Safety, risks, diet, and tips

Although potatoes are a starchy vegetable, a person with diabetes can still enjoy them as part of a healthful diet. People with diabetes need to be aware of their carbohydrate intake at each meal.

When a person eats something, their body converts the carbohydrates and sugars in the food into a simple sugar called glucose.

Glucose enters the bloodstream and increases blood sugar levels. A person who does not have diabetes will produce and use insulin effectively. Insulin is a hormone that allows the glucose to enter the cells to use for energy. This means that glucose leaves the bloodstream.

However, people with diabetes are unable to produce or use insulin effectively. This means that glucose cannot enter the cells and remains in the blood, which increases blood sugar levels. For this reason, it essential that people with diabetes monitor their carbohydrate intake.

Potatoes are a starchy vegetable. They contain carbohydrates which will increase a person’s blood sugar levels.

In this article, we examine whether people with diabetes can eat potatoes. We also look at which types of potato are better for blood sugar, how to prepare and cook potatoes, and general dietary tips for people with diabetes.

Share on PinterestIn moderation, a person with diabetes may eat potatoes.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommend eating starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, as part of a healthful diet. Starch is a complex carbohydrate that takes the body longer to break down than simple sugars.

It is a common misconception that people with diabetes should avoid potatoes and other starchy foods because they tend to have a high glycemic index (GI).

GI is a useful system for ranking foods according to their potential to raise blood sugar levels. Foods with a high GI raise blood sugar faster than those with a low GI.

According to the ADA:

• low-GI foods have a GI of 55 or less
• medium-GI foods have a GI of 56 to 69
• high-GI foods have a GI of 70 or more

Eating foods with a low or medium GI can help a person manage their blood sugar levels. While some varieties of potato do have a high GI, other factors can balance this out.

However, GI is not the only indication of a food’s impact on blood sugar. Glycemic load (GL) demonstrates how much glucose will enter the bloodstream. While people with diabetes should be mindful of their intake of high-GI foods, managing portion size and preparation method can help reduce their impact on blood sugar.

When choosing a high-GI food, the ADA recommend combining a low-GI food with it to help balance a meal. They also state that portion size is key to enjoying starchy foods as part of a healthful meal plan.

Another important consideration is the cooking method. Deep- or shallow-frying potatoes in certain oils and fats, such as animal fats, can increase their saturated and trans fat content. This might increase the risk of heart disease, especially in people with diabetes who already have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Fats also contain calories. People managing their body weight to reduce the impact of type 2 diabetes may wish to cook potatoes in a way that moderates fat and calorie intake. To reduce body weight, people must burn more calories than they consume.

The best way to prepare potatoes is to boil or steam them. Both boiled and steamed potatoes are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber but very low in fat, sugar, and salt.

Share on PinterestPotatoes are more healthful with the skin on.

People with diabetes should be mindful of the portions of potato they consume.

It is best to eat potatoes as part of a balanced, healthful meal. Eating potatoes alongside low-GI foods that provide fiber, lean protein, and healthful fats can help balance the nutritional benefits of a meal.

Eating high-fiber foods can help a person moderate blood sugar levels and increase their feeling of fullness after a meal. Low-GI foods can include other non-starchy vegetables.

People who have diabetes should avoid heavy toppings that add calories.

Sweet potatoes are one of the best types of potato for people with diabetes, as they are low-GI and contain more fiber than white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are also a good source of calcium and vitamin A.

Carisma potatoes, a variety of white potato, are another lower-GI option. Russet potatoes are high-GI, so people should limit the amount they eat.

The preparation and cooking methods a person uses might affect both the GI and the nutritional content of potatoes.

For instance, whole potatoes have a lower GI than mashed or diced potatoes.

Allowing potatoes to cool slightly before eating them can also be beneficial. Cooking a potato makes the starch more digestible, which raises the GI. After cooling, the potato becomes less digestible again, which may lower the GI.

The most healthful way to cook potatoes is to boil, steam, or microwave them without adding other ingredients. Preparing potatoes in this way will ensure that they are very low in sugar, salt, and fat.

Keeping the skins of the potatoes on can provide additional fiber. Up to 50 percent of the phenolic compounds in potatoes are present in the skin and attached flesh.

Phenolic compounds contain antioxidant properties that may be beneficial to health.

Some potato dishes are more suitable than others for people with diabetes.

For example, a potato salad can be a good option, as the potatoes are bite-sized or cubed rather than crushed or mashed. However, ensure that toppings, such as mayonnaise, are low-fat with no added sugar.

People can try this potato salad recipe, which uses low-fat mayonnaise and light sour cream to reduce the fat content.

Any recipes that involve mashed or crushed potato, such as potato pasta, are less appropriate for people with diabetes. Processing the potato in this way increases its GI and the potential impact that it may have on a person’s blood sugar levels.

It is also best to avoid fried potatoes, as frying them increases their calorie and fat content.

Share on PinterestAdd a serving of non-starchy vegetables to potatoes.

Meal planning is a valuable tool for people with diabetes, as it can help them optimize meal timings and serving sizes for each meal. A doctor, dietitian, or diabetes educator can offer dietary advice and help with meal planning.

People with diabetes should eat more non-starchy vegetables and fill half of the plate with nutrient-rich vegetables, such as:

• broccoli
• carrots
• cauliflower
• peppers
• spinach and other leafy greens
• tomatoes

Starchy and lean protein options should account for one- quarter of the plate. Trim excess fat from cuts of meat to bring down their saturated fat content.

The ADA’s “Create Your Plate” is a free online tool. It can help people with diabetes plan a balanced meal with appropriate portion sizes.

Carbohydrate counting can also be a helpful technique for managing diabetes. Counting the total carbohydrate content of foods and meals will indicate how a specific food may affect a person’s blood sugar levels.

The doctor or dietitian managing a person’s diabetes will recommend an individualized daily carb count.

Here, learn about the foods a person with diabetes should avoid.

Potatoes are a starchy vegetable, which means that they are rich in carbohydrate and can raise a person’s blood sugar levels. Eating too many potatoes can present problems for blood sugar control in people with diabetes.

However, potatoes are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and people with diabetes can enjoy them as part of a healthful diet.

Eating non-starchy foods alongside moderate portions of whole potatoes can balance out their GI. Cooking potatoes by boiling or steaming them with no added ingredients will also ensure that they are low in fat, salt, and sugar.

Q:

Can I have toppings on potatoes?

A:

Although the typical toppings on potatoes, such as bacon, butter, sour cream and cheese do not directly affect blood sugar, they can adversely affect heart health.

People with diabetes should limit these foods if they are trying to manage blood sugar and calories. These toppings are high in saturated fat, which should account for no more than 5–6% of total calories, according to the American Heart Association.

Instead, choose toppings such as plain Greek yogurt, salsa, or low fat versions of sour cream to provide flavor to potatoes while also decreasing calories and saturated fat.

Answers represent the opinions of our medical experts. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.

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What role do potatoes play?

By Robby Berman on December 12, 2022 — Fact checked by Alexandra Sanfins, Ph.D.

Share on PinterestWhat do potatoes mean for diabetes risk, and why does the cooking method matter? Image credit: Crissy Mitchell/Stocksy.

• Previous research has not conclusively shown that eating a diet rich in vegetables reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes, as one might expect.
• A new study suggest that this may be the result of including potatoes as vegetables in studies. It confirms that vegetables without spuds do help a person avoid diabetes.
• Plain, unadorned potatoes, says the study, have little effect on the risk of diabetes. Fried potatoes, potato chips, and mashed potatoes increase the risk.

While it makes sense that a healthy diet including plenty of vegetables would help a person avoid type 2 diabetes, the research has been unexpectedly inconclusive.

A new study from researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, whose findings appear in Diabetes Care may have figured out why: potatoes.

The study found that vegetables in general do reduce the risk of diabetes, except for potatoes, which are often counted among vegetables in research.

In the study, participants who consumed the most vegetables — minus potatoes — had a 21% reduced risk of diabetes than those without substantial amounts of vegetables in their diet.

There was no additional benefit for those eating more than 150 to 250 grams of vegetables daily.

Depending on how potatoes are prepared, the study says, they can either have no effect on diabetes risk or actually increase it.

Plain, boiled potatoes — and presumably plain baked potatoes, though they were not considered in the study — neither reduce nor increase the risk of diabetes, according to the study. However, potatoes such as fries, mashed potatoes cooked with butter and other ingredients, and potato chips increase the risk of diabetes.

The vegetable most closely associated with a reduction in diabetes risk were green leafy vegetables and cruciferous vegetables.

The authors of the study derived their conclusions from a cross-sectional analysis of 54,793 participants in the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health study that collected individuals’ health data from 1993 to 1997.

All were residents of the Copenhagen and Aarhus regions of Denmark, and their ages at the start of the study ranged from 50 to 64 years. Participants filled out extensive food questionnaires, and researchers recorded their weight, waist measurements, and height.

Of these people, 7,695 had developed type 2 diabetes by the time of a follow-up, an average of 16. 3 years later.

Lead study author Dr. Nicola P. Bondonno, postdoctoral research fellow at ECU’s School of Medical Health Sciences, recalled for Medical News Today how she and her colleagues were puzzled that vegetables had not been more definitively linked to lowering the risk of diabetes.

“We delved deeper into the methods used in each individual study and saw that many studies included potatoes in their estimation of vegetable intake, and did not take into consideration the preparation method of the potatoes,” she told us.

Other studies also did not always consider “the background diet of the people eating large quantities of potatoes, which typically included large amounts of red meat, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.”

Dr. Jason Ng, clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, PA, not involved in this study explained that “French fries and potato chips are high starchy foods with a higher carb count.”

“These types of foods,” he said, “make your body produce more insulin to control blood sugars, and if eaten in higher quantities, may cause you to gain weight in the abdomen, which can cause insulin resistance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. ”

The new study assessed the effects of both vegetables and potatoes separately. They concluded that potatoes’ neutral — or even negative effect — on diabetes had masked the true benefit of vegetable consumption.

The authors of the study acknowledge that it is not clear how vegetables might be reducing the risk of diabetes.

“Vegetables,” said Dr. Bondonno, “contain nutrients and bioactive compounds, for example, fiber, polyphenols, vitamin K, and nitrate.” Such nutrients may foster metabolic health. “But,” she noted, “they are also relatively low in calories.”

It may simply be that a diet incorporating plenty of vegetables leads to a reduction in BMI and weight loss. These are both protective measures against developing diabetes.

Dr. Bondonno speculated that “[a]lthough potatoes contain nutrients and fiber, they are not as rich a source as other vegetables, and they have a comparatively higher energy density.”

In the study, when including all the forms in which people eat potatoes — excluding fries and chips — the risk of diabetes rose by 9%.

This is not to say potatoes have no place in a healthy diet, said Dr. Ng:

“Certainly, an appropriate amount of a potato in the setting of a well-balanced meal of proteins and vegetables can get you all the nutrients you need while also making you feel healthier, which can reduce your risk of diabetes. Moderation and balance between foods is the key in any good diet.”

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends maintaining a healthy weight to help reduce the chance of developing diabetes, and offers a tool for measuring BMI.

The United Kingdom’s National Health Service says that a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is ideal, though a person should talk to their physician to identify the most appropriate BMI for them.

A healthy diet, along with exercise, is obviously a key component of living at a healthy weight.

The ADA also offers the Diabetes Plate Method, a tool that can help plan diabetes preventive meals.

Potatoes for diabetics: to eat or not to eat?

The first step to improve the lives of people with type 2 diabetes is the right diet. After all, only against the background of a healthy diet, treatment for diabetes can be effective. And usually the first questions about nutrition from diabetic patients are about potatoes. And no wonder! After all, this product is contained in every second dish of Ukrainian cuisine. But is it possible to eat potatoes with diabetes? And if so, in what quantity?

Benefits of potatoes for diabetes

1. It contains many vitamins and microelements. Among them are B vitamins, zinc, potassium, phosphorus and copper. All are important and necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system and the body as a whole.
2. Potato belongs to the group of slow or complex carbohydrates. This means that such a product will not raise sugar very quickly. Therefore, with careful control of sugar can not harm.

So to the question “ is it possible to eat potatoes with diabetes “, answer: yes. But there are a number of limitations.

What people with diabetes should pay attention to

There are three important parameters:

• cooking method;
• quantity of potatoes consumed;
• time of day when you eat it.

Among the recipes and dishes from potatoes for diabetics, not all are equally useful and allowed for people with diabetes. After all, their glycemic index 9 depends on the method of preparation of the ingredients.0008 is a tabular value of a carbohydrate product, showing the rate of its absorption. And the lower the GI, the more useful the product is for a diabetic.

The glycemic index of potatoes varies with cooking method and product consistency. Therefore, this index must be taken into account when compiling a menu for a person with diabetes.

The healthiest ways to cook potatoes for diabetics:

• boiling;
• steam cooking;
• baking.

These methods do not increase the GI much. Therefore, when choosing recipes from potatoes, pay attention to the method of processing the product.

How can you eat potatoes for diabetics? It is desirable to cook or bake it in uniform. After all, the peel contains the necessary trace elements. A relatively firm consistency will contribute to slow absorption.

How potatoes are NOT good for diabetes

The highest GI and most calories are mashed potatoes . A person with diabetes should avoid this dish completely. After all, it will do more harm than good.

How many potatoes can a person with diabetes eat

150 g of potatoes can be eaten at one meal. This is about two medium potatoes (potato varieties are not important). Experts considered that just such an amount would not increase sugar above the norm. After all, maintaining a safe level of sugar is the main goal for a patient with diabetes.

However, everyone is individual. After all, it depends on the level of glucose before meals, other components of the dish, the state of the pancreas and the stage of diabetes. Therefore, to check how much potatoes you eat is safe, check your sugar levels at and 2 hours after eating.

When to eat potatoes for diabetics

Weight control is another step in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. And regular consumption of potato dishes is the only way to increase body weight.

So if you want to keep fit, limit your consumption of potatoes to once every two weeks. And only in the morning.

It is possible to eat potatoes in case of diabetes. But, in order not to harm your health, control its quantity, method of preparation and time of administration.

Can diabetics eat potatoes? – Hooray! Cooks

The most important component of a healthy diet is vegetables, which should be eaten with diabetes. Carrots, onions, zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes do not cause an increase in blood sugar, and cabbage even reduces it.

Potatoes stand apart from vegetables. This is not a vegetable, but a herbaceous tuberous culture, a significant food product common in Russian cuisine. In diabetes, potatoes are not prohibited, but it is important to understand its features and include it in the diet correctly.

Potatoes contain starch, which breaks down into glucose (Photo: Pixabay.com)

The value and danger of potato starch

Tubers contain starchy compounds, which, when ingested, are transformed into glucose. The more starch, the greater the release of glucose caused by eating. However, you cannot equate starch obtained from potatoes with simple carbohydrates that enter the body when eating sugar or baking.

Potato starch is a complex compound. The body has to expend energy to break it down. The absorption of sugars into the blood is hindered by fiber, which is also found in potatoes. In terms of its effect on the body, the root crop is closer to whole grain cereals and cereals, durum wheat pasta, that is, complex carbohydrates.

The least starch in young potatoes (Photo: Pixabay.com)

In young potatoes, the starch content is low, only eight percent. During storage, the volume of the substance increases and by September reaches its peak – about 15-20 percent. In diabetes, it is recommended to eat young potatoes, they are safe and do not cause an increase in glucose levels. In autumn and winter, you can also eat potatoes, but in small quantities.

Cooking techniques

If you have diabetes, fried foods are not recommended. They disrupt fat metabolism, negatively affect the health of the liver, and are also more high-calorie than boiled and baked ones. Therefore, potatoes should:

• boil;
• bake;
• extinguish.

Banned fried potatoes and popular French fries. These dishes create an excessive load on the liver and pancreas. Mashed potatoes are also not recommended. It is customary to cook it with the addition of milk and butter, and this is a real glycemic bomb for the body. If glucose breakdown is impaired, mashed potatoes will cause a rapid rise in sugar levels.

French fries and mashed potatoes are prohibited in diabetes (Photo: Pixabay.com)

It is better to boil and bake potatoes in their uniforms. So the tubers retain more nutrients and fiber. It is enough to wash young tubers with a washcloth, carefully removing dirt. “Lying” should be partially cleared with a knife from the eyes.

The benefits of potatoes in diabetes

In 2019, scientists included potatoes in the list of the most useful foods. This “superfood” contains a colossal amount of potassium, more than any other food. Only 100 grams of root crops can compensate for 25 percent of the daily requirement for potassium. And this trace element is vital for the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system both by itself and as a magnesium synergist: minerals are well absorbed only in pairs.

Potatoes also contain copper, cobalt, phosphorus, and iron. It contains a lot of vitamins of group B and C. It is necessary to use this useful root vegetable for diabetes, but in moderation.

How to eat potatoes

Endocrinologist, Doctor of Medical Sciences Sergey Tkach recommends using potatoes in the first dish, for example, in borscht. Surrounded by other vegetables, the product will be better absorbed by the body. Vegetable soups and potato stews are hearty, nutritious and safe for a diabetic. They can be used for lunch and dinner.

Boil or bake potatoes in their jackets (Photo: Pixabay.com)

To reduce the carbohydrate load from potatoes, boil and cool them, and only then reheat and eat them. Scientists have found that during storage in the refrigerator, potato starch is transformed into a stable compound that is difficult for the body to assimilate. After heating, the stability of the substance is preserved, so yesterday’s potatoes do not cause a significant rise in blood glucose levels.

The root crop should not be included in the diet daily, but two or three times a week is possible, and with great health benefits.