Many people, aiming for healthier blood sugar control, specifically swap white bread for whole wheat bread. However, whole wheat bread might actually cause rapid blood sugar spikes. A doctor warns that 3 seemingly healthy foods on the market actually hide blood sugar-raising traps. To avoid falling into these dietary misconceptions, he also teaches a 3-word mantra for stable blood sugar, eliminating the need to memorize GI values.
Weight loss doctor Dr. Siu Zit-kin posted on his Facebook page that many people, for the sake of health, spend an extra 20 dollars daily to switch from milk to oat milk, from white bread to whole wheat bread, or from white rice to purple rice. However, from a blood sugar control perspective, these changes are essentially ineffective. He specifically points out 3 seemingly healthy foods that can actually cause rapid blood sugar spikes:
3 "Healthy Foods" That Can Spike Blood Sugar
- Oat Milk: Many choose oat milk because packaging promotes it as "plant-based," "high-fiber," or "unsweetened." However, oat milk is essentially just ground oats mixed with water. Its production process is very similar to traditional rice milk. Both cause rapid blood sugar increases. The difference often lies merely in the packaging's "healthy food" label.
- Whole Wheat Bread: Many commercially available "whole wheat breads" actually have white flour as their main ingredient. They are simply made with a small amount of bran added and colored to appear brown. Therefore, their blood sugar spike rate is very close to that of regular white bread.
- Purple Rice: Purple rice sounds very healthy. Many people switch to purple rice rice balls when trying to lose weight. However, purple rice is actually a type of glutinous rice. It contains less resistant starch than white rice, and its glycemic index is even higher than white rice.
Why do these seemingly healthy foods spike blood sugar faster than expected? Siu explains two hidden reasons:
- More processing = faster spike: The food processing procedure essentially pre-grinds the food. Food that would normally take the stomach two hours to slowly digest is instead absorbed almost effortlessly by the body after being ground, naturally causing blood sugar to rise quickly. This isn't due to overeating; the food has already been "pre-digested."
- Higher temperature = faster spike: Using the same sweet potato as an example, boiling has a milder effect on blood sugar, but baking/roasting causes a rapid spike. The reason is that high temperatures convert the starch into more easily absorbable sugars. This is also why roasted sweet potatoes are particularly sweet and often ooze honey-like liquid when split open.
Don't Memorize the GI Chart – Remember the 3-Word Mantra for Stable Blood Sugar
Faced with these dietary traps, does this mean you can't eat anything? Siu emphasizes that you just need to change how you judge foods. He suggests you don't need to memorize lengthy glycemic index (GI) charts. Just remember this 3-word mantra for daily eating:
- The whiter it is, the faster it spikes.
- The softer it is, the faster it spikes.
- The more liquid it is, the faster it spikes.
He adds that by doing the opposite – choosing foods with coarser textures, that require more chewing, and that are closer to their natural, whole state – the effect on blood sugar is usually milder.
What Blood Sugar Level is Too High? Watch for 8 Early Signs of Diabetes
According to the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder. It occurs when insulin secretion by the pancreas is insufficient, or when insulin cannot function properly, causing blood sugar to rise abnormally, leading to diabetes. Type 2 diabetes accounts for over 90% of all cases and is mainly related to poor diet, obesity, and lack of exercise. Body cells become resistant to insulin, unable to effectively absorb and utilize glucose, causing excess sugar to accumulate in the blood.
High blood sugar can lead to metabolic disorders of fats and proteins and, over time, cause damage to multiple body systems and organs, including the cardiovascular system, retina, nerves, and kidneys.
According to the American Diabetes Association's recommendations:
- Impaired Fasting Glucose: Fasting blood sugar between ≥5.6 mmol/L and <7 mmol/L.
- Impaired Glucose Tolerance: 2-hour post-meal blood sugar between ≥7.8 mmol/L and <11.1 mmol/L.
- Both Impaired Fasting Glucose and Impaired Glucose Tolerance are considered prediabetes.
- Diabetes: Fasting blood sugar ≥7 mmol/L, or 2-hour post-meal blood sugar >11.1 mmol/L.
Early Symptoms of Diabetes:
Some patients may experience the following early symptoms:
- Frequent thirst
- Frequent urination
- Feeling hungry
- Weight loss
- Easy fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Slow-healing wounds
- Skin itching (women may experience genital itching)
Sources: Weight Loss Doctor Dr. Siu Zit-kin, Hospital Authority (Hong Kong)
