High blood sugar dietary taboos and recipe list

Try to avoid the three types of foods (refined added sugars, processed carbohydrates with GI >70, and trans fats) as much as possible. Daily recipes follow the ratio of "low GI + high fiber + high-quality protein." The total calories throughout the day are calculated based on 25-30 calories per kilogram of ideal body weight. There are no foods that you must not eat. As long as you control the amount and order of eating, you don't have to live a miserable life. Haha.

Let me first tell you the easiest pitfall to step into - invisible sugar. Uncle Zhang downstairs complained to me a while ago, saying that he hadn't touched a lick of sugar in the past two months, and his fasting blood sugar had risen from 6.8 to 7.5. After looking through his locker, he saw half a box of sugar-free Shaqima and three bags of sugar-free biscuits. He could eat three or four pieces a day. Don’t be fooled by the word “sugar-free”. Even if no sugar is added to these foods, the raw materials are wheat flour and starch. In essence, they are refined carbohydrates. When eaten, the rate of raising blood sugar is no slower than that of white sugar. There are also added xylitol and maltitol. Eating more than 20g at a time can cause blood sugar fluctuations. Don’t hoard them randomly.

Let’s talk about the staple food issue that is the most controversial issue. There are two factions in the circle now arguing fiercely: one faction says that if you have high blood sugar, you should completely abstain from white rice and white flour, and you should not even touch multi-grain porridge. After all, the higher the degree of gelatinization, the faster the blood sugar will rise.； The other group says that as long as the amount is controlled, eating less than half a bowl of white rice at a meal, with enough vegetables and protein, there won't be much fluctuation at all. I tried it with my dad for half a year, and it really didn’t need to be beaten to death - I gave him pure rice porridge before, and his blood sugar spiked to 8.9 2 hours after the meal. Later, I switched to multigrain porridge cooked with brown rice, quinoa, and oats in a ratio of 2:1:1. The boiling time did not exceed 20 minutes. I ate a hard-boiled egg before drinking. I drank a small half bowl at a time, and the blood sugar after the meal was stable at 6.7, which is no problem at all. There are also the balanced diet recommended by traditional endocrinologists (carbohydrates account for 45%-50% of the whole day's calories) and the low-carb ketogenic diet (carbohydrates account for less than 10%) that has been popular in recent years. I also specifically asked the attending doctor. The former is suitable for most middle-aged and elderly people with diabetes and people with many underlying diseases, and is safer to eat in the long term. ； The latter can control blood sugar quickly but puts a heavy burden on the liver, kidneys, and blood lipids. Pregnant women, teenagers, and people with poor liver and kidney function should not follow the trend blindly. It is useful to choose the one that suits you.

Oh, by the way, there is another taboo that many people ignore: don’t eat too many high-fat foods, especially trans fats. Many people think that only sugar raises blood sugar. The last time I stir-fried vegetables for my dad, I added two spoons of peanut oil and stewed a pot of bone soup. His blood sugar level immediately jumped to 8.1 after eating. Later, I realized that fat has too high calories. Eating too much will reduce insulin sensitivity, and blood sugar will still rise quickly. Trans fats such as non-dairy creamer in milk tea, margarine in cakes, and shortening in puffed foods not only raise sugar but also damage blood vessels, so don’t touch them if you can.

As for the recipes, there is really no need to make the same fancy ones from Monday to Sunday. Ordinary people don’t have that much time to cook every day. Let me show you the daily recipes that my father makes for me, who is 62 years old, 175cm tall and weighs 70kg. It is very flexible, so you can change it to whatever you want:

In the morning, I usually take two combinations in turn, either 50g of multigrain steamed buns + 1 hard-boiled egg + a small plate of cold spinach + 200ml of sugar-free soy milk, or 2 slices of real whole-wheat bread (whole-wheat flour should be the first in the ingredient list, don’t buy fake whole-wheat with syrup) + 30g of fried chicken breast + 5 small tomatoes. After eating and walking for 20 minutes, the fasting blood sugar is basically stable between 5.8-6.2.

At noon, it’s even simpler, 50g of multigrain rice (rice + quinoa + oats, mix it as you like, mix it at 1:1 if you want to eat white rice) + 200g of green leafy vegetables (stir-fry lettuce, broccoli, water spinach, add less oil) + 100g of high-quality protein (Steamed fish, lean beef, and northern tofu will all work.) Remember not to mess up the order of eating: eat two bites of vegetables first, then meat, and lastly the staple food. The post-meal blood sugar can be about 20% lower than eating the staple food first. My dad's blood sugar after eating like this is basically between 6.5-7 2 hours after a meal.

If you are hungry in the afternoon, eat 3 strawberries or a small handful of plain nuts (about 10g, don’t buy salt-baked or honey-flavored ones). In the evening, change the staple food to cornmeal steamed buns or steamed sweet potatoes, with some mushrooms, green vegetables, and tofu stewed cabbage. After eating, walk for half an hour, and the blood sugar level will basically not exceed 6 before going to bed.

Occasionally, you can eat half a piece of small cake or 1 lychee when you are greedy. As long as you reduce the staple food by half, eat two more bites of vegetables, and test your blood sugar after eating. As long as it does not exceed 7.8, you will be fine. You really don’t need to feel guilty.

To be honest, there is really no standard answer to the matter of sugar control. Everyone’s digestion and absorption are different. If someone else eats something that does not raise blood sugar, you may experience high blood sugar levels after eating it. The most reliable way is to test your blood sugar 2 hours after a meal several times to slowly figure out your body’s tolerance. It is much more useful than reading recipes online.