A diabetic patient in India cannot escape two significantly important foods for diabetics – karela and okra. As a diabetic food, having alow glycemic indexof below 20, it is highly useful to balance high blood sugar, so much so that even the water of okra soaked overnight when taken on an empty stomach has a tremendous impact on blood sugars. In the diet plan for diabetes, the other health benefits of okra as food to control diabetes include:
- Preventing and improving constipation.
- Lowering cholesterol.
- Reducing the risk of some forms of cancer, especially colorectal cancer.
- Improving energy levels and improving symptoms of depression.
- Helping to treat sore throat, irritable bowel, ulcers and lung inflammation.
Preparing Bhindi – Foods that Controls Diabetes
Eaten raw, cooked, steamed and fried, okra can be prepared as follows:
- Add them to soups and stews. However washing them properly is very essential as they are sprayed with pesticides and insecticides. You can also opt for the organic variety.
- After removing the top pods and bottom tips, you can cut and slice the pods as desired.
- Then chop or slice the pods for frying or stewing under low heat oil. This will soften the mucilaginous content.
- Okra serves as a great vegetable for preserving pickles.
- The leaves of okra can also be cooked or even eaten raw as salads.
- Another interesting way to cook okra is to blanch them for about 3-4 minutes and drain and dry prior to slicing them. Then add the okra to the dish in the end which will lower the moisture content.
- Okra can also be shallow dried, which serves as the most commonly used method to cook.
OtherHealth Benefits of Okra
Being a rich source of dietary fibre, vital vitamins and minerals, okra is full of antioxidants and is known as the ultimate health enhancer given the following benefits:
- Preventing and improving constipation
- Reducing the risk of some forms of cancer, especially colorectal cancer
- Lowering cholesterol
- Helping to treat sore throat, irritable bowel, ulcers and lung inflammation
- Improving energy levels and improving symptoms of depression
Read More: Benefits of Bhindi For Diabetes Patients
Diabetics should add okra as their foods to eat for diabetes after consulting their healthcare professional or personalized diabetes educator. Also, it is important to keep monitoring your blood sugar levels using aglucometerto keep your blood sugar levels in control. The glucometer readings are synced to a diabetes management app which records all the readings.
