KONTAN.CO.ID – JAKARTA. Stable blood sugar levels are the key to avoiding the risk of disease complications. Are you diabetic? Identify 3 healthy foods that can increase blood sugar levels.
In people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, their blood sugar levels tend to be high.
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This is because the body does not produce enough insulin to help convert food into energy.
It is very important for diabetics to manage blood sugar levels to prevent damage to nerves, kidneys, eyes, and heart disease.
One way to keep blood sugar levels at normal levels is to adopt a healthy diet and avoid foods high in sugar.
You probably understand that processed foods are high in sugar and refined carbohydrates can raise blood sugar.
So, you will limit or avoid these foods, to prevent blood sugar from rising.
But did you know there are several types of healthy foods, which can also secretly cause blood sugar levels to spike up?
Doctor Casey Means, MD, a Stanford-educated physician, says there are foods that are actually considered healthy foods, but in our data set they appear to be the worst glucose triggers.
“Not that you should avoid these healthy foods, but adjust them and make sure your blood sugar levels don’t rise sky high,” says Means.
Means further mentions three healthy foods that can secretly increase blood sugar, as follows:
1. Wine
Means reveals, many fruits that have the potential to increase blood sugar levels, but the grapes seem very large.
Moreover, grapes are generally eaten alone, without a companion source of fiber or other protein.
“A lot of times people don’t cut grapes and put them in the yogurt—usually people just eat them right away.
So I think the lack of a food companion makes it ‘problematic’,” explains Means.
To prevent spikes in blood sugar, try pairing grapes with some nuts, avocado, or yogurt.
That way, the addition of fiber and protein can help balance the blood sugar response.
2. Oatmeal
A bowl of oatmeal or buckwheat porridge may seem healthy, but if you top it with syrup and chocolate sprinkles, blood sugar spikes can occur.
“Try substituting cocoa powder, almond milk, chia seeds, and some walnuts can change that response,” says Means.
The type of oatmeal you choose is also important. According to Means, a packet of instant (processed) oatmeal can cause a very different blood sugar response than a cup of steel-cut or ground oats.
Dietitians note that steel-cut oatmeal has a slightly higher fiber and protein content than ground oats, which is good for managing blood sugar levels.
While instant oatmeal tends to cause a rise in blood sugar.
3. Peanuts
Nuts are known to be rich in fiber, protein, vitamins, and essential minerals, but who would have thought that in some people, nuts can cause blood sugar to spike.
“I can eat a can of beans, which is about four servings, and have no glucose response.
But there are other people who eat nuts and (their glucose) spikes over the line,” Means said.
Although the cause is not yet clear, according to Means it has something to do with the gut microbiome.
He referred to a 2015 study in the journal Cell that placed continuous glucose monitors on 800 healthy participants and fed them the same foods, assuming they would respond exactly the same.
However, they found a wide range of responses—from no spikes to colossal spikes—and they found that the composition of the microbiome appeared to influence those responses.
Unsurprisingly, the microbiome causes that, because it is the microbiome that breaks down some of the initial carbohydrates before they actually enter the body.
“My colleague David (Flinner) started eating large amounts of chia every morning to get his fiber, and for months after eating all that fiber day after day, he found that he was no longer responding to nuts,” says Means.
He said more research was needed on nuts related to soaring blood sugar.
Means reminds, high-quality whole foods are great dietary choices for balancing blood sugar, but when it comes to specific types of food, some of these healthy foods can actually increase your glucose or blood sugar as well.
“Eating fewer carbohydrates and more fat, protein, and fiber can often help reduce some of these things,” says Means.
“So you don’t have to completely avoid wine, oatmeal, or nuts; just adjust the portion and make sure blood sugar levels are maintained,” he added. (Bestari Kumala Dewi)
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This article has been published on Kompas.com with the title “3 Healthy Foods That Secretly Cause Blood Sugar To Soar“,
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