As people’s living standards improve, diabetes has become a common chronic disease. For diabetes patients, controlling blood sugar is very important.
In addition to medication and dietary control, diet in daily life is also an important means of controlling blood sugar. In terms of diet, some vegetables may seem healthy, but need to be eaten sparingly by diabetes patients.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a common chronic disease characterized by high blood sugar due to insufficient insulin secretion or impaired action. Prolonged high blood sugar can lead to damage to various organs, especially the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and cardiovascular system.
Diabetes is classified into type 1, type 2, gestational diabetes, and special types, with type 2 diabetes being the most common type, accounting for over 90% of global diabetes cases.
Symptoms of diabetes include polydipsia, polyuria, polyphagia, weight loss, fatigue, blurred vision, and more. Poor blood sugar control can also lead to serious complications such as diabetic foot, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, etc. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment of diabetes are crucial.
Potatoes, a “catalyst” for diabetes?
Potatoes are not taboo dishes for diabetes patients. The carbohydrates they contain are mainly starch, and compared to other foods, their glycemic index (GI) is not very high.
Moreover, potatoes are a hidden treasure trove of dietary fiber, acting as loyal guards in the intestines, effectively slowing down the digestion and absorption of food, thus helping regulate blood sugar fluctuations.
Doctor: 4 Vegetables to Eat Less for Blood Sugar Control
1. Pumpkin
Many people like to use pumpkin as a staple food when losing weight, especially Beibei pumpkin, which is soft, sweet, and well-loved.
However, pumpkin is not friendly to diabetic individuals, especially Beibei pumpkin. Because the GI value of pumpkin is as high as 75, which is considered high, and the sweeter the pumpkin, the higher the GI value.
Therefore, if diabetes patients consume a large amount of pumpkin, it can likely lead to uncontrolled blood sugar, hence the advice to eat less.
2. Carrots
Westernized diets have led many people to gradually gain weight, consuming high-calorie foods in large quantities without burning off the energy, resulting in imbalanced fat accumulation. In controlling blood sugar, one should not consume too many carrots.
Carrots are widely recognized as a healthy vegetable, and many people use them to cook soups, thinking they can obtain abundant carotene, vitamins, and dietary fiber.
Indeed, carrots have high nutritional value, but their glycemic index is also high, being a carbohydrate-rich food that should not be eaten in excess.
3. Beets
The sweet taste and vivid color of beets give them a place in many dishes. However, beets have a relatively high sugar content, especially in processed beet products like beet sugar. When consuming beets, diabetes patients should choose fresh beets and pay attention to the cooking method, avoiding adding too much sugar.
4. Taro
Taro is a favored ingredient for many due to its rich content of trace elements. However, it should not be overlooked that taro contains a considerable amount of starch.
After starch is digested and broken down in the body, it converts to glucose, and prolonged consumption of vegetables with high starch content may lead to an increase in sugar, inhibiting the body’s metabolism of sugar and thus causing blood sugar to rise. Therefore, individuals with high blood sugar should try to reduce their consumption of taro, even though it is rich in trace elements.
There are many ways to lower blood sugar, but these 4 “shortcuts” may not be well-known
1. Regularly Monitor Blood Sugar
People with high blood sugar must monitor their blood sugar levels, which can accurately reflect the body’s actual blood sugar situation. Adjusting diet and exercise based on the test results can prevent the onset of diabetic complications. Normally, blood sugar levels need to be monitored after each of the three daily meals, before meals, at night, and before sleeping.
2. Maintain Exercise
There are various methods for lowering blood sugar, and consistent exercise is particularly beneficial for stabilizing blood sugar. In most cases where people are obese, high blood sugar is often present, related to obesity and lack of exercise.
In the absence of exercise, the accumulation of fat and sugars in the body may lead to significant fluctuations in blood sugar levels.
To prevent significant threats to health due to high blood sugar, attention should be paid to exercise by maintaining about half an hour of aerobic exercise daily. This helps consume sugar substances in the body, maintain a reasonable weight, and avoid blood sugar fluctuations.
3. Eat only until Partially Full
Since many foods in the diet contain sugar, especially staple foods made of refined rice and flour, they are quickly converted into sugar in the body after digestion and absorption, so many diabetic individuals choose to control their intake of staple foods. However, feeling hungry can be uncomfortable.
As a result, it is easy to engage in compensatory eating, which can make blood sugar control more difficult. Therefore, eating only until partially full at each meal can help reduce sugar intake and hunger, making blood sugar control easier.
4. Control Emotions
It is known that when a person is emotionally agitated, blood sugar and blood pressure tend to rise. Conversely, effectively controlling emotions, such as listening to light music when tense or angry, or doing several sets of deep exhales and inhales back and forth, can gradually stabilize blood sugar at a normal level.
Don’t want to be “haunted” by diabetes? Eat more of these 3 foods to quietly keep high blood sugar at bay
1. Bitter Melon
Bitter melon is a nutritious vegetable containing various vitamins and minerals, with one particularly important substance called “bitter melon peptide.” Studies have shown that bitter melon peptide can inhibit the absorption of glucose in the intestines, thereby lowering blood sugar levels. Additionally, bitter melon has various health benefits such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties.
2. Cauliflower
Cauliflower is also a vegetable rich in vitamin C, which can help stabilize blood sugar levels in patients. Additionally, cauliflower contains chromium, which can help patients improve glucose tolerance and control blood lipids.
Therefore, consuming more cauliflower in daily life will not only increase the burden on the body but also effectively control blood sugar levels.
3. Celery
Celery is a common vegetable that is not only crisp in texture but also rich in nutrients. Celery is rich in dietary fiber, which helps slow down the absorption rate of food in the intestines and reduce the speed of blood sugar elevation.
Moreover, celery contains apigenin, which has a good blood sugar-lowering effect. Apigenin can inhibit liver glycogen synthesis, reduce glucose production, and thereby lower blood sugar levels.
In addition, celery is rich in vitamins and minerals, which help enhance immunity and prevent complications from occurring.
Finally, it is important to know that while high blood sugar may sound frightening, we can still stabilize blood sugar levels using the right dietary methods. Understanding the glycemic index of each food and knowing how to properly combine foods is essential to keep blood sugar levels stable.
