Adding pumpkin seeds to your breakfast could lower blood sugar levels by 35%

Just one 28-gram serving of pumpkin seeds delivers 40 percent of your recommended daily intake of magnesium.

Dr Lee said: “Increasing the intake of magnesium improves insulin sensitivity – meaning it improves the response to the glucose-lowering effects of insulin. 

“It also helps lower insulin resistance – meaning it reduces the inability of cells to respond to insulin.”

Another ingredient that plays a “vital role” in blood glucose metabolism, hidden within the crunchy snacks, is zinc.

The doctor said: “Zinc is essential for the synthesis of insulin. Zinc is also known to bind by itself to insulin receptor sites and activate insulin pathways.”

Pumpkin seeds are also good sources of unsaturated oils with glucose-lowering properties.

Furthermore, they are packed with dietary fibre which is known to keep blood sugar in check.

Dr Lee added: “The presence of fibre in the gut slows the rate at which the stomach empties, delaying glucose absorption over a longer period of time. 

“Fibre also helps you feel fuller for longer so decreases the appetite which also helps to keep blood sugars lower.”

Don’t just take the doctor’s word for it, as research, published in the journal Nutrition Research, also highlighted the promising effects of the foods on blood sugar.

The research noticed that consuming two servings of pumpkin seeds lowered blood glucose by 35 percent.

However, Dr Lee suggested that eating one 28-gram serving of pumpkin seeds per day should be enough to do the trick.

She added: “The best time to eat pumpkin seeds is in the morning as part of breakfast or as snacks during the day.”