| "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Eating nopales along with a traditional Mexican breakfast can help people with diabetes keep their blood sugar under control, a new study shows." "Nopales are prickly pear cactus pads, and are common fare among people living in southern and central Mexico, available at any food market, Dr. Montserrat Bacardi-Gascon and colleagues from the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California in Tijuana, Mexico write in the May issue of Diabetes Care." "They sought to determine whether eating nopales, which have a very low glycemic index and are high in fiber, would reduce the post-meal rise in blood sugar among people with diabetes eating typical Mexican breakfasts. " "The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly blood sugar (glucose) rises after meals. In general, low-fiber foods containing simple starches, for example candy, have a higher glycemic index than foods rich in fiber and more complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains and vegetables. " "After a 12-hour fast, 36 individuals with type 2 diabetes ate chilaquiles (a casserole of corn tortillas with cheese, beans and tomato sauce), scrambled egg and tomato burritos, or quesadillas with pinto beans and avocados, with or without 85 grams (about 3 ounces) of nopales." "For each of the breakfasts, the researchers found, adding nopales to the meal resulted in a significantly lower
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