It has been proved that vitamins, minerals and antioxidant supplements are beneficial for patients with both type1 and type2 diabetes.
Diabetics have insufficient amount of nutrients as compared with healthy people. The consumption of vitamin and mineral supplements are crucial for preventing metabolic disorders which are common to diabetics.
 Look through the list of foods which include essential nutrients which should complement the diabetic’s diet:
Vitamin A
Vitamin A deficiency in people with diabetics can cause night blindness and may lead to the condition which is called retinopathy (deterioration of the blood vessels in the retina of the eye that often accompanies diabetes).
Vitamin A or its precursor beta-carotene can be found in such foods as:
1. The examples of foods rich in beta-carotene are broccoli, spinach, pumpkin, butternut, sweet potatoes, carrots, yellow peaches, apricots, paw paw, spanspek, mangoes.
2. Foods that are great sources of Vitamin A are: fish oils, fortified margarine, bread and maize meal, liver, fatty fish and egg yolk.
Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
It assists in the metabolism of carbohydrates. The metabolism of carbohydrates is in most cases negatively affected in diabetes so it is crucial to take vitamin B supplements. To preserve healthy nerve function it is necessary to take Vitamin B1.
The foods rich in Vitamin B1 are: grains and cereals, including fortified breakfast cereals, bread and maize meal, meat (particularly lean pork), poultry, fish, liver, and legumes (essential food for diabetics).
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
Vitamin B6 influences on the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. It should be taken to prevent diabetic neuropathy which is common to diabetes. It also controls the blood glucose levels and and it may reverse metabolic abnormalities. Due to this vitamin the diabetics can improve the carbohydrate tolerance.
The foods containing Vitamin B 6 are: wheat germ, meat, liver and other organ meats, whole-grain cereals, soy beans, peanuts, fortified cereals and green vegetables.
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