People who have been diagnosed with type 2 or type 1 diabetes should be more careful about dieting. The daily menu can include a variety of cereals, ranging from pearl barley and ending with buckwheat. However, some cereals can increase glucose levels, especially if porridge for diabetes is not cooked correctly. Therefore, every person suffering from this disease should know what kind of cereals he is allowed to consume and how to properly prepare them.
Buckwheat
Speaking about which cereals are allowed for diabetes, buckwheat is worth mentioning first. This cereal is a source of carbohydrates, which are necessary for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Buckwheat porridge for diabetes has the following features:
- Buckwheat contains B and C vitamins, as well as magnesium, calcium, iron, iodine and other trace elements that are required by the human body.
- A lot of fiber is concentrated in buckwheat, which lowers the glycemic index, which is important for normalizing the digestive system, as well as for the rate of assimilation of consumed carbohydrates, which the body receives from buckwheat itself and those products that are used in combination with it.
- Buckwheat contains rutin, which has a beneficial effect on the state of blood vessels. The product also contains lipotropic substances that reduce the risk of liver obesity, which is very important for type 2 diabetes.
- Thanks to the ideal micro- and macroelement composition, buckwheat groats increase immunity, eliminate cholesterol and normalize blood circulation.
Buckwheat cooking methods
The undoubted advantage of this cereal is that at present there are no GMO technologies that allow to grow this crop. It is also important to note that buckwheat porridge for diabetes can be cooked without cooking, as well as without heating to a boil. If you pour this cereal overnight with warm water in a thermos, then in the morning the porridge will be ready for use. The benefits of this dish are invaluable.
For cooking buckwheat porridge with diabetes, the best option is to cook on water with the addition of a small amount of salt. Oil is not added to the dish. If a person wants to add sweeteners, milk, animal fats and other components to porridge, then this must be done very carefully:
- People who suffer from type 1 diabetes should consider the amount of carbohydrates and adjust insulin therapy.
- Those patients who suffer from insulin-dependent diabetes should observe the calorie diet and take into account that buckwheat has a glycemic index of 50.
From time to time, onions and mushrooms can be added to ready-made meals.
Corn porridge
Is it possible with corn porridge for diabetes? Corn grits are not the best choice for patients with diabetes, because the glycemic index of this product is 70. It is worth paying attention to the fact that after cooking it increases, and if you add butter or milk to the dish, the porridge will become a real glycemic bomb for the patient .
Very interesting is the fact that corn is used to treat this disease. The fibers that envelop the head of cabbage under the top leaves are used in traditional medicine recipes to lower sugar levels. A decoction based on corn stigmas is really capable of beneficially affecting carbohydrate metabolism, but this does not apply at all to corn grits.
You should also pay attention to the fact that corn cobs contain xylitol, which is used as a sweetener for patients who have been diagnosed with diabetes. But here it should be borne in mind that grain and ears are completely different products.
When answering the question of whether cereal porridge can be used for diabetes or not, one should pay attention to the fact that cereal is a high-calorie product with a high glycemic index. Porridge is absolutely not suitable for people with type 2 or type 2 diabetes.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal can be called a unique product, which is ideal for feeding patients suffering from type 1 and type 2 diabetes. You can eat oatmeal with diabetes for three main reasons, which are as follows:
- The dish normalizes lipid and carbohydrate metabolism.
- Porridge optimizes the liver and digestive system as a whole.
- Oatmeal has a beneficial effect on the state of the entire intestinal microflora.
These properties are explained by the unique composition of oatmeal, which contains:
- Inulin, which is a plant-based analogue of human insulin.
- Useful minerals and vitamins.
- Fiber, which slows down the absorption of carbohydrates from the digestive tract.
Features of cooking oatmeal
It is best to eat oatmeal for type 2 diabetes and type 1 whole grain only. However, in most cases only oat flakes can be found on sale. If this product is not for quick cooking, but simply is flattened grain, then almost all the properties of oatmeal are preserved in it, so the dish can be prepared from it.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that in quick-cooking oatmeal the glycemic index is 66, which is considered very high for a person with diabetes.
Oatmeal for diabetics is recommended to cook in water. For a more pleasant taste, sweetener, milk, fruit nuts are added to the finished dish. Of course, you need to consider the extra carbohydrates that fall into the daily diet in this case.
Millet porridge
What kind of cereal for diabetes is still allowed to be consumed? The allowed dishes include millet porridge, since millet has a low glycemic index, which equals 40. It is best to cook such porridge on water, without adding oil, as well as other additional ingredients. But if there are no complications of diabetes, porridge can be prepared on the basis of low-fat broth, or add a small piece of butter to it after cooking.
If a person has gestational diabetes, then experts recommend that such patients also include millet porridge in their diet.
Barley and barley porridge
Speaking about which cereals in patients with type 2 diabetes can be consumed by patients, barley should be mentioned. Barley porridge is also allowed to be included in the diet for those patients who suffer from type 1 diabetes. The glycemic index of this product is 22. Barley and pearl barley are made on the basis of the same sign - barley. As for pearl barley, it is a whole polished grain. Barley groats are crushed barley grains. Thus, the composition of these cereals is identical, and the difference is only in the rate of assimilation of this product.
For example, barley in the digestive tract of a person is split longer than barley groats, and therefore has a lower glycemic index. For this reason, pearl barley has a higher dietary value for type 1 and type 2 diabetics.
Like other coarse cereals, barley and millet have an optimal composition in terms of nutritional value, as well as a record amount of insoluble fiber. It normalizes the function of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, these cereals contain valuable plant proteins for the body. Only one portion of the finished porridge is able to provide the human body with a fifth of the daily norm of certain amino acids.
Rice
Is rice porridge possible with diabetes? Just recently, rice was considered the optimal product for patients who suffer from diabetes. But as a result of studies conducted in 2012, it became known that this cereal contributes to weight gain and the development of type 2 diabetes. The glycemic index of this product is 60, which is why rice got into prohibited foods for diabetics. However, it is worth considering the fact that in this case we are talking about white rice. Brown rice also has a high glycemic index. Its performance is 79.
It is interesting to note that rice porridge, intended for instant cooking, has an even higher glycemic index, which is 90. But rice bran is very useful, since their glycemic index is only 19.
Thus, rice should not be consumed in diabetes. But if you really want this, it’s best to cook porridge based on white rice, preferably only on water, you can also dilute the dish with a small amount of salt. In this case, you must first adjust the dose of insulin.
Rules for making cereals
Porridge for type 2 diabetics must be prepared only on the basis of water. But if a person wants to eat a dish with milk, then it is added only to the finished dish. In this case, you should pay attention to the fact that in no case can you add sugar to the finished porridge. A sweet aftertaste can be given to the dish by adding fruit, stevia, honey or maple syrup.
You can also add nuts to cereals. Before pouring water, cereals are thoroughly washed. This allows you to get rid of excess starch.
Diet
If a person suffering from type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus will have in mind which specific cereals he is allowed to consume and which need to be discarded, then you can draw up a diet for a week or a whole month. In this case, you should pay attention to the fact that cereals with this disease must be alternated.
Fiber is also essential in the diet of a diabetic. This component is not absorbed through the intestinal wall, cleans it, thus removing all toxins, toxins, along with feces. This is very important if the patient suffers from constipation. In addition, fiber is able to reduce the absorption of fats and sugars, due to which glucose values are also reduced. The daily fiber requirement for diabetics should be 30-40 grams. Sources are peeled rye and oat flour, pumpkin, beans, mushrooms. Half of this rule should be accounted for by cereals, and the other part by fruits and vegetables. It is on the basis of this calculation that the diet of the diabetic is compiled.
Conclusion
When answering the question about which cereals can be used in patients with diabetes, one should take into account the fact that these dishes are the main source of carbohydrates. This nutrient must necessarily be in the diet of people who suffer from diabetes, to provide the human body with enough energy. The daily serving of porridge for patients should be about 100-150 grams. Grains should be selected for cooking cereals, taking into account the glycemic index. At the same time, it is desirable to cook them in water, without adding sugar and milk.