Type 2 diabetes means a person’s pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. Unchecked blood sugar levels can pose grave health risks such as heart disease and strokes. Type 2 diabetes may trigger symptoms such as frequent urination and increased thirst, but if left untreated, serious complications can occur such as heart disease, kidney disease, nerve damage and stroke. What a person eats could help to lower blood sugar levels.

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Smoothies are an excellent way to ensure one gets all their five a day.

It also ensures a person is getting enough fibre and other nutrients from fruits and vegetables.

Having a smoothie is also a good way to consume superfoods, such as spinach and green leaves.

However, other ingredients can contain a lot of fat and sugar and increase the risk of sugar spikes and weight gain.

Having a low-carb smoothie could be a good choice for breakfast, as long as it as the right mix of ingredients.

Not only is a smoothie delicious, but it is low in calories and will not wreak havoc on the blood sugar levels.

When a person is looking for diabetes-friendly foods that can help keep their blood sugar within a healthy range, fruits and vegetables are always the best choice.

According to the American Diabetes Association, many types of fruit are loaded with good for you vitamins and minerals, as well as fibre, which is a powerful nutrient that can help regulate blood sugar levels and decrease one’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

What are the best fruits and vegetables to include in your smoothie

While some forms of fruit, like juice, can be bad for type 2 diabetes, whole fruits like berries, citrus, apricots, and apples can be good for one’s overall health, fighting inflammation, normalising blood pressure, and more.

It’s been advised by medical experts to consume fruit in its whole, natural form and avoid syrups or any processed fruits with added sugar, which have a tendency to spike the blood sugar.

What the experts say

Diabetes.co.uk said on their website: “For us with type 2 diabetes, we also need to consider the carbohydrate content to our own requirements.

“It is better to consume whole fruit than fruit juice. Whole fruit has the advantage of having soluble fibre for instance. Soluble fibre can helps to improve digestion and slows the rate of the rise in blood sugar.

“It also means that whole fruit represents a less concentrated form of sugar.

“It should be noted that people with diabetes should approach whole fruit with some caution too as many whole fruits have a lot of carbohydrate.”

Smoothies can be a healthy part of a type 2 diabetic diet and using certain fruits are a great way to regulate blood sugar levels and can be consumed daily.

According to the American Diabetes Associations, superfoods for type 2 diabetics are those that have e aloe-glycemic index rating and contain important nutrients, including fibre, calcium, potassium, magnesium and vitamins A, C and E.

It’s important to speak to your GP about what is the best diet one can follow to help keep blood sugar levels low.

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