Are you worried about developing diabetes or are you trying to keep your diabetes symptoms under control? Well then, you will be happy to learn that a higher consumption of lentils, chickpeas, beans and peas can potentially lower your the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 35 percent. That’s right 35 percent.
Legumes contain B vitamins and minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium that are essential for managing diabetes.
Researchers noted that among the various subtypes of legume, people who ate a higher consumption of lentils — one serving per week —were 33 percent less likely of developing the disease. Wow, lentils rock.
As Legumes are also rich in fiber, they are considered a low-glycemic index food, meaning blood sugar levels increase slowly after consumption. That means no more spiking blood sugar.
The boon from substituting half a serving per day of foods rich in protein or carbohydrates with half a serving per day of legumes was also associated with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes, Becerr Tomas, a researcher at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain said.
As a consequence of legume’s unique nutritional qualities, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) declared 2016 as the international year of legumes as a means to draw people’s towards the nutritional benefits of eating such foods.
The study, which was published in the scientific journal Clinical Nutrition, examined 3,349 participants at high risk of cardiovascular disease but without Type 2 diabetes.
So the next time you reach for a baked potato or a pasta salad… don’t. Better to choose a helping on lentils instead. You and your pancreas will both appreciate that you did.
