Orange is the traditional color of fall -- orange leaves, orange pumpkins, and fall time harvesting
of squash and sweet potatoes. But orange is also a bright, healthy color
for all seasons – think of oranges, cantaloupe, carrots, and other fruits and veggies .
There are other orange foods as well, so we shouldn’t limit ourselves to what we find
in the produce section. Naturally, orange foods offer a wealth of
benefits which we’ll explore today . . . AND they can reduce blood sugar.
All of these health benefits make them especially good for a diabetic diet.
We’re excited to jump in for today’s video and explore:
· What makes foods naturally orange · How naturally orange foods improve health
and protect us · Why we should look past just fruits and
veggies for orange foods with health benefits · And finally 10 orange foods that reduce
blood sugar – plus WHY they reduce blood sugars.
But first, remember to like this video! Also subscribe to the channel for more tips on
how to live a full and healthy life beyond diabetes.
Plus, at the end of today’s video, we’ll share how to get two free gifts to help you
manage your diabetes. Now, before counting down our top orange foods,
let’s answer a few important questions. What Makes Foods Orange?
Foods with natural color have helpful compounds called phytonutrients.
We see these all the time even if we don’t think about them. Phytonutrients make the
skin on some apples red and the outside of eggplants purple.
They also make carrots and sweet potatoes orange.
For orange foods, the phytonutrients are pigments called carotenoids.
Carotenoids include alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin.
While this is all interesting, what we really want to discuss is how these nutrients boost
our health. Why are Orange foods so good for us?
Orange foods do some amazing tasks for us: · They protect the immune system, eyes, and
skin · And they reduce the risk of cancer and
heart disease. · They also reduce inflammation with antioxidants.
The most known carotenoids are carotenes, or more specifically beta carotene.
Carrots, of course, are loaded with beta carotene, which is important because the human body
uses beta carotene to make vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin essential for good eye and skin health.
Vitamin A is so important to eye health that it’s often called the vision vitamin.
This vitamin does much more, from helping the immune system, boosting cell growth and
reproduction, and improving bone health. By the way, vitamin A is a FAT soluble vitamin,
so cooking orange foods with a little healthy fat will help you absorb the vitamins better.
A nutrition expert named Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, wrote the book Eating in Color and advises
to cook orange foods like butternut squash or sweet potatoes in a small amount of olive
oil or a tiny bit of butter from grass-fed beef.
The opposite is true for another group of phytonutrients called bioflavonoids.
These are in orange FRUITS, and they’re water-soluble so it’s better to eat them
raw. Bioflavonoids work with vitamin C to reduce
the risk of heart attacks and cancer. They also improve vision, skin, and keep your
bones and teeth strong. Luckily orange foods tend to have lots of
vitamin C to work with the helpful compounds. Now that we’ve seen some amazing health
benefits from orange foods, we can move on to see how they help diabetics manage their
blood sugars. So, how do orange foods reduce blood sugar
levels? Including many whole foods in your diet will
help reduce blood sugar levels simply because you’re eating healthier.
As an example, imagine your blood sugar level after eating candy orange slices versus a
real orange. There are other times we can switch out crackers,
fatty foods, or sweet drinks for an orange fruit, vegetable, or “orange” meal—more
on that one later! Many processed foods try to mimic the bright
colors of healthy foods, but they typically do so with artificial food dyes that cause
inflammation, autoimmune problems, and diseases like cancer.
Some foods use natural dyes, and in this case, might offer health benefits. Later we’ll
look at a spice that dyes food NATURALLY and brings many health benefits.
With natural, whole foods, you’re also eating something more filling, with more fiber and
nutrition, but with fewer calories. Science has discovered that eating foods high
in carotenoids prevents excess fat storage . . . specifically around the midsection.
In correlation to that, we’ve known for a long time that leaner people tend to have
higher levels of carotenoids in their blood. These beneficial compounds that provide color
to food act as antioxidants and protect us from inflammation . . . so it’s not a huge
surprise that they also help us store less fat.
You might remember that higher glucose in the blood leads to weight gain, so cutting
down on body fat and newly stored fat will help keep blood sugars in check.
There’s one other reason that orange foods can fight high blood sugar levels.
Oranges offer an abundance of pectin, a soluble fiber that lowers LDL cholesterol levels.
All the fiber in many orange foods makes them low on the glycemic index scale, so they won’t
spike blood sugars. Now, let’s count down the top orange foods
for blood sugar control . . . #10. Clementines
A list of healthy orange foods wouldn’t be complete without an orange . . .
And not simply because an orange is . . . orange! It’s because the American Diabetes Association
calls oranges a “diabetic superfood.” Additionally, Wed MD also says oranges are
among the healthiest fruits for diabetics. Oranges are full of needed vitamins and they
have a low glycemic index, so their fiber and water content will fill you up while keeping
blood glucose stable. Clementines are a smaller orange that makes
it easy to stick to a healthy portion size. Their smaller size also makes them convenient
to pack in a lunch or take as a snack during the day, plus they’re easier to peel than
other varieties. Take this little powerhouse food along with
you or keep them in your fruit bowl for a sweet treat that lowers blood sugar levels.
We have a lot of variety on our list today, but let’s look at another fruit before moving
on. #9. Mango
Here’s a bit of trivia: mangoes are the most commonly eaten fruit in the WORLD!
That’s for several good reasons. To start, mango is one of the richest sources of vitamin
A. In an article from Clean Plates titled “Orange
is the New Green,” Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, author of Eating in Color said mangoes
contain phenolic compounds, which provide the structure for antioxidants, thus boosting
the body’s immune system. The article by Adriana Diakiw, MD additionally
says mangoes also contain fiber, minerals, and vitamins A, C, E, K, and several B vitamins.
Mangoes also provide polyphenols, triterpene, and lupeol, which act as antioxidants and
anti-inflammatory compounds. This sweet fruit is a great source of fiber,
and we know that fiber aids digestion and lowers blood sugar levels.
An article published on Medical News Today says that research is suggesting mangoes may
combat high cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes. A study in the British Journal of Nutrition
studied the effects of mangoes on levels of glucose and fat in the blood of mice.
The mice were divided into two groups, with one group receiving freeze-dried mango and
the other group receiving drugs to reduce fat levels or reduce sugar in the blood.
In today’s world, many people might expect the mice on drugs to achieve better results.
However, the mice eating mango had lower percentages of body fat, cholesterol levels, and blood
sugar levels than when they started the mango diet.
In the end, the mango and drugs produced similar results.
Be sure to include this orange fruit in your diet in moderate portion sizes.
#8. Butternut Squash This squash is orange on the inside, unlike
its relative pumpkin which is orange inside and out.
But the richly orange meat of butternut squash is delicious and a great food for reducing
blood sugar. It’s also known as a butternut pumpkin or
Gramma, and well known for its nutty and mildly sweet flavor.
It offers magnesium, potassium, vitamin C . . . and a wealth of healthy fiber, and that’s
how it lowers blood sugar levels. You can cream it for soup, bake it and enjoy
it like mashed potatoes, or cube it for salads, curry, and other dishes.
Butternut squash made it to #8 on our list because, unlike fruit, you can enjoy a larger
portion size. Ready for a surprise orange food? #7 is actually
a sauce. #7. Veggie “Cheese” sauce
You can enjoy a healthy diet with sweet fruit and vegetables . . . so what do we do when
it comes to simple carbs like spaghetti and macaroni and cheese?
Even after you switch to whole wheat pasta and veggie noodles, you still have the sauce
to contend with, which might be full of sugar, fat, oil, or dense calories.
Marina and tomato sauce can be a healthy choice if you don’t add sugar, but what if you
really want a big bowl of mac and cheese? Thankfully we have a workaround for that in
the form of veggie sauce. It’s simple to make – simply steam your
chosen veggies, puree them, and add nutritional yeast for the cheese flavor.
Puree carrots, butternut squash, pumpkin, spices, and garlic. You can add in white beans
to make the sauce thicker. Other ideas include sweet potatoes and onion.
You can experiment with different combinations to find which are best for your favorite dinners.
Making your cheese sauce this way reduces carbs and adds fiber, along with a host of
vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Now you have a diabetic superfood to reduce
blood sugars instead of an unhealthy meal you should avoid.
Let’s look at another superfood that is also a little lesser-known.
#6. Chanterelle mushrooms While children in some countries trick-or-treat
for candy, adults can forage in the forest for a tasty and healthy treat.
You might not think of mushrooms when you think about carotenoids and beta-carotene,
but chanterelle mushrooms are an orange, edible wild mushroom.
They work as a meat substitute in soups and rice dishes, and they make a delicious cream
of mushroom soup. However you use them, they’ll help you fill
up and eat less. They’re good for weight loss because they’re low in calories and
fat but high in fiber. These unique mushrooms are high in protein
and vitamin D, and they’re a low carb and low fat food that will help keep blood sugars
low. Chanterelles have an added bonus. They boost
energy levels because they have vitamins B2, B3, B5 and B6 and iron.
Enjoy chanterelles with scrambled eggs for a protein breakfast that will promote healthy
blood sugar levels throughout the day. We’re halfway through our countdown! Up
next, a yummy side dish or even main dish at times . . .
#5. Sweet Potato The author of Eating in Color recommended
sweet potatoes because, in part, one sweet potato has 4 times your daily beta-carotene.
These yummy potatoes also offer fiber, vitamin C, and manganese, which is an important trace
mineral for keeping blood sugar levels steady. We need manganese for brain and nervous system
function, and it even affects our glucose tolerance.
For animals, manganese deficiency leads to glucose intolerance, which is similar to people
developing diabetes. Many studies are finding a link between lower
manganese levels in the blood and diabetes. Manganese is often prescribed to help diabetics,
but you can get plenty in your diet by including sweet potatoes.
Enjoy them baked with a little cinnamon or other spices. Add a healthy fat to help absorb
the beta-carotene. Let’s switch gears as we move onto #4, with
a crispy vegetable. #4. Orange Bell Peppers
Have a sweet tooth? Want a crunchy snack? Then try sliced orange bell peppers.
These tasty and colorful peppers have a glycemic load of only 2 so they’re an excellent choice
for diabetics. They’re also full of antioxidants and carotenoids,
AND they have manganese for blood sugar control. Throw slices of orange bell peppers in with
your eggs or lean meats, or enjoy them stuffed and baked.
You can’t go wrong with bell peppers – they’re a win-win for lowering blood sugar levels
and getting a wealth of health benefits. Now for a vegetable that actually isn’t
one – since tomatoes are counted as fruit! #3. Orange Cherry tomatoes
Normally, an orange tomato is an unripe tomato, but now we have a flavorful orange variety.
Even better, orange cherry tomatoes contain even more antioxidants than the red variety
to really boost your immune system. A study confirmed that the healthy compounds
in orange tomatoes are more readily accessible by the body.
And you already know just how healthy orange vegetables are! So go ahead and include a
handful as a snack or slice them in half to throw in your salad.
The second to last food on our list is another veggie that’s normally not orange . . .
#2. Orange Cauliflower Golden orange cauliflower is not just pretty,
it’s packed with beta-carotene that you won’t find in the regular version.
You’ll also get vitamin C, vitamin K, B6, and folate.
The high fiber content of cauliflower, combined with its low carb factor, balances blood sugars,
lowers blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, and even improves insulin sensitivity.
Orange cauliflower has a mild, nutty flavor, yet it still picks up flavors like normal
cauliflower. So bring on the spices and seasonings! You can have a large serving of cauliflower
– whether it’s steamed or mashed – and hardly make a dent in your daily calories.
This should be a go-to for diabetics to reduce blood sugar levels.
We’re to our #1 orange food for blood sugar control, and this one might surprise you.
#1. Healthy Curry This orange-colored dish is #1 on our list
because it contains lean protein, lots of fiber from the veggies, and some special benefits
from the components of curry powder. Let’s dig a little deeper into this healthy
dish. Curry is a healthy dish thanks to the many
veggies and rice, as long as it’s WHOLE GRAIN rice such as brown basmati rice.
Curry has a plethora of veggie choices such as beans, zucchini, carrots, bell pepper,
sweet potato, and onion. You can even add cubed pumpkin, squash, or
chanterelle mushrooms for more orange foods and benefits.
Add lean chicken or tofu and you have lean protein.
In addition to all these healthy foods that provide many health benefits – and balance
blood sugar levels – curry powder has turmeric, which contains a powerful anti-inflammatory
compound called curcuminoids. Turmeric is an orange spice that will color
your food, but don’t let that stop you from adding it to all kinds of dishes, from oatmeal
or eggs and even smoothies. So if you use a premade curry sauce or seasoning,
you can still add more turmeric for even more anti-inflammatory benefits.
Wow, that’s the top 10 Fantastic orange foods to reduce your blood sugar—AND get
lots of other health benefits! While you’re here, make sure to like this
video and subscribe to Diabetics Talk for even more tips and tricks to living a full,
healthy life beyond diabetes. And check the description below for information
and how to grab your two free gifts. Thanks for watching! Here’s to your health!
And Have a super healthy day!