Patients with high blood sugar need to pay special attention to their diet. If they are not careful with their diet and eat the wrong things, it can lead to an increase in blood sugar levels. Some high blood sugar patients are particularly fond of eating sweet potatoes, but they are unsure if they can eat them. Today, let’s find out if high blood sugar patients can have sweet potatoes. How to best eat sweet potatoes with high blood sugar? And what are the foods that high blood sugar patients should avoid?
Can high blood sugar patients eat sweet potatoes?
Sweet potatoes contain sugar levels ranging from 15% to 20%, which is a concern for many people with high blood sugar levels or diabetes. However, this concern is unnecessary. As long as the quantity is controlled, combined with a balanced diet, cooked correctly, individuals with diabetes can also consume sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are similar to rice, both mainly composed of starch, but sweet potatoes have a higher sweetness. It is recommended to eat more vegetables and fruits, and consume fewer bananas and pears. Massaging the abdomen between the navel and the chest (slightly to the right, where insulin secretion occurs) can improve the blood supply to the pancreas, enhance insulin secretion, and help lower blood sugar levels.
Sweet potatoes have an anti-diabetic effect. Japanese researchers found that obese diabetic rats had a 26% and 60% decrease in insulin levels after eating white-skinned sweet potatoes for 4 and 6 weeks, respectively. They also found that sweet potatoes effectively inhibited the increase in blood glucose levels after oral glucose intake in obese diabetic rats.
Consuming sweet potatoes can also reduce triglyceride levels and free fatty acids in diabetic rats, indicating that white-skinned sweet potatoes have a certain anti-diabetic effect. A clinical study at the University of Vienna in Austria found that type 2 diabetics showed improved insulin sensitivity after taking white-skinned sweet potato extract, which helps in controlling blood sugar levels.
How to consume:
Sweet potatoes contain high-quality dietary fiber and trace elements, which can help prevent diabetes in non-diabetic individuals. However, due to their high sugar content and stickiness, sweet potatoes are not easily digested. High blood sugar patients should not consume more than 500 grams of sweet potatoes per day, and they should avoid eating them in the evening as they are not easily digestible. They can be consumed during lunchtime as sunlight in the afternoon can facilitate the absorption of calcium from sweet potatoes without affecting calcium supplementation after dinner. It is also important to consume water promptly after eating sweet potatoes to aid digestion.
Foods to avoid for high blood sugar patients:
1. Honey
Honey mainly consists of glucose and fructose, which are monosaccharides that can be easily absorbed by the body, leading to a rapid increase in blood sugar levels. This can be fatal for diabetic patients; hence, they should avoid consuming honey. However, individuals with high blood sugar can consume a moderate amount of royal jelly, which is not only nutritious but also contains insulin-like substances beneficial to high blood sugar individuals.
2. Persimmons
Persimmons are rich in sucrose, glucose, and fructose, with high sugar content, making them unsuitable for individuals with high blood sugar. Although persimmons are delicious, individuals with high blood sugar should be mindful of their health, and their families should monitor their consumption.
3. Ice Cream
During hot summer days, the biggest temptation for individuals with high blood sugar is ice cream. Ice cream may not be high in calories, but it contains a high sugar content, making it unsuitable for those with high blood sugar.
4. Candied Fruits
Sweet and sour candied fruits are popular among people of all ages. However, they should be avoided by individuals with high blood sugar as they are sugar-coated and contain very high sugar levels, along with other harmful substances. Therefore, individuals with high blood sugar, especially women who enjoy snacks, should stay away from candied fruits, including jams which are similar.
5. Alcohol
Alcohol is known to have a negative impact on blood sugar control. Thus, some individuals with high blood sugar may believe that low-alcohol beer is not a major concern, but the reality is different. Beer contains a high maltose content, which is especially harmful to those with high blood sugar.
Dietary precautions for high blood sugar individuals:
1. Customized diet control for each person
Individuals have varying rates of digestion, absorption, and utilization of food. Some guidelines are mere frameworks and references; in practice, it’s essential to fix staple foods, adjust weight with side dishes, reduce side dishes when overweight, increase side dishes when underweight until achieving the desired weight where the consumption of side dishes remains unchanged.
2. Adequate supply of Vitamin A and Vitamin C
Diabetics are prone to complications such as retinopathy, cataracts, atherosclerosis, and other conditions. Consuming foods rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin C is highly beneficial in preventing and treating these complications. Foods high in Vitamin A include dairy products, egg yolks, and animal liver. Foods rich in Vitamin C include a variety of fresh fruits and colorful vegetables such as grapes, kiwi, oranges, pears, loquats, hawthorn, cherries, tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, and chives.
3. Staple Foods
Consume foods high in dietary fiber and coarse grains such as oats, buckwheat, and corn.
4. Adequate supply of dietary fiber
Dietary fiber has strong water absorption properties, prolonging the transit time of food in the gastrointestinal tract, reducing blood sugar levels, improving glucose tolerance, preventing diabetes-related high blood lipids and coronary heart disease. Foods rich in dietary fiber include buckwheat, beans, bran, and other coarse grains. Diabetics should include a recommended daily intake of dietary fiber in their diet, not less than 15-20 grams.
5. Drinking enough water is crucial
Do not restrict water intake as it can lead to adverse effects such as blood thickening, blood clot formation, disturbances in water and salt metabolism, and obstacles in excreting metabolic products. It is essential to drink water when thirsty.
Conclusion:
Individuals with high blood sugar can consume sweet potatoes as long as they eat them in moderation. Consuming sweet potatoes in appropriate quantities will not affect blood sugar levels; in fact, substances in sweet potatoes aid in lowering blood sugar. Therefore, individuals with high blood sugar should consume sweet potatoes in moderation, considering the dietary precautions and foods to avoid highlighted above.
