Ensuring a normal blood sugar level is an incredibly important condition for a healthy person. If fluctuations begin to increase or decrease from the normal state, the body experiences great difficulties. Adjusting the level of sugar and its retention at normal levels is our body's own business. But sometimes it can fail. Then such a serious metabolic disturbance develops as the appearance of excess sugar. This disruption in the endocrine system is called diabetes.
At the initial stage of the disease, the body is still trying to independently counter this problem by breeding excess sugar with water. That is why the patient at this stage begins to worry about a strong thirst. This is the first bell, when you see which you should immediately consult a doctor. Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the body feels a lack of insulin for processing sugar and its content in the blood is constantly growing. There are more and more patients with diabetes and there are many reasons for this (heredity, improper lifestyle, etc.).
Chicory
The treatment for diabetes is very long and tedious. Tired of endless medicines and diets, patients try to find more effective methods and often turn to traditional medicine. Of course, in order to improve well-being, any means are good. But such a serious illness does not tolerate amateur performances and any addition to the traditional treatment and recommended diet should always be agreed with the attending physician.
One of the effective means that perfectly complements medical treatment and gives good results, traditional medicine considers chicory. So is chicory possible in diabetes? This drink turned out to be very useful in cases of other serious diseases, but will it be effective in doing so?
How does the plant work with diabetes
This plant can be a great add-on for diabetes. Many studies confirm that chicory in diabetes shows good results. It is known as a wonderful drink, a coffee substitute that tastes very similar to it, but does not contain caffeine. At the same time, it fills the body with a number of useful substances. The complex effect of the chicory drink has a beneficial effect on the patient. It helps fight various diseases.
The composition of chicory
Since ancient times, the amazing properties of chicory are known. Therefore, this plant was widely used in practice by various herbalists. Even the healers of Ancient Egypt used chicory in their medical arsenal - a storehouse of various micro and macro elements very valuable for the body, as well as a whole group of vitamins. It consists of:
- inulin;
- tannins;
- choline;
- chicorin;
- organic acid;
- essential oil;
- a vitamin complex from such a set of vitamins A, B1, B2, C, PP;
- sodium;
- phosphorus;
- manganese;
- iron;
- potassium and others.
Inulin in chicory: effect on the body
The main reason chicory is shown for type 2 diabetes is because it contains inulin. Its effect on the body of a patient with diabetes is difficult to overestimate. Inulin performs many important functions:
- Helps reduce glucose in diabetics, which will allow insulin-dependent patients to reduce the amount of insulin taken.
- Releases the body from radionuclides and heavy metals.
- Helps strengthen bones, reducing the risk of fracture.
- Significantly enhances immunity.
- Helps normalize carbohydrate and fat metabolism.
- Reduces appetite.
Why is this plant useful for type 2 diabetes?
Among other plants that help regulate glycemia, chicory is very successful in type 2 diabetes. For treatment, flowers and plant roots are used. They are used in the form of decoctions. In addition to the fact that chicory contains many useful substances and significantly reduces blood sugar, it also has diuretics, as well as a wound healing property, helps to improve metabolism, strengthens blood vessels and stimulates the improvement of cardiac activity in diabetes. But its use should be agreed with the doctor. Since this remedy has some contraindications that must be known and taken into account when using drinks from chicory.
Contraindications to the use of chicory drink
So, is it possible to drink chicory in diabetes? The elements, vitamins and minerals contained in the named plant affect not only the causes of the appearance of the pathology, but also other organs to which this condition can harm.
If you decide to try a drink from chicory as an adjuvant for diabetes mellitus, consult a clinic about its effect on your body, especially if there are diseases such as:
- allergy to substances that make up chicory ;
- respiratory diseases;
- problems with the gastrointestinal tract;
- varicose veins;
- renal or liver failure;
- chronic hemorrhoids.
Therefore, it is very important to learn about the reaction of your body to chicory even before you start to use it. In general, in addition to the individual intolerance of the patient to any substances, there are no clear contraindications to the use of this drug, and chicory in diabetes mellitus of the second type is not prohibited. The whole question is to do this not uncontrollably, but under the supervision of a qualified specialist.
Benefit
Most people know chicory as a useful substitute for coffee, because it also has a dark color and a bitter taste. It is drunk by everyone who is worried about their health and proper nutrition. The root of this plant is most valued, but other parts of it can provide good results: leaves, flowers and stems.
Back in the 18th century, the gardener Tamme prepared the first drink from the roots of chicory. And since then, very many have loved its tart taste, softer and more gentle than coffee, and much whiter than healthy for the body. Its charm is that you can drink it for children, the elderly, pregnant or lactating mothers.
Why is chicory so useful for type 2 diabetes? What is the effect of its beneficial properties on the causes of diabetes? After all, it is no accident that, in the treatment of pathology, they resort to the help of this plant. And the secret here is simple - chicory root contains fructose that can replace sugar. And this allows you to reduce its level in the patient’s blood.
Inulin is also of great importance, which creates a hypoglycemic effect in patients with diabetes. It is able to perfectly affect the decrease in blood sugar, makes it possible to track glycemia and maintain sugar at a normal level, preventing its hyperglycemic jumps.
How is chicory usually prescribed for prevention?
Inulin is useful in the initial stage in violation of carbohydrate metabolism or prediabetes, which leads to hypertension and hyperproteinemia. Therefore, chicory in diabetes is prescribed in the form of a drink for prevention in order to prevent possible diabetic complications: angiopathies, peripheral neuropathies, retino-, nephro- and encephalopitia. The most popular is soluble chicory.
Types of processing
The main raw material for obtaining a chicory product is the rhizome of the plant. It is dried and processed, and the receipt of a particular type of drink depends on the method of its processing. There are three of them:
- Concentrated liquid extract is a kind of extract from the rhizome of a plant, which is added in the manufacture of confectionery products or in some sauces as a flavoring, and also taken in a diluted state from insomnia and nervous stress.
- Dry ground - fried root is ground into powder and used in food, filled with hot or cold water, used to improve bowel function and ensure normal functioning of the biliary tract.
- Soluble powder is the most difficult to manufacture, but also the most useful for diabetes. It is much more convenient than the first two, because it is not required to insist, and it can be stored much longer.
Regularly using chicory for diabetes, you can simultaneously lower cholesterol.
Chicory in pregnancy and diabetes
To enhance the available medicinal products, various natural supplements can be used. For example, everyone is interested in whether it is possible to drink chicory in diabetes for pregnant women or during lactation? Of course, it is possible, this drink with the addition of blueberries will be especially useful. Just do not abuse the daily doses so that there is no harm.
Traditional medicine in the treatment of the described disease has never denied how beneficial chicory is in diabetes. Alternative methods of treatment with various plants and today find a response in the medical environment. But these methods should only be applied, not instead of drug therapy, but with it, under the supervision of the attending physician and in therapeutic dosages, along with taking medications and strict diet. Such an interaction can bring good results and make treatment more effective and faster.
Endocrinologist Tips
If you still doubt whether chicory is possible with diabetes, consult your endocrinologist. Based on the results of the tests, he will determine whether chicory will harm you and prescribe doses that are harmless to your body.
Recent studies have convinced doctors of the unconditional use of chicory for the prevention of hypoglycemia. Therefore, this drink is recommended for patients with diabetes mellitus with any type. In addition, endocrinologists offer a number of useful tips for people with this diagnosis:
- Strictly follow a diet, because consumed foods directly affect the increase in blood glucose levels.
- To avoid stressful situations, with high nervous tension, the hormone cortisol is released into the blood, which contributes to an increase in blood glucose.
- To control body weight, because overweight reduces the effectiveness of insulin and leads to an aggravation of the situation.
- Lead a more active lifestyle, so that glucose is spent more on muscle work and less blood remains, exercise makes the body less dependent on insulin.
- Instead of sugar, use its artificial substitutes: aspartame and saccharin, which are less high in calories and do not lead to the accumulation of excess glucose in the blood, while its natural substitutes, xylitol and fructose, are very high in calories and can lead to hyperglycemia. You can treat yourself to diabetic confectionery with artificial sugar substitutes from time to time.
- Take vitamin complexes designed specifically for diabetics.
So, we found out that chicory in diabetes can be drunk. Following these tips and using the drink as a catalyst, it will be easier to achieve significant success in the fight against diabetes and start living a simple normal life of a healthy person.