Is sauerkraut possible with diabetes?

The dietary program for patients with diabetes of both types is built taking into account many factors. Therefore, the entire selected diet as a result contains products that are extremely beneficial for the health of the diabetic. The whole diet must be agreed with the doctor, who, if necessary, can adjust some positions. Typically, experts advise such patients on the choice of safe food. As a rule, vegetables are necessarily included in the list of allowed products. Moreover, cabbage has priority in this group.

The benefits of cabbage for diabetics

The beneficial properties of this vegetable crop have been known for a long time. Many recipes for cooking with cabbage remain unchanged for centuries. From cabbage, you can cook more than one hundred delicious and healthy dishes for diabetics. But experts recommend paying more attention to sauerkraut, which is included in the top ten foods that are desirable for consumption in diabetes.

This attitude to the popular vegetable is not accidental, because compared with other types of products of this category, cabbage has a lot of advantages. It is important that all the available advantages of a fresh product are also inherent in sauerkraut. Suffice it to mention the main characteristics:

1. Low calorie content, which is only 27 kcal per 100 grams of product, allows you to include sauerkraut in the menu of both types of diabetics.
2. Antioxidant abilities help to cleanse the body of harmful food processing products and toxins in a timely manner.
3. Cabbage contains a lot of dietary fiber, and they provide the correct course of digestive processes.
4. Fiber - this component, which is extremely useful for digestion, is also present in sufficient quantities in sauerkraut.
5. In the process of ripening, organic acids are formed, the most valuable of which is lactic acid. It is this chemical component that is involved in the conversion of sugar, which is very important for diabetics. In addition to this function, lactic acid stabilizes the microflora of the intestines and stomach.

What effect does sauerkraut have on the body?

The product has a number of healing properties, which is also very important for people with diabetes. After all, this endocrine disorder is often accompanied by many chronic pathologies, including cardiovascular diseases. Fatty acids are present in sauerkraut that can cleanse blood vessels of cholesterol. Therefore, the use of sauerkraut can even be considered a preventive measure that reduces the risk of stroke and other serious circulatory problems.

In addition, the product contributes to weight loss, and diabetes is often accompanied by obesity.

The chemical composition of sauerkraut

Although you can ferment different varieties, most people prefer traditional white cabbage. The composition of the product that has undergone a fermentation process is somewhat different from the composition of a fresh vegetable. Note which ingredients of sauerkraut are beneficial for the health of people with high blood sugar.

1. Dietary proteins are extremely beneficial for diabetics because without them protein metabolism suffers.
2. Vitamins are represented in large quantities, but especially in sauerkraut of ascorbic acid, with the participation of which many synthesis processes are carried out, and immunity is also strengthened.
3. Mineral components also saturate the body's tissues with nutrients and contribute to the normal functioning of many parts of the body.
4. There are such useful additives in sauerkraut as volatile, which protect the body from infection.

Although sauerkraut contains such undesirable components as starch and sucrose, their content in the product is so small that it can cause no harm to the health of the diabetic. The chemical composition of sauerkraut is well balanced, which increases the nutritional value of the product.

Which cabbage is better

If we talk about which sort of cabbage is better to ferment for the diet of people with diabetes, then in this matter individual taste preferences decide everything. Each variety of cabbage culture has its own distinctive features. So, red cabbage well strengthens blood vessels and stabilizes pressure. And with diabetes, especially type 2, hypertension is often observed.

Kohlrabi has a beneficial effect on the nervous sphere, and Brussels sprouts stimulate wound healing. But of all the cabbage species in diabetes, broccoli is considered the most beneficial. A set of useful components in this particular variety of vegetable culture is selected in an ideal ratio for diabetics. But most importantly, broccoli normalizes the function of the pancreas, and this is a valuable quality in diabetes. All varieties listed here can be leavened in the same way as white cabbage.

Sauerkraut in the diet of patients with diabetes

It is immediately worth noting that the product is perfectly absorbed by the body. Therefore, such a vegetable variety will be useful in diabetes of both the first and second type. The second important point is that sauerkraut has a low glycemic index. This feature also makes the product attractive for inclusion in the menu of diabetics. Cabbage in this form can be used as a separate dish or on its basis to cook soups, borscht, vegetable stew and other wholesome food.

Separately, I want to focus on cabbage brine. This product is very useful for diabetes, because it is an extract with a rich content of vitamins and other beneficial components. With type 2 diabetes, nutritionists recommend drinking brine to improve pancreatic function. You can take the healing composition up to 4 times a week in small (2-3 l. Art.) Portions. Brine is an excellent prophylactic against renal pathologies.

It is difficult to judge the norm of sauerkraut, because it all depends on the individual characteristics of a particular patient. But many experts believe that 200 grams of product per day will allow a person to maintain working capacity and normal activity.

Contraindications

All the negative consequences associated with the use of sauerkraut, most often occur due to overeating. Uncontrolled use of the product usually causes intestinal upsets and nausea. But there are a number of restrictions when you should abandon a healthy dish or use it very carefully. In this list:

1. Thyroid problems (sauerkraut activates the removal of iodine from the body).
2. Hypertension (salt increases pressure).
3. Gastritis and peptic ulcer, especially in the acute stage.

It is strictly forbidden to use a peroxide product, since in such a cabbage the level of acetic acid rises and all the nutrient components are destroyed. In addition, such a product is simply harmful due to the high acid content.

Sauerkraut is a simple and very nutritious product. If it is used rationally, then it is possible to enrich the diet of a person with diabetes.Easy-to-cook and nutritious meals compensate for the lack of vitamins and minerals, as well as improve the functioning of important body systems.

Video: recipes for fresh and pickled cabbage for diabetics