7 Superfoods to Lower Blood Sugar Naturally

If you clicked to read this article, there are two things I already know about you.

Number 1: You believe that food is medicine. Or you are at least curious and open to the idea that food is medicine. That’s huge. You’re a smart person and you’re thinking for yourself. I like you already!

Number 2: You are taking responsibility for your own health. You’re not sitting back in defeat to what life has thrown at you, feeling like a victim of your health struggles. You’re in the driver’s seat, seeking out information about what you can do to influence the health outcomes you want to see.

That’s exactly what I like to see. That’s exactly the type of mindset that gets you results.

So thanks for reading, and let’s get you some information you can use to direct your health in the direction you want to go.

Today, we’re talking about the Top 7 Superfoods to lower your blood sugar.

Now, these ARE superfoods, but every food that I’m going to talk about today is something that you can easily find at any grocery store AND there’s a good chance you already have most of them in your home!

Superfood #1: Cinnamon

*Note: Four of the seven superfoods I’m telling you about today are usually consumed in the form of spices. Spices are concentrated forms of the original plants, so they often have higher potency of their nutritional content. A cool bonus about spices is that you can put them into and onto all sorts of meals, including ones you already eat.

For instance, the first superfood is cinnamon. A randomized trial comparing doses of 1, 3, and 5g of cinnamon, or placebo pills, taken daily, found that all 3 doses of cinnamon reduced the mean fasting serum glucose (18–29%), triglyceride (23–30%), LDL cholesterol (7–27%), and total cholesterol (12–26%) levels, while there were no significant changes in the placebo groups. 

Another study, a triple-blind randomized controlled trial studying 140 patients with type 2 diabetes, found that taking 500mg (0.5g) of cinnamon twice daily for 3 months improved nearly every health metric that they measured: BMI, body fat and visceral fat, A1c, fasting insulin, insulin resistance, and cholesterol. 

So break out the cinnamon and add it to your meals as often as possible. This should be pretty easy to do because as I was saying earlier, cinnamon is probably something you already have at home, and it’s easy to sprinkle on top of a meal or add into a smoothie.

Superfood #2: Cumin

The next superfood spice to add into your meals is cumin.

Cumin has a rich history as a medicinal food, particularly in Ayurvedic medicine, which is a natural approach to health originating in India. Modern day studies in people with type 2 diabetes have shown that cumin lowers fasting blood sugar, lowers A1c levels, and increases insulin sensitivity.

In fact, one study compared the effects of cumin with glipizide, a common medication used to manage diabetes by lowering a person’s blood glucose—and cumin was actually more effective at lowering blood glucose, while also causing greater improvements in other health markers such as lower cholesterol and triglycerides.

Cumin is often used in many ethnic foods such as Mexican, Indian, Middle Eastern, and African recipes. It is naturally found in spice mixes like chili powder, curry powder, and taco seasoning. It also pairs well in general with most legumes, grains, and vegetables, so like cinnamon it is easy to add to your meals.

Superfood #3: Turmeric

Superfood #3 is turmeric.

An umbrella review and updated meta-analysis published in 2023 showed that turmeric consistently and reliably lowers fasting blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c, no matter what form it was consumed. Like the other foods we’ve discussed so far, turmeric also significantly improves other metabolic parameters of diabetes and provides health benefits for overlapping or related conditions like prediabetes or metabolic syndrome.

Like cumin, turmeric has a history of being used as a medicinal food, especially in Indian/Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine.

Turmeric is most often eaten like a spice, but you can also buy the root itself at most grocery stores. The pure root is pretty bitter to consume fresh, so the best way to use it in that form would be in juices and smoothies.

Superfood #4: Holy Basil (Tulsi)

Onto superfood #4: Holy basil, also known as tulsi.

Holy basil is an adaptogen, meaning that it helps the body to adapt to stress by working with multiple body systems. In Ayurvedic medicine, holy basil is used to support longevity. It is known to have anti-diabetic effects through various mechanisms of influence, such as lowering blood glucose by way of reducing cortisol levels.

Holy basil is most commonly consumed in the form of tea. There are many mainstream ‘tulsi teas’ made from holy basil exclusively or in combination with other herbs, and these can be found at most grocery stores and definitely at any health food store.

Superfood #5: Berries

Okay so now we are getting into the superfoods that are more food-foods than herbs or spices.

When it comes to getting the most bang for your buck in the nutrition world, no matter what way you look at it, berries are hard to beat. A 2020 review of 336 studies on berries’ effects on diabetes concluded that berries are “a reliable and effective method for preventing and managing metabolic hyperglycemic and hyperlipidemic conditions.” Berry consumption lowered post-meal blood glucose, improved insulin sensitivity, and lowered inflammation in the body. Berries were even shown to promote healthy gut microflora!

How? Well, there are MANY of different components and mechanisms of action, but polyphenols are one of the most potent. Polyphenols help your body’s cells to metabolize glucose more effectively. Polyphenols can also help the pancreas to make more insulin, while also protecting pancreatic cells from damage and even encouraging pancreatic cell growth! And, as is most well-known, they are antioxidants.

Superfood #6: Leafy Greens

At Mastering Diabetes, we recommend including leafy greens in as many meals as possible – ideally, in all of them. Whether it’s a full salad or a small ingredient, having greens in a meal improves your blood glucose control every time.

We see this in our clients’ numbers over and over again. The high-fiber nature of leafy green vegetables slows the absorption of glucose which prevents blood sugar spikes. Leafy greens are also some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet and they are full of antioxidants and micronutrients that support insulin sensitivity. From a micronutrients-per-calorie or micronutrients-per-bite perspective, leafy greens are your biggest win.

So add a handful of spinach to your smoothies, cook some chopped kale into your soups or pasta sauce, add fresh herbs to your quinoa salad, and eat your meals on top of a bed of greens. You will notice a difference!

Superfood #7: Legumes

As the saying goes, “last but definitely not least,” the final superfood I’m sharing with you today is legumes. These are lentils, beans, and peas – and they are your secret weapon with diabetes. Definitely understated and underrated, but not today!! Because we know just how powerful these little foods are.

People who eat more beans are less likely to develop diabetes. In those who already have developed type 2 diabetes, adding one cup of beans per day was more effective at lowering A1c values than adding fiber to the diet through whole wheat products – and it lowered risk of cardiovascular disease too.

This is partially due to what is referred to as the “second-meal effect,” meaning that legumes not only improve blood glucose in the meal in which they are consumed, but also in subsequent meals eaten hours later.

Beans are most easily included through soups, salads, and savory meals. You can buy them canned or make them from scratch at home.

No Risk, Only Benefits!!

So these are your seven diabetes superfoods! Something I want to really make note of here is that there is no harm or risk to eating these foods. With medications or certain supplements, there are side effects. But these foods are only beneficial for you. There’s only potential for feeling better, not worse–even if they somehow “don’t work”!

The superfoods listed in this video are going to make you healthier regardless of whether your A1c drops as much as you want it to. It would be hard for anyone to argue that eating more leafy greens, berries, cinnamon, or turmeric isn’t good for you regardless of whether it causes significant changes to your diabetes specifically – but based on the evidence, it’s very likely to improve your diabetes health and beyond. 

In Summary…

Okay so the seven diabetes superfoods we talked about today that are going to help you lower your blood sugar immediately, are:

If you want to hear some examples of people who started eating these foods and had great success in their diabetes health, check out Cynthia (type 2) or Dana (type 1)’s stories.

And if you need help putting it into practice, we have a the Weekly Meal Plan you can use to let us do all the heavy lifting for you!