioxidants and other health benefits that make it so good for you.
Make sure you get your extra-virgin olive oil from a trustworthy source, since a lot of them are mixed with cheaper oils like soy and corn.

11. Flaxseeds

It's very healthy to eat flaxseeds.
Flaxseeds, which are also called common flax or linseeds, are full of fiber, certain plant chemicals, and heart-healthy omega-3 fats.
There is lignans in some of their insoluble fiber, which may help lower the chance of heart disease and make blood sugar control better.

A review of 25 randomized clinical studies found a strong link between taking whole flaxseed supplements and a drop in blood sugar.
Blood pressure may go down if you eat flaxseeds.

A study with people who were close to getting diabetes found that eating flaxseed powder every day dropped blood pressure, but it didn't help with managing blood sugar or insulin resistance.

We need to do more study to find out how flaxseed can help prevent or control diabetes.
But flaxseed is good for your heart and gut health in general.

According to another study, flaxseed may help lower your chance of having a stroke and may also lower the amount of medicine you need to take to keep your blood from clotting.

Flaxseeds also have a lot of dense fiber, which helps the gut stay healthy, makes insulin work better, and makes you feel full.
Whole flaxseeds are hard for your body to absorb, so buy ground flaxseeds or grind them yourself.
To keep flaxseeds from going bad, it's also important to keep them tightly covered in the fridge.

12. Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is good for you in many ways.
It's made from apples, but the sugar in the fruit is turned into acetic acid through fermentation. Each tablespoon of this product has less than 1 gram of carbs.
Apple cider vinegar is good for your rising blood sugar and HbA1c levels, according to a review of six studies that included 317 people with type 2 diabetes.

It may also lower blood sugar levels by as much as 20% when eaten with carb-rich foods.
Apple cider vinegar is thought to have many other health benefits, such as the ability to kill germs and protect cells from damage. But more research is needed to be sure that it is good for your health.

Just add one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to a glass of water every day to start following this healthy habit. Up the amount until you reach 2 tablespoons per day.

13. Strawberries

One of the healthiest foods you can eat is the strawberry.
They are red because they have a lot of anthocyanins, which are vitamins.
Low insulin and cholesterol levels have been linked to anthocyanins after a meal. They also lower the chance of heart disease and high blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.

Strawberries also have polyphenols, which are good plant chemicals that act as antioxidants.
A study from 2017 found that people who were overweight or obese and didn't have diabetes had better insulin sensitivity after eating polyphenols from strawberries and cranberries for six weeks.

To keep blood sugar levels from dropping too low, it is important to keep this in mind.
Strawberries have 11 grams of carbs, three of which are fiber, and about 46 calories per cup.
This amount also has more than 100% of the RDI for vitamin C, which is good for heart health because it reduces inflammation.

14. Garlic

Garlic is very healthy for how small it is and how few calories it has.
There are about 4 calories in one clove (3 grams) of raw garlic.

Manganese: 2% of the Daily Value (DV)
Vitamin B6: 2% of the DV
Vitamin C: 1% of the DV
Selenium: 1% of the DV
Fiber: 0.06 grams

According to research, garlic can help control cholesterol levels and help keep blood sugar levels in check.
A lot of studies that say garlic is good for people with diabetes use very large amounts of garlic. The above meta-analysis, on the other hand, only looked at doses of.05 to 1.5 grams.
To give you an idea, a garlic clove weighs about 3 grams.

Garlic may also help lower blood pressure and keep cholesterol levels in check, according to research.
In one study, people with uncontrolled high blood pressure who took old garlic for 12 weeks saw their blood pressure drop by an average of 10 points.

Lesson Summary

The text discusses the health benefits of garlic for individuals with diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Here is a summary of the key points:

• Recent studies have shown positive effects of garlic on various health conditions.
• Garlic consumption may help manage diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels.
• In a specific meta-analysis, higher quantities of garlic were found to support the positive effects on diabetes.
• Research indicates that garlic can help lower blood pressure and regulate cholesterol levels.
• A study highlighted that aged garlic intake reduced blood pressure levels in individuals with uncontrolled hypertension.

The text stresses the importance of managing blood sugar levels to prevent diabetes-related complications like heart disease. It lists 14 beneficial foods for individuals with diabetes:

• Fatty fish
• Leafy greens
• Avocados
• Eggs
• Chia seeds
• Beans
• Greek yogurt
• Nuts
• Broccoli
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Flaxseeds
• Apple cider vinegar
• Strawberries
• Garlic

These foods are rich in nutrients, fiber, and healthy fats, aiding in controlling blood sugar, inflammation, and cholesterol levels in individuals with diabetes. They also reduce the risk of heart disease and boost overall health.