Contents:
- Medical Video: Healthy Eating for a Diabetic
- Benefits of oatmeal
- Nutrient content in oatmeal
- The benefits and side effects of consuming oatmeal for diabetics
- Then, what are the rules for eating oatmeal for diabetics?
- Choose whole oats
- Pay attention to the portion
- Don't add fruit and honey
- Not always processed oatmeal must be sweet ...
Medical Video: Healthy Eating for a Diabetic
You may already be familiar with foods called oatmeal. Yes, food that was previously more often called oatmeal is indeed predicted as a healthy food. However, is oatmeal for diabetics good?
Benefits of oatmeal
Oatmeal aka oatmeal is a good food choice because it is made from whole wheat. Whole grains included in complex carbohydrates are known to have many health benefits. Many people who suffer from certain diseases, such as heart disease or diabetes, for example, are advised to consume oatmeal as their daily diet.
Whole wheat in oatmeal is known to help maintain cholesterol and blood sugar levels in a person. Oatmeal is also known to be rich in fiber and also contains protein, magnesium, phosphorus and vitamin B1 as an energy source.
Foods that contain complex carbohydrates are more difficult for the body to digest. As a result, foods with these nutrients can last longer in the digestive process, creating a longer sensation of satiety.
The difficulty of foods containing complex carbohydrates also makes the process of starch metabolism into glucose takes place slowly, causing glucose levels in the blood do not jump rapidly, even after eating. That is why oatmeal for diabetics is often recommended as a substitute for healthy rice.
Oatmeal in its original form, which does not undergo too much processing and the addition of other food ingredients, is known to reduce a person's need for insulin. This means that the body can be more sensitive to insulin. Oat porridge is also known to improve heart health, which is very important for people with diabetes, considering heart problems are one of the most common complications in people with diabetes.
Nutrient content in oatmeal
One of the most well-known nutritional content in oatmeal is fiber. Fiber is known to have many benefits needed by the body, namely for the digestive process, the development of good bacteria in the intestine, lowering cholesterol, making us feel full in the same period of time, increasing the body's metabolism, and controlling blood sugar levels.
Most people lack fiber consumption every day. Generally, we need about 30 grams of fiber every day. However, usually we are only able to fulfill half. This high fiber content makes oatmeal included in the healthy food category. If you like to eat cereal in the morning, then oatmeal is the best choice you can choose.
Oatmeal does contain high fiber. However, don't forget that there is another nutrient contained in oatmeal. Oatmeal which is currently common is instant oatmeal and oatmeal quick cooking aka oatmeal is fast cooking. Both types of oatmeal have different nutritional content.
Instant oatmeal is usually made for fast food consumption. You just add hot water or maybe warm it in microwave, then you can immediately enjoy it. Whereas, fast cooking oatmeal requires a longer processing time than ready-to-eat oat, although it remains in a fast period too.
Instant oatmeal usually has undergone many modifications. Several brands of instant oatmeal sold on the market have provided them in various variants, ranging from chocolate, savory, and other fruit flavors. If judging by the nutritional content of fast-cooking oatmeal, instant oatmeal has more food additives, such as sugar and sodium. It's best if you choose oatmeal to cook quickly if you really want to make oatmeal as a healthy snack, rather than choosing instant oatmeal.
Based on the United States Department of Agriculture, National Nutrition Database, as explained in MedicalNewsToday, half cup (about 28 grams) Instant oatmeal without any additional food has the following nutritional values:
- 153 calories
- 3 grams of fat
- 27 grams of carbohydrates
- 0.4 grams of sugar
- 4 grams of fiber
- 5 grams of protein
The benefits and side effects of consuming oatmeal for diabetics
Even if it's considered good, in fact there are still rules and restrictions that you need to obey when consuming oatmeal for diabetics instead of rice. Eating oatmeal for diabetics may be a good choice when you want to go on a diet, as long as you don't eat certain instant oatmeal that contains sugar and flavored food additives.
Some goodness of oatmeal for diabetics that you can enjoy are as follows:
- Oatmeal is a complex carbohydrate that can help control blood sugar because it is rich in fiber and a low glycemic index.
- Helps maintain heart health and reduce cholesterol numbers
- Reducing the need for insulin injections
- It is one of the foods that is quite easy to process and requires time that tends to be short
- Because of its high fiber content, consuming oatmeal can make you feel full longer. This can help you control your weight
- Is a good long-term energy source
- Helps facilitate digestion
Although it has benefits, in fact consumption of oatmeal can also have a negative impact if it is not carried out properly and according to the rules. Especially if you consume too much instant oatmeal which contains added sugar and food flavorings. Addition of foods that are in instant oatmeal can damage the diabetes diet plan that you live so it doesn't work well.
Eating oatmeal can cause gastroparesis, which is a disorder experienced by the stomach so it is slow in processing digestion. When you have gastroparesis as a complication of diabetes, the presence of high fiber foods can make this situation worse.
In general, people with diabetes who do not have gastroparesis may experience the following negative side effects when taking oatmeal as the main food in a diabetes diet:
- Stomach cramps, occur because of the amount of fiber you consume. This can be overcome by drinking water after eating
- Dispose of the wind, due to the large amount of gas that collects in the stomach due to the high fiber content Drinking while eating can help you reduce the high fiber you consume
Then, what are the rules for eating oatmeal for diabetics?
In order for the diabetes diet that you do to provide optimal results, there are some restrictions and recommendations that you should do when consuming oatmeal for diabetics as part of the blood sugar management that you live. Eating oatmeal for diabetics can help control blood sugar well if it's run well too.
Consider the following if you want to eat oatmeal as one of your diabetes diet plans, namely:
Choose whole oats
It would be better if you choose oats that make you have to process them first. Avoid choosing instant oatmeal (or even oatmeal quick cooking) Lots of instant oatmeal which now contains various flavors, like chocolate and salty. It is likely that the oatmeal contains additional sweeteners and salt. This will be the opposite of the diabetes diet that you live with. This type of oatmeal can also have less fiber content.
Pay attention to the portion
Because it contains goodness, it doesn't mean you can eat as much oatmeal as you want. You still need a dose because there is still carbohydrates inside the oatmeal that you have to limit if you want the diabetes diet that you live to really have an impact. Limit consumption to only around 28-40 grams per meal once.
Don't add fruit and honey
Oatmeal is a food that doesn't taste if it's not modified. You may lose your appetite to eat it if plain oatmeal is only present in front of you. To add to your taste, you might add some extra food to create a sweet or perhaps savory flavor in your serving bowl.
Keep in mind that oatmeal already contains carbohydrates, and adding fruits or other sweeteners can add to your total carbohydrate. Actually, adding fruit or other flavors can keep your oatmeal serving healthy and not interfere with your diet. However, you must be selective in choosing any additional flavor that you can enter so that the nutritional content is not excessive.
You can add nuts, such as almonds or pumpkin seeds. To create sweetness, don't add honey because it can increase your blood sugar levels quickly. Choose cinnamon or vanilla extract to add flavor to your oatmeal. You can also add milk or low-fat yogurt to enrich the taste. In fact, you can also eat your oatmeal together with eggs to make it taste oatmeal. Try to balance carbohydrates in oatmeal with healthy fats and protein.
Not always processed oatmeal must be sweet ...
You may not be a lover of sweet foods so you are not interested in trying oatmeal because you are confused about what you want to create. Even though it is often processed into sweet preparations, it turns out that oatmeal can also be made into a tasty food. You can use some vegetables to create a savory flavor in your oatmeal dish.
Mushrooms, spinach and chives can create a delicious and healthy blend together with oatmeal. You can use herbs such as ginger, black pepper, and cumin. You can also add a little grated cheddar or parmesan cheese (choose low-fat ones) and eggs.
