While fiber is one of the best ways of naturally controlling blood sugar levels, an easy source is the ordinary bean and other legumes. Between 20-35 grams a day is ideal for the body.



What is the importance of the humble bean, which is so often overlooked in the kitchen? Beans take quite a while to break down after they are eaten - consequently the body receives a steady supply of glucose.

The body requires a steady supply of energy rather than a sudden flood of glucose, which it can't remove easily, and this excess then ends up being stored as fat.

Compare the body's reaction to eating refined foods, to the slow release of sugar by high fiber foods. By mid morning your low blood sugar levels are developing; and the body requires urgent rebalancing before light- headedness or even dizziness shows up.

When taking the customary morning coffee and doughnuts glucose pours into your bloodstream in minutes, setting up the classic low and high blood sugar levels.

By midday and a meal of refined foods, often a sandwich, the body is on course for its next blood sugar level collapse. Fatigue and mood swings become part of daily living with years of poor dieting.

The pity is that the majority of people in the modern world are unaware of this phenomenon of their body being under extreme pressure from the up and down cycles. Little do they realise such a dieting programme brings on the start of hypoglycemia with the danger of the onset of more serious illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes.

Nor do they realise just how easily this cycle can be broken. Probably the best lunch you can eat is one based around the bean. For those people not overweight, a jacket potato with bean fillings is fiber rich and will set them up for a steady afternoon.

The evening meal offers a wide opportunity to use beans. They come in many varieties, sizes and colors, all packed with minerals and vitamins. They can be used in casseroles - or added as one of the vegetables with the family meal. Only a ½ cup of beans per day helps keep the body in balance.

The real way to get complete control over hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar levels) is to extend your understanding of the subject with a little reading and research, which should not be too expensive or complicated.