Glycemic index in potatoes
Potatoes such as white potatoes, whether you consumed it in any manner such as you have them mashed, baked, or potato chips, have a high glycemic index. This implies that their carbs are immediately transformed into sugar, which raises your glucose levels after your dinner. According to the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition”, sweet potatoes have lower glycemic index, which is good for diabetes control. Using sweet potatoes in limited amount will help you keep your glucose levels near normal range.
Carbohydrate amount in sweet potatoes
A normal size of sweet potato contains 26 grams of carbohydrates in which 3.8 grams are dietary fiber. A cup of mashed sweet potatoes has 58 grams of carbs and 8.2 grams of fiber. In sweet potatoes, fiber is a part of sweet potatoes and does not contribute in elevate blood sugar levels. If you want to count your total carb intake per serving, you can subtract fiber into total carb such as baked sweet potatoes have 3.8 grams of fiber and 26 grams of carbohydrates, means it contains only 22.2 grams of available carbs per serving and in case of mashed sweet potatoes, have 8.2 grams of fiber and the 58 grams of carbs and it provides you 49.8 grams of available carbs per serving. In case of diabetes, you should count carbs more accurately.
Serving Size
The American Diabetes Association suggests that you eat no more than 45 to 60 grams of carbs every meal, which implies that you can add sweet potatoes in your diabetic diet plan. For example, you have a sweet potato of 22.2 grams of carbs along with different foods that are free of carbohydrates like chicken or salmon, broccoli and butter. In this, you can add a cup of plain yogurt and berries and get 45 to 60 grams of carbs.
Different meal ideas
Now you can use sweet potatoes in your diet and it is a good carbohydrate choice for diabetics. You can prepare a lot of dish with them such as you can bake them in the oven and serve them with a little bit of sour cream, plain yogurt or butter for different flavor. Sweet potatoes fries are also a good option. Remember that if you consume them in limited amount, there is no issue with your glucose level. Use sweet potatoes with butter or olive oil and protein from fish or meat for a balanced meal.
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