Cooking tips to help with your insulin

Steaming your foods may be healthier than frying, grilling and roasting -- especially if you're at risk for diabetes. Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA explains how steaming can help insulin response and lower blood sugar.

Transcript

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Hi. I'm Barbara Ficarra with a healthy cooking tip for you.

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Try steam cooking. It turns out that lightly steaming some of your favorite foods could help your insulin response.

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A healthy insulin response is what helps you maintain a normal blood sugar level and proper metabolism.

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Without it, you'd be at risk for diabetes and other health problems. One study found that steam cooking

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was better for insulin response than frying, grilling, or roasting. People who ate foods cooked at high heat

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experienced poor insulin sensitivity and lower blood levels of omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins C and E.

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The culprit? There's the Maillard reaction that occurs during the browning stage of high heat cooking. This could produce harmful byproducts,

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which might be the reason for the study's results. For more ways to nourish your health, try steaming vegetables for your next meal.