Familiar foods can easily cause weight gain and diabetes

Diabetes is one of the dangerous chronic diseases that is closely related to daily diet. MSc.BSc.CKI Ha Thi Ngoc Bich, Department of Endocrinology – Diabetes, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, notes that some familiar dishes with high glycemic index (GI) can have negative effects. to your health when you eat a lot.

Red meat

Eating too much pork, beef, lamb… can cause obesity, thereby increasing insulin resistance, putting you at a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Because red meat contains a lot of nutrients. Saturated fat and cholesterol increase insulin resistance, causing the body to use insulin ineffectively, leading to high blood sugar levels. Processed red meats such as bacon, sausage… contain many preservatives and flavorings containing nitrates and nitrites, which damage beta cells in the pancreas, affecting the insulin production process.

To prevent diabetes, Dr. Bich recommends eating red meat in appropriate amounts, and can replace red meat with other healthy protein sources such as white meat (fish, chicken, duck), vegetable protein (soybeans, eggs). ).

White bread

White bread is made from wheat flour, containing high starch content. On average, 100 g of white bread provides 266 kcal. Eating too much white bread causes the body to have excess energy, potentially causing overweight, obesity and indirectly increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.

White rice

In terms of nutrition, white rice is classified as a high GI food group. Normally, GI in food represents the degree of blood sugar metabolism from starch after consumption. The average GI is 55-70. The GI of white rice ranges from 70-79.6, depending on the type of rice and how it is processed.

When eating white rice, sugar is absorbed into the blood quickly, increasing blood sugar levels. Dr. Bich advises diabetic patients to limit white rice in their daily diet, about 1 cup of rice (150 g) per meal. Normal people should adjust depending on the body’s energy consumption level, avoid too much leading to weight gain and obesity.

Fruits are high in sugar

Carbohydrates in mango, pineapple, raisins, watermelon, dried dates… are converted into glucose and absorbed into the blood, causing blood sugar to increase. Diabetics should eat fruits with low GI such as guava, apple, orange, grapefruit… Some types with high GI should only be eaten in small amounts combined with foods rich in protein and fiber.

Roots and fruits contain starch

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, beans, corn, sugar beets, taro, yams… contain a lot of starch which can also increase blood sugar. Each person needs to control their starchy vegetable intake moderately (about 70-180 g per day) to ensure nutrition without negatively affecting the body’s blood sugar level.

Prevent the risk of diabetes and obesity early by adjusting a healthy diet, combining exercise, screening and health check-ups at least once a year