Lin Bo is 62 years old this year and has a special eating habit, that is, he likes to eat millet porridge very much. Every morning, he would boil a large pot of millet porridge and taste it slowly.
Unexpectedly, a few days ago, Lin Bo went to the hospital for a physical examination, but the results of the examination surprised him - his blood sugar was much higher!
My wife frowned worriedly: "I said a little earlier, if you eat too much millet porridge, your blood sugar will rise, but you just don't listen to persuasion!"
Limber was puzzled, he had always believed that millet porridge was a healthy food, how could it cause blood sugar to rise?
1. Drinking millet porridge often, does it raise blood sugar or lower blood sugar?
There are many studies that show that eating millet porridge regularly is beneficial to control blood sugar levels.
According to a study published in Frontiersin Nutrition, millets have better sugar control levels than other grains in managing and preventing type 2 diabetes.
The results of 21 studies using millet as experimental food showed that diabetic patients who consumed millet for a long time reduced their blood sugar by an average of 30mg/dL after meals from 134mg/dL to 117.9mg/dL, which was close to the normal level of diabetic patients, proving that millet can play a positive role in reducing fasting blood sugar levels and improving blood sugar control.
Some studies have also pointed out that millet is rich in dietary fiber, protein and other components that effectively reduce the activity of digestive enzymes, resulting in the slowdown of the absorption rate of starch polysaccharides and the decrease in the absorption rate of monosaccharides and disaccharides, and then achieve the effect of sugar control.
However, although millet porridge has the effect of controlling sugar, it can also raise blood sugar if it is eaten in the wrong way!
The glycemic index is used to reflect the effect of different foods on blood sugar. In general, the higher the glycemic index, the greater the effect on blood sugar.
The glycemic index (GI) of millet porridge is 61.5, which is a medium GI food. Although foods with a medium glycemic index have little effect on blood sugar, if millet porridge is the only staple food, or if millet is cooked too soft to accelerate digestion and absorption, it is easy to cause blood sugar to rise.
2. Porridge is the worst staple food? Harvard research subverts cognition
The Daily Telegraph published a study titled "Harvard Study Revealed: Whole Grain Intake May Significantly Reduce Cancer Risk", researchers compiled and analyzed the data of 800,000 people, and found that a daily intake of 70 grams of multigrain porridge can significantly reduce all-cause mortality by 22%, cancer mortality by 20%, and effectively reduce the risk of death from heart disease.
Previously, a team led by Dr. Wu Yuhong, a leading figure in the field of public health at Harvard University, also explored the relationship between porridge drinking and mortality.
The results of the study showed that consuming about 28 grams of kibble-ground cereal per day (equivalent to a small bowl) reduced the risk of death by 5% and the risk of heart disease by 9%.
It is worth noting that the porridge referred to here specifically refers to coarse grain porridge. In the concept of traditional Chinese medicine, regular consumption of multigrain porridge can nourish the kidneys and spleen, replenish qi and blood, balance yin and yang, and help prolong life.
In fact, porridge is not the worst staple food, and drinking porridge regularly can bring a lot of benefits!
Porridge is rich in carbohydrates, which are broken down in the body and converted into glucose, which provides energy to the body. In addition, the rice soup in the porridge can also play a calming and calming effect, helping to relax the body and mind and reduce fatigue. Drinking porridge can also help the body replenish water and necessary nutrients.
3. Adverse reactions to eating porridge
Drinking too much porridge may trigger some unexpected symptoms that may suggest something abnormal in the body. So, what are the symptoms that may occur when drinking too much porridge?
Bloating
Bloating may be due to excessive gas accumulation in the gastrointestinal tract due to drinking too much porridge, because porridge contains more starch, which will produce gas during digestion, resulting in abdominal discomfort, poor bowel movements and other symptoms, which in turn causes the occurrence of bloating.
Diarrhea
Drinking too much porridge will increase the burden on the stomach and intestines, leading to indigestion, which will lead to the occurrence of diarrhea symptoms, and in severe cases, dehydration.
Nausea
After drinking too much porridge, the food stays in the stomach for too long, which stimulates the gastric mucosa to produce a large amount of gastric acid, causing nausea, accompanied by vomiting, abdominal pain and other uncomfortable symptoms.
Appetite receding
After drinking too much porridge, the body controls energy intake by reducing appetite in order to reduce unnecessary energy expenditure to avoid further energy surplus. Long-term loss of appetite can affect the absorption of nutrients, leading to weight loss, fatigue and other symptoms.
Fourth, different people should drink different porridge
What kind of porridge is better for the body? Everyone's physical condition is different, and the porridge suitable for drinking is really different, today Xiao Jiu will share with you how different people should drink what porridge is healthier.
1. Diabetics
Diabetic patients have poor blood sugar control, and drinking more porridge will lead to an increase in carbohydrate intake, which may lead to a sharp rise in blood sugar levels, which can easily induce or aggravate complications such as cardiovascular disease and neuropathy in the long term.
In your diet, you can choose whole grains and legumes with relatively low glycemic indexes, such as wheat grains, barley grains, rye grains and oat grains.
In addition, mixed legumes such as mung beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, and kidney beans also have a low glycemic index, which is also recommended.
At the same time, try to use less excipients with high postprandial blood sugar response, such as white rice, glutinous rice, glutinous millet and rhubarb rice. Remember, don't cook too soft, it's best to keep whole grains and beans.
2. Those with weak gastrointestinal function
Porridge is mostly semi-liquid food, for people with weak gastrointestinal function, digestion and absorption capacity is poor, and excessive consumption will increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract. If such people drink too much porridge, it may cause abdominal distension, diarrhea and other uncomfortable symptoms.
In terms of diet, it is recommended to try to avoid those ingredients that contain too much dietary fiber, are difficult to digest and easy to cause flatulence, such as mung beans, soybeans, black beans, etc. At the same time, you can also drink porridge with some vegetables and fruits, which can not only absorb rich vitamins and minerals, but also allow the stomach to gradually enhance its digestive function during "exercise".
3. Hyperglycemia-prone patients
Porridge is high in carbohydrates, which are converted into glucose and absorbed by the body, but the rest is converted into triglycerides in the liver and stored. Therefore, if patients with hyperlipidemia drink too much porridge, it will lead to a further increase in triglycerides, which is not conducive to health.
Multigrain porridge is a suitable choice for people with high blood lipids, which can not only provide rich dietary fiber and nutrients, but also help promote the health of the digestive system.
Resources:
[1] "Porridge, there is a category of people to drink less", Ding Xiang Doctor.2022-09-16
[2] "What kind of porridge is best for the body?8 Porridge Guide for Kinds of People, Quick Collection", Tencent Medical Dictionary, 2022-01-18
[3] "1 bowl of millet porridge a day, what changes will happen to the body?millet porridge oil is really comparable to "ginseng soup"?", China Medical Tribune.2023-10-30
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