Diabetics are always extra careful with their diet, especially when faced with foods that are high in starch, such as sweet potatoes. Some sugar lovers are concerned that the starch content of sweet potatoes will disrupt blood sugar balance, while others firmly believe that sweet potatoes have the miraculous effect of lowering blood sugar. So, for sugar lovers, is sweet potato a blood sugar booster or a regulator? This seemingly contradictory view actually stems from two high-profile international studies.
NO.1
Foreign researchers have carefully planned an experiment to explore the effect of sweet potatoes on diabetic obese rats. The results of the experiment showed that after 4 and 6 weeks of continuous consumption of sweet potatoes, the blood insulin levels of these rats were significantly reduced by 26% and 60%, respectively. In addition, sweet potatoes have demonstrated an impressive ability to effectively inhibit blood sugar spikes in diabetic obese rats after ingestion of glucose. What's even more exciting is that sweet potato intake can also significantly reduce the levels of triglycerides and free fatty acids in diabetic rats. This discovery not only reveals the potential of sweet potatoes in regulating blood sugar and blood lipids, but also provides us with a natural, healthy dietary choice that allows us to enjoy our food while also taking care of our health.
NO.2
The dawn of a clinical study at the University of Vienna illuminated a ray of hope for patients with type 2 diabetes, who found that the insulin sensitivity of patients experienced a significant improvement after ingestion of sweet potato extract. This discovery is like a spring breeze, bringing new hope for sugar control to many sugar friends, who regard sweet potatoes as their right-hand man for sugar control. However, behind this enthusiasm, we need to be sober to recognize that most of the current research is limited to animal experiments or sweet potato extracts, which are very different from the sweet potato entities that people consume on a daily basis. It's like looking at the world through a veil, and although there is some hope in the obscurity, the real situation still needs to be explored.
Introduction to sweet potatoes
Sweet potato, affectionately known as "sweet potato" by farmers, is not only an ingredient, but also part of China's farming culture. The origin of sweet potatoes can be traced back thousands of years, and it has won the love of people because of its unique survivability and rich nutritional value.
Sweet potatoes are extremely adaptable, growing tenaciously in both barren mountains and fertile plains. The plant is drought tolerant, hardy and can maintain a steady yield even in some extreme climatic conditions. As a result, sweet potatoes are widely cultivated throughout China and have become an important crop in many regions.
In addition to its strong survivability, the nutritional value of sweet potatoes is also an important reason for their popularity. Sweet potatoes are rich in starch, dietary fiber, carotene, vitamins A, B, C, E, potassium, iron, copper, selenium, calcium and other more than ten kinds of trace elements and linoleic acid, etc., and have high nutritional value. These substances can not only help the body improve immunity, but also promote metabolism, which plays an important role in maintaining good health.
In China, sweet potatoes are eaten in a variety of ways. It can be boiled into sweet potato porridge, which is sweet and delicious, rich in nutrition, or baked into sweet potato chips, which are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, delicious and attractive. In addition, sweet potatoes can also be used to make vermicelli, pastries, and other delicacies, and are loved by people.
The glycemic index is 77 and the glycemic load is 11.8, which is a medium to high glycemic index food.
How to eat sweet potatoes healthily for diabetics
01
When eating sweet potatoes, care should be taken to exchange them with staple foods
In the pursuit of a healthy diet, it is important to balance your daily calorie intake. While we are enjoying the delicious taste of sweet potatoes, we should also subtly adjust the intake of other staple foods. Imagine that every time you pick up 100 grams of sweet potatoes, you might as well gently put down 25 grams of rice or white flour. Such an adjustment is not only a respect for food, but also a care for health.
From the point of view of glycemic index, sweet potatoes have a glycemic index of 77, while rice has a glycemic index of 82. This means that the sweet potatoes are released relatively slowly, like a graceful dancer slowly stretching out on stage. Therefore, dear sugar friends, you may wish to use sweet potatoes as a part of the staple food, it can help slow down the rate of glycemic rise of the staple food, reduce the calorie intake, and make the blood sugar level more stable. Such a choice is not only for the satisfaction of the taste buds, but also for the care of health.
02
Mix it up
Although sweet potatoes have a slightly lower glycemic index than rice, they are still among the foods with a medium to high glycemic index. It is precisely for this reason that in the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022), the recommended daily intake of potatoes is precisely set in the range of 50-100 grams. For sugar friends, when tasting the sweetness of sweet potatoes, we must master the principle of moderation, so that green vegetables, whole grains, and proteins are skillfully matched with them to draw a colorful food picture.
03
Pay attention to the practice
Depending on the cooking method, the glycemic index of sweet potatoes also varies. The glycemic index of boiled sweet potatoes is 77, while that of roasted sweet potatoes is as high as 94, because during the roasting process, some of the sucrose is converted into maltose, which rises more quickly. Therefore, it is recommended that sugar friends eat steamed sweet potatoes and boiled sweet potatoes better.
There are also some secondary processing methods, such as brushed sweet potatoes and fried sweet potato balls, most of which are "sugar and oil mixtures", although they can satisfy the appetite, but eating them this way is not "friendly" to blood sugar.
04
Pay attention to how you eat
The "Dietary Guidelines for Type 2 Diabetes in China" suggests that eating in the order of "vegetables-meat-staple food" can help reduce blood sugar fluctuations after meals, so sugar friends may wish to put it last when eating sweet potatoes. The same is true for other staple foods~
Eating tips
In recent years, sweet potato leaves have gradually emerged, known as the "queen of vegetables", and have become the new favorite of many tables. This is not for nothing, but because of its unique nutritional value. Sweet potato leaves are extremely low in calories, containing only 27 calories per 100 grams, which can be called a low-calorie healthy choice. What's more worth mentioning is that it is rich in dietary fiber, which escorts intestinal health. And when we dig deeper into its nutrient content, we will find that its calcium content is amazingly high. Sweet potato leaves contain 180 mg of calcium per 100 grams, compared to 100 mg of calcium per 100 grams of milk or yogurt.
Therefore, it is undoubtedly a wise choice for sugar lovers to incorporate sweet potato leaves into their daily diet. Consider sweet potatoes as a staple and sweet potato leaves as a delicious vegetable. In this way, it can not only meet the needs of the taste, but also ensure a balanced nutrition. Let's enjoy the deliciousness and health brought by sweet potato leaves!