Last Updated on by San San
Can Diabetics Eat Noodles Without Spiking Blood Sugar?
Diet is one of the lifestyle changes that every diabetic must embrace. Everyone has that busy morning or exhausted evening where noodles had to be the only option. It is hard to exclude easily preferable meals like noodles, so I know the question that brought you here is, can diabetics eat noodles?
Well yes, diabetics can eat noodles. As you may have heard, pasta is probably not good for a diabetic. However, as a diabetic, it is important to carry out extensive research on your diet before believing what everybody says. Diabetics can eat any meal, however, some should be eaten in extremely low amounts or look for healthy alternatives to the ingredients used.
Noodles can be part of a healthy diabetic diet when the patient exercises portion control, moderation, and is active physically. Diabetics are advised to take Whole grain foods; they tend to have more nutrients and lesser amounts of sugar and carbs.
Can Diabetics Eat Noodles Like Pasta?
In his century, many people suffer from this lifestyle disease known as diabetes. Diabetes is caused by the decrease in production of insulin which as a result causes high blood sugars. High blood sugar occurs when there is an extreme increase of glucose in the bloodstream, without being absorbed into the blood cells. Obesity has also been associated with diabetes, therefore controlling weight is a major concern for diabetics.
Noodles and other types of pasta are generally discouraged for diabetics. Pasta tends to contain a lot of carbohydrates.
Noodles are made up of a certain type of grain. Therefore for diabetics, whole grain pasta is encouraged. During the manufacturing process, some of the grain is removed to achieve a finer end product. However, for whole-grain products, the whole grain is used in the manufacturing process including the bran, germ, and endosperm. Whole grain products tend to have more fibre and more complex starches that help control blood sugars. Pasta for diabetics is made from whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat, and barley.
Traditional noodles are not ideal for diabetics, or for anyone for that matter. Whole grain noodles are great for diabetics; they help slow sugar absorption preventing a sugar spike, which helps improve blood sugar levels. The fibre in whole grain pasta also helps lower cholesterol, have a feeling of fullness for longer, and improved digestive health. Whole grain noodles come in several varieties such as whole wheat pasta, quinoa pasta, and brown rice pasta.
How to Include Noodles in Your Diabetic Diet
Diabetics are advised to watch their portion sizes when it comes to high-carb meals. Here is a list of ideas on how to include noodles in your diabetic diet;
- Add vegetables: seeing that you don’t get to fill up your plate with noodles, consider adding a good amount of vegetables. Apart from making you more satisfied, vegetables also help reduce the impact that noodles can potentially have on your blood sugar level. Vegetables such as broccoli, lentils, or spinach are great additions to your noodles! If you don’t wish to mix your noodles with vegetables, you can vegetables as an appetizer. Doctors have pointed out that eating proteins or vegetables as appetizers can have a great impact on your blood sugars and even reduce your reliance on medication, especially for type 2 diabetics.
- Eat noodles as a side meal: when it comes to oodles, you think of a whole plate, however with diabetes, take noodles as a side meal. The main meal should be preferably grain food. Pasta should account for 15g of carbs. Meat proteins are also a great accompaniment for noodles. Go for proteins such as fish, chicken, or eggs. Proteins help control blood sugar levels by slowing down digestion.
- Cook noodles al dente: as a type 2 diabetic, you are advised to cook your noodles moderately, up to when they achieve a crisp, firm feel. Overcooked noodles can raise blood sugars to dangerous levels due to their high glycemic index. Al dente pasta has a slower digestion rate, therefore easy on blood sugar levels.
- Go for whole-grain noodles: the market is saturated with healthy alternatives to choose from. Whole grain noodles are ideal for diabetics due to their fibre and low-carb content.
Can Diabetics Eat Noodles? The Best Noodles for a Diabetic
In case you are wondering, can diabetics eat noodles? Here is a list of the best noodles for diabetics;
- Semolina noodles. Semolina noodles are made from rice, corn, or wheat. They remain relatively hard even after cooking, therefore they undergo slow digestion. Choose “whole grain semolina” which is made of full grains.
- Quinoa noodles: quinoa has many nutritional contents such as protein, vitamin B, E, iron, calcium, magnesium, and riboflavin. Surprisingly, quinoa noodles carry all the nutritional benefits of quinoa. Quinoa is also gluten-free. As always watch your portions, 4 ounces of quinoa contains 410 calories.
- Egg noodles: egg noodles are good for diabetics due to their high levels of proteins and eggs tend to lower the glycemic index of noodles. Foods that have a low glycemic index score do not have much effect on blood sugars. however, These types of noodles contain low fibre and cholesterol, therefore not the best choice.
- Buckwheat noodles: these noodles are made from buckwheat seeds. They do not contain gluten or wheat as suggested by the name. It has high levels of cholesterol-lowering fibre and is full of magnesium; which helps in controlling blood sugars. They are low-carb noodles where 4 ounces contain about 200 calories.
Maintaining a healthy diet is important for diabetics. Good nutrition help control blood sugar level and will help reduce your reliance on medication in the long run.
Here are the answers to the question, can diabetics eat noodles;
- Watch your food portion. Noodles should take up a quarter of your plate. Fill up your plate with other nutrients such as proteins and fibre. Vegetables and meat are great accompaniments to noodles.
- Cook your noodles al dente or moderately
- Go for whole-grain noodles. They tend to have a higher level of fibres and are easy on blood sugar levels.