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"If you want to lose fat and lower blood sugar in summer, you have to rely on these dishes!" Doctor Zhao Ming said with a smile.
The story begins with one of his words, and our protagonist, Uncle Wang, is lying on the floor panting, trying to recover from the sudden situation just now.
Uncle Wang, 62 years old, was a primary school math teacher before retiring.
He has always been quite confident in his physical condition, and believes that years of board writing and standing teaching have given him enough exercise.
However, this morning, while doing squats at home, he did less than five of them, and his legs began to tremble, and finally he accidentally fell to the ground.
This fall frightened Uncle Wang, and he realized that his physical condition was far from being as good as he imagined.
So, Uncle Wang decided to start paying attention to health issues. He immediately went to the community hospital and found his old friend, Dr. Zhao.
"Doctor Zhao, my body needs to be well recuperated," Uncle Wang said as he rubbed his knees.
Doctor Zhao listened and said with a smile: "Uncle Wang, it is normal for you to have a little physical condition at this age.
In your case, the main reason is that the blood sugar in the body is high and the leg muscles are not strong enough. Gotta take care of it. ”
Next, Dr. Zhao began to explain some knowledge of daily diet and exercise to Uncle Wang.
He first mentioned a common vegetable in Uncle Wang's house - sweet potato leaves.
Dr. Zhao said that sweet potato leaves are not only experts in lowering sugar, but also have the effect of reducing fat.
This made Uncle Wang very surprised, he had never thought that the sweet potato leaves in his vegetable garden would have such an effect.
"Sweet potato leaves are rich in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals, especially dietary fiber, which can effectively slow down the absorption of sugar and help lower blood sugar levels.
Moreover, the chlorophyll in sweet potato leaves also helps to metabolize fat, which is also helpful for fat loss. ”
Uncle Wang was stunned when he heard this, and he asked Dr. Zhao, "Is it possible to lower blood sugar and weight just by eating sweet potato leaves?" ”
Dr. Zhao smiled, "Of course not. Sweet potato leaves are just one of the effective ingredients, and if you want to fully regulate your body, you have to start from many aspects. ”
Next, Dr. Zhao recommended several vegetables suitable for summer to Uncle Wang, which can not only reduce blood sugar and fat, but also help improve overall health. Let's take a look at them one by one.
The first is bitter melon. Bitter gourd is regarded as a good medicine for clearing heat and detoxifying in traditional Chinese medicine, and modern research has also found that bitter gourd has a significant hypoglycemic effect.
The bitter melon in bitter melon can improve insulin sensitivity, which can help lower blood sugar.
Dr. Zhao said that there is an elderly grandmother who has suffered from diabetes for many years, but she insists on eating bitter melon every day and has very good blood sugar control.
Dr. Zhao emphasized that although the taste of bitter gourd is indeed somewhat bitter, its nutritional value and medicinal value are very high, and it is worth eating more.
Next is the onion. Onions are not only a common ingredient in the kitchen, but also a good medicine for reducing sugar. The alliin and trace element chromium in onions can effectively promote insulin
secretion, which helps control blood sugar levels. Dr. Zhao gave an example: a middle-aged man suffering from high blood sugar followed the doctor's advice to eat onions every day, and as a result, his blood sugar dropped significantly and his physical condition also improved significantly.
In addition, onions have antioxidant effects that help prevent cardiovascular disease. The third type is cucumbers.
Cucumbers are not only refreshing and tasty, but they are also low in calories and rich in water and fiber.
The propanolic acid component in cucumber can effectively inhibit the conversion of sugars into fat, thereby helping to reduce fat.
Dr. Zhao mentioned that a woman who ate cucumbers every day in the summer and persisted for a month lost 5 kilograms of weight and her blood sugar was very well controlled.
Cucumber is also a good product to relieve the heat in summer, which can be eaten raw, cold, or juiced to drink.
The last one is the tomato. Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, and lycopene, all of which help with antioxidants, boost immunity, and lower blood sugar.
Dr. Zhao mentioned that there was a young diabetic patient whose blood sugar had been unstable, and later, on the advice of the doctor, he ate tomatoes every day, and his blood sugar level gradually stabilized.
Tomatoes can also help lower cholesterol and protect cardiovascular health.
After listening to Dr. Zhao's detailed explanation, Uncle Wang has a new understanding of his diet.
He began growing more sweet potato leaves, bitter gourd, onions and tomatoes at home, and asked Dr. Zhao for some healthy cooking tips.
Uncle Wang's wife, Aunt Li, also actively cooperated, changing her cooking patterns every day, so that the family's diet was healthy and delicious.
Of course, diet alone is not enough, Dr. Zhao also recommended that Uncle Wang do a moderate amount of exercise.
Uncle Wang goes for a walk in the park every morning and evening, and sometimes participates in square dancing activities organized by the community.
He found that over time, his physical strength gradually recovered, and his blood sugar also improved significantly.
Dr. Zhao also reminded Uncle Wang that in summer, he should pay attention to replenishing water, eat more vegetables and fruits, and eat less high-sugar and high-fat foods.
Dr. Zhao said that many modern people's eating habits are unhealthy, especially in summer, when they tend to eat cold drinks and sweets, which is very bad for their health.
After hearing this, Uncle Wang was deeply touched and decided that he must adhere to a healthy lifestyle in the future.
In this way, under the guidance of Dr. Zhao, Uncle Wang gradually recovered his health through a reasonable diet and moderate exercise.
He has also become a disseminator of health knowledge in the community, often introducing several sugar-reducing and fat-reducing vegetables recommended by Dr. Zhao to his neighbors.
Everyone watched Uncle Wang's changes, and they all asked him for health tips, and Uncle Wang was also happy to share his experience.
Why are these vegetables effective in lowering blood sugar and fat, and what is their specific mechanism of action?
Next, let's analyze this problem in detail.
Sweet potato leaves, bitter gourd, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes can help reduce blood sugar and fat mainly because of their nutrients and bioactive substances.
The dietary fiber in sweet potato leaves can help lower blood sugar levels after a meal by delaying the absorption of sugar from the gastrointestinal tract.
In addition, sweet potato leaves are also rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and chlorophyll, which have antioxidant effects and help improve islet function and enhance insulin sensitivity.
The bitter melon in bitter melon is considered to be the main component of its hypoglycemic properties.
Bitter melon can mimic the action of insulin and promote the absorption of glucose by cells, thereby effectively lowering blood sugar levels.
In addition, bitter melon is also rich in vitamin C and flavonoids, which have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, help protect pancreatic islet cells, and improve insulin resistance.
The alliin and chromium in onions promote insulin secretion and enhance the action of insulin, which helps control blood sugar levels.
Onions are also rich in sulfides, which have antibacterial and antioxidant effects that help prevent diabetes complications.
The propanolic acid in cucumber inhibits the conversion of sugars to fat, thereby aiding fat loss.
In addition, cucumbers are rich in water and fiber, which can increase satiety, reduce the amount of food you eat, and help with weight management.
Cucumbers are also rich in vitamin C and vitamin K, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, help improve pancreatic islet function, and enhance insulin sensitivity.
The lycopene in tomatoes is thought to be its main component in lowering blood sugar.
Lycopene has a powerful antioxidant effect, which is able to protect pancreatic islet cells and reduce insulin resistance.
In addition, tomatoes are also rich in vitamin C, vitamin A and dietary fiber, which have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and pancreatic islet function effects, which help control blood sugar levels.
Through the above analysis, it can be seen that the reason why these vegetables can help reduce blood sugar and fat is mainly because they are rich in nutrients and bioactive substances, which can play a role through a variety of mechanisms to help control blood sugar, reduce fat accumulation, and improve pancreatic islet function.
What are your thoughts on this? Welcome to discuss in the comment area!
Resources
[1] Liu Guige. Nutrient composition and health function of sweet potato leaves, Shanghai Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2023-11-30