Diabetes and Figs - Enjoy Them While They're Fresh!

It has long been known that fig leaves are useful in curing diabetes. If brewed into a tea, they confer upon the drinker the benefit of needing less insulin. In fact, fig leaves are so effective at this, even type 1 diabetics benefit greatly, often being able to significantly reduce the amount of insulin they need.

However, the focus of this post is about FRESH figs and why, as it turns out, they are so good for diabetics to eat as well. By the way, "anjeer" is another commonly used name for fig, especially outside the United States.

I must admit that I do not have much history in eating fresh figs (anjeer). However, I was standing in the check-out line at the grocery store the other day talking with the lady in front of me who had several packs of fresh figs - 3 varieties in fact. She was a walking natural commercial for figs as she simply exuded the physical appearance and attitude of a very healthy person. That conversation really motivated me to do some research on figs and I'm glad I did because, as it turns out, fresh figs are an excellent dietary choice for diabetics.

It's no wonder that I have never been a big fig (anjeer) eater - and they aren't anywhere near the most popularly consumed fruits. The main reason for this is they are extremely perishable. In fact, they only last about 3-4 days, even if you put them in the refrigerator. For this reason, it is difficult for grocers to carry fresh figs. However, during the months of August through October, which is now of course, you should be able to find some good fresh figs. Most figs that are grown commercially are dried - it's something like 80% - 90% of all figs are dried in fact (sources varied on this stat). Dried figs do offer some of the benefits that I discuss below but not as much as fresh figs so you should try to take advantage of the fresh fig season which we're in right now. If you do buy dried figs, be sure to get organic so they are not treated with sulfur which negates the benefits.

Here are some of the benefits of figs for diabetics I found from my research:

Figs have more fiber than any other fruit or vegetable - more than even plums/prunes! This includes both soluble and insoluble fiber in one delicious package. You get 5 grams of fiber eating just 3 figs. Eating more natural fiber has many healthy benefits of course, but for the diabetic specifically, it slows down the digestion and absorption of sugar and carbs. Fiber also helps you lose weight more easily which can dramatically improve the quality of life of a diabetic and make it much easier to cure the disease.

Figs also have more minerals important to diabetics than any other fruit! Figs are extremely high in manganese, calcium, and potassium. Figs truly are one of the most nutrient dense foods around. Remember too that buying organic figs will ensure you get more of these healthy minerals and vitamins (and anti-oxidants - discussed below).

Manganese is important for diabetics because it is critical in carbohydrate metabolism. Furthermore, studies have shown than most diabetics show a deficiency in manganese. There is some evidence that low manganese levels actually contributes to the development of diabetes but more work needs to be done in this area. However, it is definitely known that people who have already been diagnosed with diabetes need to make sure they get enough manganese.

Calcium is one of the most important methods that you can use to keep your body more alkaline which is extremely important in curing diabetes. In fact, figs are one of the most alkalizing foods you can eat! I should probably note that calcium plays a part in that but is not the only factor.

Potassium helps to stabilize blood sugar - you'll have less peaks and valleys. There's also evidence that shows that potassium actually lowers blood sugar as well.

It turns out that figs (anjeer) also have an incredible quantity per gram of very powerful anti-oxidants which are well known to be very important in preventing the develop of diabetes and the in reversing it. These include flavonoids, polyphenols, and nonfluorescing chlorophyll catabolytes (NCCs for short) which are just beginning to be thoroughly studied but already show incredible promise for diabetes.

I think figs (anjeer) may become known as a "power food" for diabetics dedicated to curing their diabetes naturally. I can not emphasize enough how important food is in curing diabetes - and YES, it can be cured naturally as I am walking proof of that. However, in order to do this you do really need to have a comprehensive source of information (you can't just eat figs - smile) and this is by far the best comprehensive source I have found for diabetics to cure their own disease and get off of medication - I no longer take ANY diabetes medication and all my blood tests come back normal. The information I have linked above is what I used to cure my diabetes.