For most diabetics or those trying to lose weight, starchy or sugary foods are a “smearing” delicacy. Whether it is people who need to control blood sugar or people who want to lose weight, many people will choose to eat less or even refuse to eat carbohydrates, but in fact, they can still eat starch to control blood sugar or lose weight. As long as you control your intake and choose the right starch to eat, you can even make weight loss easier. This article will briefly explain what carbs are and provide some tips for people with diabetes and those trying to lose weight to control their carb intake.

What we call carbohydrates includes four main types: sugars, sugar alcohols, starches, and dietary fiber. According to the composition of sugars, it can be divided into simple sugars, ordinary sugars and complex carbohydrates.

Monosaccharides – contain one or two sugar molecules and taste sweet, such as milk, fruit, honey, fruit juice, syrup, etc.
Complex Carbohydrates – Thousands of sugar molecules with a starchy structure and no direct sweetness, commonly found in starchy vegetables (eg, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes), grains or products made from grains, and red beans , green beans and other legumes

The relationship between carbohydrates and blood sugar

After the human body eats carbohydrates, any of the above sugars will be converted into glucose in the body. After entering the blood, the blood sugar will rise, providing energy for the body and cells. When the blood sugar rises, the body will also start to secrete insulin, allowing the cells in the body to make good use of glucose in the blood.

Excess carbohydrates lead to insulin resistance, fat gain

However, when you eat too much carbohydrate, your blood sugar will rises very fast, there will be too much glucose in the body, and the body will secrete insulin to convert the excess glucose into liver sugar and store it in the liver and muscles. It will be converted into fat storage, leading to overweight or obesity; more seriously, it may lead to decreased insulin sensitivity, resulting in insulin resistance, resulting in three high symptoms such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugars (diabetes).

In other words, when we consume too much sugar or starch, it will cause weight gain. If we eat too much refined starches (e.g. rice, white bread, biscuits) or foods with added sugar, it also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Moderate amounts of carbohydrates can help weight loss

Many people who lose weight may think that carbohydrates are the root of all evils that constitute fat, and although excessive intake does cause fat accumulation, as long as the intake is in moderation, it is not necessary to completely abstain from staple foods such as starch.

As mentioned earlier, glucose is an important source of energy for the body’s cells. Without sugar, it will affect the body’s energy operation, and even the effect of burning fat will be affected. Therefore, if you want to lose weight, the intake of carbohydrates is the key. The right amount of starch will not only not become fat, but also help you lose weight. In addition, it is generally recommended to replace staple foods, such as white rice, with whole grains with low GI value (such as brown rice), and consume complex carbohydrates to stabilize blood sugar and avoid excess fat generation.

Eat carbs like this

Controlling the amount of carbohydrates and sugars in the diet is indeed one of the effective ways to lose weight and control blood sugar. Therefore, various diets and weight loss methods have also been advocated, such as sugar-free diet, low-sugar diet or ketogenic diet. Etc., the daily intake of carbohydrates considerably at low GI value needs to account for 50% to 60% of the overall diet. However, artificially added sugars should be avoided. Added sugar intake should not exceed 10% of total daily calories. (To calculate daily calorie intake, please use: BMR / TDEE calculator: Calculate basal metabolic rate, total daily calorie consumption).

In the diet of the people nowaday, in addition to sugar being consider as an unhealthy source, it is also a big problem that ordinary food is full of refined starch. Therefore, we recommends that 1/3 of the starchy foods ingested daily should be unrefined. Whole grains, such as brown rice, germ rice, oats, quinoa, sweet potatoes, potatoes, taro, pumpkin, yam, or red beans, mung beans, Lima beans and other starch-rich beans, as well as chestnuts, lotus seeds, etc. It is better to use unprocessed raw food as a staple food

5 steps to reduce sugar and stay away from diabetes and obesity

Quit sugary drinks
The quality and taste of Taiwan’s bubble tea beverages are constantly innovating and improving, and they are even famous internationally. Although they are delicious, don’t ignore their sugar content. Drinking too much will increase insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and obesity risk. Not only bubble tea, but all kinds of sugar-sweetened beverages on the market should be careful. For example, a can of about 350 ml of sugar-sweetened soda may contain 38 grams of carbohydrates, so reduce the carbohydrates in your diet. Get rid of the habit of drinking sugary drinks
Eat less bread
Bread is a common staple in Western cultures, but it’s high in carbohydrates and appears low in fiber, especially white bread made from fine white flour, which has almost only carbohydrates and doesn’t retain much fiber or nutrients. Even nutritious rye bread contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates per slice. Although whole-wheat bread still retains some vitamins and minerals, it is recommended to use whole grains or other starches. Vegetable food as a staple food, not only more fiber, but also less carbohydrate content.
Eat whole fruit is a lot better than taking fruit juice
Many people may think drinking fruit juice is healthy, but it is best to eat fruit instead of fruit juice. Because fruit juice retains some vitamins and minerals, but in terms of carbohydrate to fiber ratio, fruit juice is not a healthy drink, and many commercially available juices have additional sugar added. In 350 ml of 100% apple juice, it contains 48 grams of carbohydrates, and because of the lack of fiber, it is more likely to cause a rapid spike in blood sugar.
Choose snacks high in protein
Potato chips, cup cakes or chocolate bars, these are popular snacks on the market, but they are not suitable for people who want to lose weight. Most of these snacks only contain a lot of carbohydrates and sugar, and it is easy to get hungry soon after eating them. However, protein can prolong satiety, so people who want to lose weight should choose foods that contain protein or fiber. According to research, people who ate a high-protein snack in the afternoon had an average of 100 fewer calories than those who ate the regular snack. Therefore, if you feel hungry between meals, it is recommended to eat nuts or cheese high in fat or protein.
Eggs for breakfast
As mentioned above, choosing a high-protein, low-carbohydrate breakfast can also maintain a sense of satiety. In addition to helping control blood sugar, it also helps reduce the total calorie intake for a day and achieve the effect of weight loss. Eggs not only provide protein, but also less carbohydrates. Each egg contains less than 1 gram of carbohydrates. Therefore, if you want to lose weight and stabilize blood sugar, eggs are the perfect choice. It is not only convenient to buy but also easy to cook.

Abbott FreeStyle Libre 2 Sensor is the best device to monitor your blood sugar level. With this device you will know which food will spike your blood sugar

If affordable, I strongly recommend using FreeStyle Libre sensor, which no longer needs finger-prick. Painless 1-second scan to monitor your glucose throughout the day. You just scan the sensor as many times as you like throughout the day. Also, you can write down the food and quantity you take after each meal. Most important of all, it displays a continuous graphic report to show you the up and down of sugar level. All the data generated will automatically be sent to your doctor. If you have sufficient data for over 3 months, the A1C index will display.