Night Listening | How to eat staple foods and control sugar intake?

Is there a way to eat staple foods and control blood sugar at the same time? Here are 7 kinds of staple foods suitable for people all over the country to control blood sugar. Even if your blood sugar is not high, it is recommended to eat them as they are really healthy.

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1. Mixed grains and beans rice

You can choose common grains and beans, and you can choose one or more grains and beans with rice. The key is that grains and beans account for 1/3 to 1/2. Three kinds of grains are recommended, namely oats, highland barley, and bitter buckwheat.

2. Multigrain and bean porridge

Many people think that people with high blood sugar cannot drink porridge, but this is not true. The "Dietary Guidelines for Adults with Diabetes (2023 Edition)" released by the National Health Commission includes porridge in the sugar control recipes for people from all over the country, such as corn grits porridge, rice and millet porridge, lily and lotus seed porridge, poria red bean and barley porridge, and oatmeal and yam porridge; there are also porridges with milk added. It is important to remind you that when making porridge, just cook it until it is done, and don't cook it too soft, otherwise it will still easily raise blood sugar.

3. Multi-grain steamed bread

You can use whole wheat flour to make whole wheat steamed buns, or you can use wheat flour mixed with corn flour, buckwheat flour, purple rice flour, and sorghum flour to make multi-grain steamed buns. In addition to making steamed buns, you can also make steamed cakes, steamed corn bread, or flower rolls. You can also wrap cooked red beans, mung beans, and kidney beans in the dough to make bean buns, or mix vegetables such as Chinese cabbage, shiitake mushrooms and an appropriate amount of protein such as dried tofu into the dough to make vegetable dumplings.

If you don’t know how to make it and want to buy multi-grain steamed buns, it is best to choose pre-packaged ones, which have an ingredient list and clearly indicate the multi-grain flour content. The recommended content is above 30%.

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4 Buckwheat noodles

100% pure bitter buckwheat noodles are not recommended. First, they taste bitter, and second, they are expensive. You can choose buckwheat noodles with 30% to 50% buckwheat flour. If the remaining ingredients are whole wheat flour, such as regular whole wheat flour or dark whole wheat flour, it would be even better. They are also rich in dietary fiber and are more conducive to blood sugar control than white noodles.

5. Steamed grains and potatoes

The main grain that can be steamed is corn. Sweet corn is recommended as it is more conducive to controlling sugar than glutinous corn. Eat one corn per meal (350-400 grams with the core). For steamed potatoes, sweet potatoes, taro, purple sweet potatoes, iron stick yam, and chestnut pumpkin are all OK. In addition, it is necessary to pair them with sufficient vegetables and appropriate amount of protein, that is, about 1.5-2 fists of vegetables and 1 fist of protein.

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6. Whole wheat bread

In fact, whole wheat bread, like white bread, is a staple food with a high glycemic index. The good thing is that compared to white bread, it is also rich in dietary fiber and B vitamins. As long as you choose the right one and eat it right, it can also help control blood sugar. It is recommended to choose a whole wheat flour content greater than or equal to 50%, 100% is better, and no additional sugar is added. The fat content in the nutrition information table should be less than 5g/100g.

7. Instant Oatmeal

Although instant oatmeal porridge is also a staple food with a high glycemic index, like whole wheat bread, it can still supplement more dietary fiber and B vitamins. So how can this high GI staple food be eaten to help control blood sugar? There are still two main points. One is to control the amount. As a staple food for a meal, 40 to 50 grams for women and 50 to 75 grams for men are enough. Instead, it should be paired with 1.5 to 2 fists of vegetables and 1 fist of protein.

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Finally, I strongly recommend that you go to the official website of the National Health Commission to download the "Dietary Guidelines for Adults with Diabetes (2023 Edition)". Enter "Dietary Guidelines for Adults with Diabetes 2023" in the search box and the first thing that comes out is how to truly eat healthily according to the guidelines!

Reviewer: Liu Bing, deputy chief physician of the Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University