If you are type 2 diabetic or pre-diabetic (insulin resistance) adding these three condiments to your meals could help improve your condition.
Cinnamon:
Cinnamon is a spice that has been shown to improve blood sugar uptake into cells. Thus, reducing blood sugar levels. 1-6g of cinnamon per day for as little as 40 days has been show to decrease blood sugar levels by 18-29% in people with type 2 diabetes.
Don’t consume more than a teaspoon of cinnamon per day as dosages higher than 6g can cause headaches.
Turmeric:
Turmeric is a spice that has been shown to prevent and even help reverse type two diabetes. The active polyphenol in turmeric known as curcumin is responsible. It lowers bloods sugar levels by increasing glucose uptake (by increasing glute 4, glute 2 and glute 3 gene expression).
Improvements in beta cell function (cells that produce insulin) have also been documented and improvements in fatty acid oxidation and utilisation. To get the most benefit, supplementing with 1-4g of pure curcumin per day is recommended.
Vinegar:
Vinegar has been shown to improve pancreatic function. This means your body releases less insulin in response to the carbohydrates you eat. Reductions of post-meal insulin levels of up to 20% have been recorded. Vinegar is also a nutrition partitioner, meaning it improves insulin signalling to lean muscle cells. This means the carbohydrates you eat are less likely to be stored as fat.
Enjoy!
Liam Horne | Personal Trainer Earls Court