Oats
Oatmeal is a cereal with a much lower carbohydrate content than white rice. Moreover, this is also a food that can help cell receptors increase insulin sensitivity so that insulin works more effectively.
Therefore, people with insulin-dependent diabetes should increase oatmeal in their diet. Replacing oatmeal with white rice will help stabilize blood sugar, providing minerals and fiber to the body.
Brown rice
If you don't know what to eat instead of rice for diabetes, diabetic patients should not ignore brown rice. This is a type of rice that retains fiber and rice bran, so when put into the body, it both reduces carbohydrate absorption and reduces digestion time to increase feeling of fullness for a long time, reducing cravings for food for diabetic patients.
In particular, vitamin B1 in brown rice is higher in content than white rice, so it will help diabetic patients reduce numbness in the ends of their limbs.
Beans
This is a very good food source to choose instead of white rice for diabetic patients' diet because they not only have a low glycemic index (GI = 18) but are also rich in nutrients. Complex carbohydrates and fiber in beans can make the sugar absorption process longer, thus stabilizing the glycemic index well.
When processing beans, beans in meals for people with diabetes need to carefully consider the content to avoid exceeding the prescribed limit.
Sweet potato
Although sweet potatoes belong to the starchy group, their glycemic index is relatively low (GI = 44 - 46), so with the issue of choosing what to eat instead of rice for diabetes, this is a suitable suggestion. In sweet potato tubers, there is a starch component that cannot be digested in the small intestine called resistant starch, so it will not affect the glycemic index.
On the other hand, in the small intestine, there is also a component that stimulates cells to increase sensitivity to insulin, so when eating sweet potatoes, it will also increase the ability to convert sugar into energy to supply the body's activities. For diabetic patients, sweet potatoes become a food that not only does not increase blood sugar but also helps prevent constipation and control weight very well.
Quinoa
Quinoa has properties similar to cereals, with a glycemic index GI = 53, so it is also a good food to replace white rice. The protein and fiber content in quinoa is relatively abundant, helping to slow down the process of sugar absorption into the blood.
Moreover, quinoa also contains antioxidants that prevent diabetes complications such as: cardiovascular, blood fat, inflammation,... On average, diabetic patients can eat about 200g of quinoa per day to ensure the necessary nutrients for the body without worrying about high blood sugar.
