How Is Okra Good For Diabetes?-17 Benefits of Okra That are Healthy!

How is Okra Good For Diabetes?

Want to Know How Is Okra Good For Diabetes? Okra is very healthy for you.  Okra is very beneficial for helping to lower your blood sugar and helping with type 2 diabetes. Okra is a food that is popular for people who are conscious of their health. Studies have been performed recently that it may decrease all types of diabetes including type 1, type 2, and also gestational diabetes as well.


So while there are a variety of factors that can increase your risk for developing diabetes, there are many things that you can do to prevent and treat it and what physicians most recommend is performing more exercise and changes in your diet to bring down your blood sugar levels.

This green vegetable okra contains seed pods that are actually edible. This is excellent because it contains a considerable amount of these antioxidants known as flavonoids which are a perfect source of fiber.  In fact, there are two other flavonoids isoquercitin and quercitin which have exceptional antioxidants amounts in your body.

There are many ways where okra can help with lowering blood sugar. One way is it eat it raw and another is to make okra water to drink. There is still additional research to come with okra but there is certainly no reason not to have it included in your diet because of fiber content and antioxidant properties. You can get okra in three forms, fresh, canned, and frozen. Fresh is the best, then frozen and then canned.

So how else can okra help with diabetes? The glycemic index of foods is very important. In order to keep your blood sugar levels even, it’s important to have foods with a glycemic index of under 55. Okra has an index of below 20! This is considered low on the chart! So okra is a food that is going to help your blood sugar and not raise it. You don’t want your sugars on a roller coaster ride. It’s totally not healthy!

There are many diseases and issues with your body that can be a result of diabetes. Your kidneys are extremely vital for your health and about 50% of kidney disease cases result from diabetes. You can lessen your risk of kidney disease by controlling your high blood pressure, maintaining a health blood glucose level, and having a normal body weight. Okra won’t cure your diabetes, but folks who had a regular consumption of it decreased signs of damage to the kidneys more than those folks who were on a simple diet for diabetes.

People with diabetes have a great risk for heart disease than non-diabetics. Vegetables are very good for reducing heart disease and that’s why okra can help you. Studies revealed that type 2 diabetics who consume vegetables daily compared to those who didn’t eat them lowered their risk of heart disease by 10%.

Okra is also known as Lady Finger that is a flowery plant coming from different parts of the world. It is rich in minerals and vitamins, and is a rich source of dietary fiber. It also is low in calories. Since weight reduction is a big part of controlling diabetes, okra is very helpful because it aids in controlling your weight, diabetes, and cholesterol. It also contains anti-oxidants such as xanthin, beta-carotene, and lutein and vitamins A, B-6, C, and vitamin K.

What Else is Okra Beneficial For?

* Prevents fatigue- The seeds of okra can help with delaying fatigue. The reason why is because they contain flavonoids and polyphenols that are responsible for promoting glycogen storage in your liver. Glycogen happens to be a fuel for the body that’s a reserve and more glycogen translates into a longer period of time for you in becoming tired or fatigued. You don’t need to feel fatigued all the time!

* Colon cancer- Okra can reduce the risks of cancer but research shows that it is especially beneficial in preventing colon cancer. Since this has such a high fatality rate, it’s important to know about and to consume okra regularly. It helps to keep your tract healthy by removing your stool faster and lessening the mutation of colon polyps. Colon cancer is preventable so make sure you have colonoscopies regularly!

The Brain
The Brain

* Brain health- Studies have shown that okra can help with reducing your risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other similar neurodegenerative disorders. Eating okra on a regular basis will reverse damage caused by any oxidative stress that happened in your brain.

* Constipation- Fiber is so important and the okra seeds are packed with it and this will help with the prevention of constipation and will keep your waste moving more productively throughout your entire digestive tract as I mentioned previously.

* Your metabolism- Your metabolism generally is managed by a complex connection between your enzymes and your hormones. Okra helps in the process of enhancing the production of co-enzymes. These are vital for the good majority of your body’s reactions and can break or make them.

So what this boils down to is that one particular co-enzyme is responsible for raising your rate of fat metabolism, while at the same time a different co-enzyme can raise your muscle protein level. Each one serves it’s own purpose but the production of each is relied on by manganese and okra is an awesome source of manganese.

* Migraine headaches- One of the best ways to combat headaches and migraines is with increasing your intake of magnesium. This can be rather difficult for many folks to do. But if you have yourself a serving of cooked okra of approximately 100g, you will get about 10% of the magnesium you need on a daily basis. If you keep yourself well hydrated that will help and so will okra because the fiber retains water as well.

* Liver protection- Your liver is one organ that can really take abuse and at some point there will be damage from free radicals from years of abuse. Okra can be responsible for preventing this. It can preserve the surface of the cell membranes in your liver. This makes them airtight and then free radicals have less of a chance to do damage in an area that may have a weakness in it’s formation.

Eyeglasses for Vision
Eyeglasses for Vision

* Your vision- Most of the time it’s the colorful vegetables that are purple or orange because of their vitamin A content but okra still contains enough vitamin A to help in slowing down the age of your eyes and helping to protect your optic nerve. It also aids in decreasing the developing of cataracts and the impact of any free radicals. And another benefit it helps with is night vision.

* Folic acid- This vitamin B-9 helps in metabolizing fat, carbohydrates, and protein. And just 1/2 cup of okra that is cooked provides this and it helps to prevent damage that is harmful to DNA that can possibly lead to cancer and also permits your body to produce new cells. This is an excellent way to possibly stay away from cancer.

* Digestive health- The high fiber in okra is a great thing for the probiotics and good bacteria in your gut. Good bacteria in your stomach helps to impede the growth of pathogen bacteria in your body which can cause a variety of health issues. Probiotics are really good for your gut.

* Coughs and colds- Okra is an anti-septic agent capable of preventing, coughs, colds, and sore throats. Don’t you just hate those nasty coughs and colds? I’ll do anything to avoid them for sure!

* Immune system- The vitamin C in okra is the main ingredient for boosting your immune system. Vitamin C supplement behaves as a supplement that strengthens your white blood cells in helping to fight against infection and it also promotes white blood cell production.

* Strong bones- What else does okra offer? Vitamin K and calcium! They both help your body to continually have strong bones. The vitamin K is responsible for enabling the absorption of calcium in the proper amount so as to activate the regeneration bone cells so this helps keep bone density and in addition help prevent osteoporosis.

* Beautiful skin- It’s nice to have and everyone wants beautiful skin. Lady finger has the ingredients to keep your skin healthy by helping your body. It contains nutrients, including vitamins A and C which aid in fighting free radicals that are responsible for causing your skin to be dull and also for it to age.

* Depression- Nobody likes feeling depressed and exhausted. Lady finger happens to contain magnesium which is very important when it comes to giving you a better feeling of your mind and your body and calming your nerves. It’s very rich in magnesium and can really help you out with how you feel.

Woman With Shiny Hair
Woman With Shiny Hair

* Your hair- You can boil okra, cool it, and then mix it with lemon juice to be applied to your hair which will give you nice and shiny hair. It can really make a difference with your hair!

* Anti-inflammatory- This is good for treating sore throats, good for your joints, irritable bowel syndrome, and lung inflammation.

Side Effects

* Okra has vitamin K which promotes the clotting of your blood so anyone taking blood thinners must be aware of this.

* It is also not advisable to have lady finger if you take the drug Metformin.

* Never eat in excess as this can actually raise your blood sugar if you consume too much.

Final Thoughts

How is okra good for diabetes? Okra or lady finger is very beneficial for your body and now you know how it benefits with helping with your diabetes. You don’t want to overdo it and you certainly want to check with your doctor first! So with your doctor’s approval, start to include okra into your diet on a regular basis.

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If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below and pass this on to others who may need help. I would appreciate it! Thank you for reading and have a happy and a healthy one!


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6 thoughts on “How Is Okra Good For Diabetes?-17 Benefits of Okra That are Healthy!”

  1. Thanks for an informative article! While moderation of diet is crucial for anyone looking to improve their A1C levels and get their diabetes in check, low GI foods are even better! Kidney disease can be a real issue for diabetics, along with retinopathy. Maintaining a good diet and getting an A1C level often will help diabetics stay on top. Thanks again for the info!

    • Hi Jess,

      I like whatever foods will help my blood sugar and okra is one especially with a low glycemic index level.

      Fruits and vegetables are the best to eat and okra should be part of a regular diet. You’re correct with staying on top of your A1C level.

      Diet and exercise are always at the top of the list!

      Thanks for your input!


  2. This is interesting information. I know okra is good for diabetes, but didn’t know the contraindication with diabetic drug. My mom takes Metformin and she takes lots of okra too.

    I will talk about this with her doctor in the next check up. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

    • Hey Cathy,

      Vegetables are good for you and some are better for diabetes than others and okra is one of them.

      I also take Metformin and consume okra too.

      It’s always wise to check with your doctor first especially when you’re taking medications. Better safe than sorry!

      Thanks for commenting 🙂

  3. Thank you for this informative post on okra. I’d like to do more with it but don’t have a lot of great recipes. Are there other foods that work well with it? I am also intrigued by the idea of adding it to my morning smoothie. I’d love any suggestions you might have!


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