Is Eating Rice Healthy For People With Diabetes?

People with diabetes must maintain a healthy diet that is low in sugar levels and avoid food that is rich in carbohydrates. Foods with carbohydrates can affect your diabetes.

What are the foods with sources of carbohydrates? Among these foods are white rice, potatoes, whole grains, sweets, dairy products, vegetables, fruit and legumes. These contain starches, natural or added sugars.

The carbohydrates in these foods are broken down by the digestive system into sugar. Once the digested sugar entered the blood, the body then generates a hormone known as insulin. This aids the sugar to enter cells. The blood sugar levels will fall once these cells absorb the sugar. Diabetics cannot generate insulin in their bodies, according to Medical News Today.

The American Diabetes Association recommends about 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrates. On the other hand, this depends on other factors such as weight goals, gender and blood sugar target coals. A cup of white rice has about 53 grams of carbohydrates and a slice of bread has 15 grams of carbohydrates. This means a cup of white rice is about three and a half slices of bread. Likewise, brown rice has 46 grams of carbohydrates. If you are eating 3 cups of rice for three meals in a day; this would result to many carbs and affect your blood sugar, according to Healthy Eating.

So, can you eat rice if you have diabetes? Health experts advise that you must eat rice in moderation especially if you have diabetes. If the recommended amount of carbohydrates is 45 to 60 grams, then you must consume about one third of a cup of rice that has about 15 grams of carbohydrate. This accounts for a single meal. You can also incorporate the rice with healthy proteins and fats that could help slow the impact of the rice on blood sugar levels.

It is also best if you monitor your blood sugar levels to know how white rice and other food affect your diabetes. The blood sugar levels must be low as possible and not to exceed 180 mg/dL. In case your blood sugar levels rise, you must have a smaller serving of rice. You may also refrigerate first your rice before eating. The refrigeration of white rice for at least 16 to 20 hours could transform the cooked carbohydrates into resistant starches. This could control the rise of your blood sugar levels.