Because of its high starch content, potatoes have long been on the menu of dietary contraindications for many diabetics. Some patients have not eaten potatoes since they got diabetes. Others believe that potatoes are vegetables like turnips and greens, so it's okay to eat more of them. So can diabetics eat potatoes?
Nutritional value of potatoes
Potatoes are a root food with high starch content, which can provide calories and satiety, and they also contain vitamins and inorganic salts, potassium, magnesium and dietary fiber. Potassium plays an important role in maintaining cellular metabolism, enzymes play an important role in life activities, magnesium is involved in the metabolism of sugar, protein and fat, and vitamin C is known to play an important role in health.
Can diabetics eat potatoes?
Diabetic patients can eat potatoes in moderation, mainly due to the dietary fiber contained in potatoes, the pectin in potato dietary fiber can reduce the body's absorption rate of glucose in food, reducing the stimulation of insulin, which can play a good role in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Foods with high dietary fiber content tend to have a low glycemic index, with a slow rise and slow decrease in blood sugar after intake, which has a significant effect on smoothing postprandial blood sugar.
How to eat potatoes best for diabetics
The glycemic index of potatoes has a lot to do with the way they are cooked, with mashed potatoes having the highest glycemic index, followed by stewed potatoes and shredded potatoes. If a diabetic eats potatoes, mashed potatoes and stewed potatoes are not recommended, not to mention french fries. You can eat fried shredded potatoes, but it is important to note that before frying shredded potatoes, it is best to soak them in water for 15 minutes to make them crisp. And add some vinegar to the fried shredded potatoes to lower the glycemic index of the shredded potatoes.
Benefits of eating potatoes for diabetics
Protect cardiovascular
Potatoes are rich in potassium, which can effectively prevent high blood pressure; and the vitamin C in potatoes, in addition to having a health effect on brain cells, can also reduce blood cholesterol and make blood vessels elastic, thus preventing atherosclerosis.
Protects the digestive system
The dietary fiber in potatoes has no stimulating effect on the gastrointestinal mucosa and can reduce gastric acid secretion. Regular consumption of potatoes can promote the digestive function of the spleen and stomach, and has therapeutic effects on stomach ulcers, hot cough and skin eczema; it can also prevent colon cancer; potatoes contain a lot of dietary fiber, which can help laxative, help the body metabolize and discharge toxins in a timely manner, and prevent constipation.
Weight loss and body shaping
Potatoes contain less calories than cereal grains and only 0.1% fat, which is the lowest fat content of all hunger foods. Eating more potatoes every day can reduce fat intake and allow the body to gradually metabolize excess fat, which can play a role in weight loss and body shaping.
Precautions for diabetics eating potatoes
Precautions for cooking potatoes
Potatoes must be peeled when eating, and sprouted potatoes, the color of green potatoes do not eat, in order to avoid poisoning; potatoes should not be soaked for a long time after cutting, so as not to cause the loss of water-soluble vitamins and other nutrients.
Pay attention to the storage of potatoes after they are cooked
When potatoes are cooked, the starch in them becomes pasted. However, after 12 hours in the refrigerator, during the cooling process, some of the paste starch will become indigestible and the resistant starch content of the treated potatoes will increase and their glycemic index will decrease. Diabetic patients can place the cooked potatoes in the refrigerator overnight, take them out the next day and heat them up to replace part of the staple food at mealtime, or use them as an extra meal when they are hungry.
Processed potatoes are best avoided
Mashed potatoes and French fries are oxidized during processing, and a large amount of vitamin C is destroyed, which greatly reduces the nutrients contained in them, and it is easy to increase fat intake by eating this type of processed potato food, and the oil of French fries is prone to carcinogenic polymers after repeated high-temperature heating.
