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Winter is the season for eating sweet potatoes. Aside from its anti-cancer and health benefits, many people find that eating sweet potatoes can prevent constipation, especially since people are less active in winter and prone to constipation. So, there are many benefits to eating sweet potatoes. However, some diabetes patients are afraid to eat sweet potatoes.
Why shouldn’t they eat them? Is it because they are sweet, or because they contain sugar? In fact, diabetes patients who have such thoughts often fall into a misconception about dietary control, believing that sweet things should be avoided. If that’s the case, many fruits are also sweet. Should we say goodbye to fruits as well?
For diabetes patients, dietary control is about managing the total daily intake of calories, rather than restricting certain foods. So-called sugary foods also refer to foods high in carbohydrates, such as rice, noodles, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and yams, all of which contain high amounts of starch. If sweet potatoes are off-limits, does that mean rice and noodles should be too?
In reality, although sweet potatoes contain a considerable amount of carbohydrates, they also contain a large amount of dietary fiber that slows down digestion and absorption, making their glycemic index not higher than that of rice and noodles, which is beneficial for blood sugar control. Moreover, eating sweet potatoes can effectively prevent constipation and help with colon cleansing and the prevention of diabetes-related complications.
Therefore, diabetes patients can indeed eat sweet potatoes. However, since sweet potatoes have a high carbohydrate content, they should be consumed in place of staple foods. This means that after eating a portion of sweet potatoes, the equivalent amount of staple foods should be reduced, usually at a ratio of 2:1 or 4:1.
Similarly, if diabetes patients want to eat fruits, they can do so by replacing them with staple foods when their blood sugar levels are relatively stable. Fruits like grapefruits, strawberries, and kiwis can be eaten by swapping 4 portions of fruit for 1 portion of staple food, preferably between meals.
Understandably, dietary restrictions can be challenging for diabetes patients. If they don’t learn how to scientifically manage their diets and end up restricting themselves from eating certain foods, life can lose its enjoyment. For instance, if you want to eat sweet potatoes, go ahead and enjoy them. Just learn how to eat them properly and feel free to eat what you desire.
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