--- title: Healthy Food and Healthy Diet: Low Sugar Foods description: Try these trades to lower your blood sugar canonical: https://time.com/3825814/low-sugar-foods/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-04-18T12:00:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T06:27:46.897Z article:section: Health og:title: 4 Low-Sugar Food Swaps og:description: Try these trades to lower your blood sugar og:url: https://time.com/3825814/low-sugar-foods/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4f93122ca55d2576/6987eb9706f2c1c02f337c7e/91641961-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 91641961 copy og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 4 Low-Sugar Food Swaps twitter:description: Try these trades to lower your blood sugar twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4f93122ca55d2576/6987eb9706f2c1c02f337c7e/91641961-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 4 Low-Sugar Food Swaps by [Health.com](/author/health-com/) ## Health.com Apr 18, 2015 12:00 PM CUT  Getty Images by [Health.com](/author/health-com/) ## Health.com Apr 18, 2015 12:00 PM CUT Diabetes has become an epidemic, affecting 29 million Americans. But here’s the good news if you’re concerned about your blood glucose: “One of the best ways to stay healthy is to make better food choices,” says Mitchell L. Gaynor, MD, author of _The Gene Therapy Plan_. Try these trades to lower your blood sugar and pack more protective nutrients into every bite. **Read more:** [Diabetes-Friendly Desserts](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20307087,00.html?xid=time-sugar-041615 "undefined") **Breakfast**_Instead of:_ Fried egg + bacon + American cheese + bagel _Eat this:_ Scrambled egg whites + onion + tomato + spinach + black beans + sprouted whole-grain tortilla The classic breakfast sandwich is packed with saturated fat and refined carbs. But wrapping an egg-white scramble in a 6-inch sprouted whole-grain tortilla cuts calories and cholesterol and boosts fiber content to balance your blood sugar. “Throw in some color for extra nutrients,” says Tami Ross, RD, a diabetes educator in Lexington, KY and author of _What Do I Eat Now?_ Onions, tomatoes, spinach and black beans all contain minerals essential to glucose metabolism. **Read more:** [10 Artificial Sweeteners and Sugar Substitutes](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20424821,00.html?xid=time-sugar-041615 "undefined") **Lunch**_Instead of:_ Romaine lettuce + carrot + cucumber + Thousand Island dressing _Eat this:_ Kale + dandelion leaves + radishes + chicory + scoop of tuna + olive oil + vinegar A basic green salad is OK, says Dr. Gaynor, who is clinical assistant professor of medicine at Weill-Cornell Medical College in New York City. “But you can make it a lot better if you’re worried about diabetes.” He tells his patients to add kale, dandelion leaves, radishes and chicory: “It’s amazing what they do to prevent blood sugar spikes. You won’t be hungry for hours.” A scoop of tuna offers a dose of protein and heart-healthy fat, while olive oil fights insulin-blocking inflammation. **Watch the video:** [Smart Swaps That Cut Hundreds of Calories](http://www.health.com/health/video/0,,20905367,00.html?xid=time-sugar-041615 "undefined") **Dinner**_Instead of:_ Breaded white fish fillet + corn + couscous _Eat this:_ Whole baked trout + collard greens + quinoa Trout is rich in omega-3 fatty acids that protect against heart disease. Just skip the extra carbs in breaded fillets, suggests Amy Stephens, RD, a diabetes nutritionist in New York City. Pair your fish with collard greens, a good source of alpha lipoic acid, which lowers glucose levels and improves insulin sensitivity. For your grain, go with nutrient-dense quinoa over couscous. “People get these mixed up because they look alike, but couscous is essentially pasta,” Stephens says. **Read more:** [Swap Your Way Slim at Every Meal](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20814925,00.html?xid=time-sugar-041615 "undefined") **Snack**_Instead of:_ A granola bar _Eat this:_ Cacao nibs + almonds Avoid all the fillers (and empty calories) in a snack bar by noshing on cacao nibs and almonds. Both are loaded with magnesium, and a large Harvard University study found that high dietary intake of the mineral reduced women’s risk of developing diabetes by 34 percent. Happy bonus: “The tryptophan in cacao raises serotonin levels in your brain to help you feel full,” Dr. Gaynor says. “And you get your chocolate fix, too.” **Read more:** [15 Diabetes-Friendly Vegetarian Recipes](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20894770,00.html?xid=time-sugar-041615 "undefined") [_This article originally appeared on Health.com._](http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20911509,00.html "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3825814/low-sugar-foods/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3825814/low-sugar-foods/"},"headline":"4 Low-Sugar Food Swaps","datePublished":"2015-04-18T12:00:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T06:27:46.897Z","description":"Try these trades to lower your blood sugar","url":"https://time.com/3825814/low-sugar-foods/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","diet","Sugar","Recipes","healthy food","healthy diet"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4f93122ca55d2576/6987eb9706f2c1c02f337c7e/91641961-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Health.com","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/health-com/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4f93122ca55d2576/6987eb9706f2c1c02f337c7e/91641961-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"91641961 copy","caption":"two-kale-leaves-table","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3825814/low-sugar-foods/","name":"4 Low-Sugar Food Swaps"}}]}] ```