7 common misconceptions about blood sugar control, see which ones hit you

Controlling blood sugar is a worry in the minds of countless people. In January of this year, the National Health Commission issued the "Dietary Guidelines for Adults with Diabetes (2023 Edition)", which aims to integrate food and drug substances and new food ingredients into a reasonable diet to improve the applicability and operability of dietary guidance. In fact, not only do diabetic patients need to control blood sugar, but they also need to control blood sugar in many aspects such as weight loss, acne prevention and skin clearing, improving postprandial drowsiness, and improving brain efficiency... Its importance goes without saying. However, many people think that as long as they eat according to the way diabetics eat, eat more whole grains and beans, and eat more vegetables, they can control blood sugar. In fact, daily operation is far from that simple. Here are 7 common misunderstandings about blood sugar control diets. See which ones hit you?

Myth 1: Whole grain foods only include corn. When many people mention eating whole grains, the first thing they think of is corn, corn grits and cornmeal. This may be because many middle-aged and elderly people often ate steamed bread, corn grits porridge and corn paste in their hard life in the past, which formed a fixed impression. In fact, corn grits and cornmeal are not whole grains. The seed coat and embryo of the corn kernels have been removed during their production, and the nutritional value has been discounted. At the same time, the blood sugar rises very quickly after the corn paste and corn grits porridge are cooked soft, which is not inferior to white rice. If you add some alkali when cooking corn porridge, it will be easier to raise blood sugar. Corn steamed buns and corn cakes are foods that raise blood sugar very quickly. This is because pure corn cannot be made into steamed buns and cakes. White flour, yeast powder and baking powder must be added. The porous and soft state is conducive to the action of digestive enzymes. Fast digestion means fast release of glucose, and glucose absorption into the blood will also raise blood sugar quickly. It cannot be used as the main grain food of the day. Chewing corn cobs is not the best choice for controlling blood sugar. Because the corn cobs currently sold on the market as staple food are mainly glutinous corn, which is a glutinous food with a sticky and soft texture and is easy to digest and absorb. It is important to remember that all glutinous foods are high-glycemic foods, including white glutinous rice, purple glutinous rice, sticky millet, sticky rhubarb rice, etc., and are not suitable for people who need to control blood sugar to eat frequently.

Myth 2: Potato foods are cooked too soft. Studies have shown that for the same type of potato, the GI value can be increased from 56 to 83 when cooked at different hardness. For example, soft potatoes can be comparable to the glycemic index of white steamed bread and white porridge. It is recommended to add vinegar to cook potatoes, which can not only help maintain a crisp and hard taste, but also reduce blood sugar response when eaten with vinegar. Therefore, people who control blood sugar can consider eating potatoes in ways such as stir-fried potato shreds with vinegar and cold potato shreds. Similarly, steamed sweet potatoes have more resistant starch, while baked sweet potatoes have more complete starch gelatinization. So you can consider eating steamed sweet potatoes instead of baked sweet potatoes. Of course, no matter how you eat it, you must remember to reduce the amount of staple foods such as rice and steamed bread accordingly.

Myth 3: Whole grains and beans cannot help control blood sugar if they are cooked soft, so it is better to eat white rice directly

Indeed, compared with harder foods, soft starchy foods are relatively more likely to raise blood sugar. For example, brown rice that has been soaked overnight can reach a glycemic index of over 80. However, even if beans are cooked until soft, they still raise blood sugar very slowly. Even if the oatmeal grains in whole grains are cooked until they are sticky, the postprandial blood sugar response will be limited due to the presence of β-glucan. Therefore, even if the glycemic index is as high as that of white rice, whole grain beans are still worth eating because of their high nutritional value. For example, more B vitamins will enhance the body's metabolic capacity; more dietary fiber is beneficial to improve the intestinal environment. Therefore, as long as you can eat it happily, soft brown rice, millet rice, etc. are still worth eating.

Myth 4: Eating cold staple food will slow down blood sugar levels, so you shouldn’t eat hot meals

Freshly cooked rice, even whole grain rice, is easier to digest and raises blood sugar faster. After cooling, starch ages and regenerates, and the rate of blood sugar rises slower. But we can't just look at the rate of blood sugar rise, we also have to consider the digestion and absorption capacity, as well as the rhythm of insulin secretion.

A small number of studies have found that cold or hard foods may increase insulin secretion, or delay secretion time, and reduce insulin sensitivity. When nutrients are not digested and absorbed enough, muscles are easily lost, which will further reduce the ability to control blood sugar.

Therefore, for people who are controlling blood sugar and have indigestion, they should give priority to eating hot meals to protect the digestion and absorption function, and then try to lower the temperature of food after the gastrointestinal function improves.

Myth 5: I heard that exercising on an empty stomach is more effective, so I insist on exercising before meals

For some people who are trying to control their blood sugar levels, who are underweight, have indigestion, and don't eat much, it is easy to suffer from hypoglycemia when exercising on an empty stomach. If they don't eat enough after exercise, they are prone to muscle loss.

It is recommended to exercise 1-2 hours after a meal rather than on an empty stomach, which is safer. You can eat a small amount of food before exercise, such as milk oatmeal porridge, grain paste, etc. The meal after exercise should increase the protein supply and have enough staple food to achieve the goal of muscle gain.

Myth 6: Eat high-fat foods to fill your stomach before meals or to prevent hypoglycemia

Some preliminary experiments suggest that eating a small amount of high-fat foods such as nuts and cakes before meals does not effectively control blood sugar after meals. There is no evidence that eating these foods between meals is good for blood sugar control. It is better to eat enough staple foods with whole grains and grains during meals, and eat enough vegetables, lean meat, fish, soy products, etc., rather than always having soda crackers in your pocket to eat a few bites. The practice of constantly eating snacks will only increase dietary calories and reduce nutritional quality, which is not conducive to blood sugar control in the long run.

Myth 7: Because of the time limit for eating, I don’t eat even if I’m hungry before going to bed, and I often wake up hungry at night

A large number of studies have confirmed that eating late at night is not conducive to blood sugar control, so it is best to have dinner at 17-18 o'clock and rest at 21-22 o'clock. However, this does not mean that you have to eat very little dinner, nor does it mean that you cannot supplement food when you feel hungry or even have a hypoglycemic reaction late at night.

Hunger affects sleep quality, and poor nighttime rest can cause stress, which can seriously affect blood sugar control and reduce quality of life. Even people without diabetes are prone to high blood sugar levels after continuous insomnia. Hypoglycemia is a dangerous condition that must be corrected. There are two preventive measures:

First, eat enough for dinner and then do some physical activity to prevent the problem of high blood sugar after the meal.

Second, eat a small amount of easily digestible food one hour before you feel hungry, and then rest in time.

Finally, let me summarize the important information mentioned at the beginning, that is, the key points of blood sugar control diet in the "Dietary Guidelines for Adults with Diabetes (2023 Edition)" recently released by the National Health Commission. I hope it will be helpful to you:

The diet of adult diabetic patients should be comprehensive, balanced and diversified, and limit the intake of oil, salt and sugar.

Pay attention to the quantity of staple food. Whole grains, whole grains and other foods rich in dietary fiber with low glycemic index (GI) should account for more than 1/3 of the staple food to reduce the glycemic index of mixed meals. Diabetic patients with gastrointestinal diseases and elderly patients with poor digestive function can appropriately reduce the proportion of whole grains.

Diabetic patients who are overweight or obese should reduce their energy (calorie) intake and increase activity to promote energy consumption.

Patients with muscle wasting, emaciation or malnutrition should increase their dietary energy and protein supply, combine it with resistance exercise, and gain weight.

Diabetic patients should develop the habit of eating vegetables first and staple food last.

Whether to add meals and the timing of meals should be determined based on the patient's specific blood sugar fluctuations. Nutrient-rich and low-GI foods can be selected, such as non-starch nuts, sugar-free milk and dairy products, and low-GI fruits and vegetables.

It is recommended to cultivate a light taste. The daily cooking oil consumption should be controlled within 25g and the daily salt consumption should not exceed 5g.

Any form of alcohol consumption is not recommended.