are potatoes good for diabetics
Sweet potatoes are a good food choice for diabetics as they are high in fiber and have a low glycemic index. Foods with a low glycemic index have less of an immediate impact on blood glucose levels, and therefore can help diabetics control their blood sugar. Meal Ideas. Sweet potatoes are a good carbohydrate choice for diabetics. Bake them in the oven until they are soft and serve them with a little bit of sour cream, plain yogurt or butter for extra flavor. Sweet potato fries are also a healthy alternative to take-out or frozen french fries. The main reason diabetics are cautious when it comes to potatoes is their very high glycemic index (GI) value. The glycemic index is important for diabetics because it is a measure of the impact a particular food has on blood glucose levels once it has been digested. Sweet potatoes are also good for diabetics because they contain a good deal of fiber, particularly when the skins are left on. The amount of fiber in a food slows down the rate of digestion of the starches. As shown by a search for “potato” at GlycemicIndex.com, different varieties of potatoes have different glycemic indexes that are also affected by how they’re cooked. The numbers range from 58 (low-medium glycemic index) for a boiled Nicola potato to 111 (extremely high) for a baked Russet Burbank potato. The glycemic index of sweet potatoes is a lot lower, which is better for diabetes control, according to a 2002 article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.. Eating sweet potatoes in moderate amounts will help you keep your blood sugar levels in the healthy range even if you have diabetes. Potatoes have a GI value that ranges from 65 to 80 which is considered high. By comparison table sugar (sucrose) has a GI of 63, white bread has a GI of 71, wholemeal bread a GI of 60, and brown rice a GI of 55. Interestingly the method of cooking and variety of potato can affect the GI value of potatoes greatly. The lower the glycemic index of a food, the better it is for diabetics, since it can help them avoid high blood sugar levels and possible diabetes complications. Sweet potatoes have a glycemic index of 44 -- foods considered low on the glycemic index are 55 and less -- so they are good for diabetics. Diabetics may also benefit from eating potatoes with the skin on. Potatoes with skin have almost twice the amount of fibre as the flesh by itself. Fiber is important for diabetics because it helps slow the digestion of food, preventing large spikes in blood sugar. I find that any white food such as potatoes or rice have the same effect. I had two baked potatoes last night, a little butter and sea salt. My reading this morning was 106, a little lower than normal, (125-145). Seems to me that they are ok for me, this was along with apiece of pork steak. ClintonsTart.
Yes,it is good if eating potatoes with the skin on.