Many diabetics can’t resist sweet snacks, even though they know that the sugars in these foods can bring them serious problems and complications.

Well, here is a naturally sweet food that will not only satisfy the taste bud of diabetics, it is in fact an anti-diabetic food!

This sweet snack for those with diabetics or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is the sweet potato.

You can steam it and eat it as it is, boil it in water (with a bit of ginger) for a sweet dessert soup, bake it for some sweet potato chips, or even stir fry it with vegetables.

However you choose to cook or eat them, sweet potatoes are great for helping to stabilize blood sugar levels and improving your body’s response to insulin. Since these root vegetables are starchy, they are filling and hence make quite a satisfying snack or dish during a meal. For these reasons, the sweet potato is a wonderful food for those with diabetics or hypoglycemia.

In addition, sweet potatoes can also help increase the antioxidant levels in your body. This is because this tuberous root contains unique root storage proteins, as well as high levels of carotenes and vitamin C, all of which can provide you with powerful antioxidant benefits.

Sweet potatoes are also a good source of vitamin B6, manganese, copper, biotin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B2 and dietary fiber.

Avoid sweet potatoes with green coloration when buying your groceries. The green coloration suggests the presence of the toxic alkaloid solanine.

A point to note, if you have a history of oxalate-containing kidney stones, you may have to watch your intake of sweet potatoes, as this root vegetable contains high levels of oxalate.

References
[1] Murray, Michael, ND., Pizzorno, Joseph, ND., and Pizzorno, Lara, MA, LMT. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. New York, NY: Atria Books, 2005. Print.

Cindy L. TJOL is trained in Psychology, Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. She has several years of experience writing on natural health on the internet. Follow her on her blog and read her other articles at Insights On Health.com.