Sweet potatoes are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, and are often considered a healthy choice for many people.
However, if eaten incorrectly, sweet potatoes can still increase blood sugar, especially for people at risk of pre-diabetes, diabetes or workers who need to maintain stable energy. Therefore, understanding how to eat sweet potatoes reasonably is an important factor to take advantage of benefits while still controlling blood sugar well.
First of all, the way sweet potatoes are processed greatly affects the blood sugar index. Boiled or steamed whole sweet potatoes are the best choice because they retain the content of soluble fiber, helping to slow down the process of absorbing sugar into the blood.
Conversely, sweet potatoes fried, grilled too thoroughly or ground easily make starch metabolize faster, causing blood sugar to rise high after eating. In particular, deep-fried sweet potatoes not only increase blood sugar but also cause excess fat, which is not beneficial for long-term health.
Second, people who eat sweet potatoes should pay attention to their diet. Although sweet potatoes are a good food, eating too much in one meal still causes the amount of carbohydrates intake into the body to exceed the necessary level.
Each meal should only eat about one medium sweet potato (100–150g), combined with protein-rich foods such as eggs, fish, beans or unsweetened yogurt. This combination helps slow down the process of starch digestion, thereby limiting sudden blood sugar spikes.
Besides, the time to eat sweet potatoes is also very important. Eating sweet potatoes in the morning or half-time snacks is a suitable time, when the body needs energy and has better sugar metabolism.
You should limit using sweet potatoes late in the evening, especially before bed, because at this time metabolic activity decreases, easily causing blood sugar to increase and excess energy to accumulate.
You should not eat sweet potatoes when you are too hungry. When the stomach is empty, the sugar in sweet potatoes is easily absorbed faster, increasing blood sugar sharply. Eating sweet potatoes after main meals or with green vegetables will help fiber promote the effect of regulating blood sugar more effectively.
To eat sweet potatoes without increasing blood sugar, you need to pay attention to the processing, portion size, timing and food combination.
When used properly, sweet potatoes are not only safe but also a sustainable source of energy, helping to maintain health and daily efficiency.
