- Something I forgot to mention in my little confession about sugar last Sunday…
- The lesser known dangers of white rice
- Try this if you worry about controlling your blood sugar: the bitter melon remedy
I wrote to you about controlling blood sugar on Sunday.
If you remember, I confessed by hapless addiction to Scottish tablet (it’s closely followed by shortbread and fudge).
The problem, obviously, is that the sugar rush you get from food like that plays havoc with your body.
When you eat too much sugar, the extra insulin in your bloodstream causes the walls of your arteries to grow and tense, causing stress to your heart over time, raising your risk of heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.
Signs of increased blood sugar levels include:
- Increased thirst
- dry mouth
- Needing to wee a lot
- Tiredness
- Blurred vision
- infections in the urinary tract or skin
As I mentioned in the email, there is a natural product based on something called bitter melon (Momordica) that can help people who are worried about their blood sugar.
If you missed it, you can read about it here: The Benefits of Bitter Melon
Of course, it’s not just sugary foods and drinks that are the problem.
For instance, this might surprise you…
The Diabetes Risk of Overeating Rice
In 2012 there was an analysis of four major studies into a link between white rice and diabetes published the British Medical Journal
It showed that white rice eaten on a regular basis can increase the diabetes risk by 11%.
What many don’t realise is that bowl of white rice contains more than twice the carbohydrate content of a can of soft drink. These carbs are turned to sugar inside your body.
In order to absorb these sugars into the blood, your pancreas pumps out insulin.
When this happens over and over again – for instance if you eat big bowls of rice every day – your pancreas becomes less efficient at producing insulin and sugar is left in your blood instead of being absorbed.
The result? High risk of diabetes.
Of course you might wonder who eats bowls of rice every day?
Well, lots of people across the world eat it as a daily staple, particularly in East Asia. And while many people in Britain don’t eat rice every day, they still wolf down plenty of pasta and white bread, which can have the same effects.
Because of the huge amounts of white rice consumed in their nation, the Chinese health authorities have declared a “war” on diabetes.
Interestingly, it has nothing to do with targeting people who were overweight. In fact, there are more people in Asia with diabetes than there are people who are overweight.
An article in the Singapore Times a few years ago showed that 10.6% cent of people in Asia are obese, while 11.3% are diabetic.
The article compared that statistic to this country, where 25% of people are obese and only 6.2% of its population are diabetic.
So just because you’re slim, doesn’t mean you’re not at risk.
Of course…
None of this means you need to give up rice.
What it does mean is that you should ration the amounts of processed or starchy carbohydrates in your diet, using them as an occasional ingredient, not a daily staple.
If you’re a big lover of curries, Chinese food, chilli con carne, risotto – and eat them regularly – it’s worth considering.
Think about reducing the amount of rice you have with a curry or your next Chinese dish. Add a salad or vegetable element to bulk it out and replace the carbs with nutrients. For instance chickpeas with a curry add a carbohydrate element.
You could also consider making your own wholemeal bread to create a carb that’s less processed or starchy and therefore less likely to give you a sugar spike.
Finally, consider controlling blood sugar the natural way with a bitter melon extract, like Glucolistica. Taken regularly it can improve your blood cholesterol levels, reduce body fat, lower your risk of developing kidney stones and improve your gut health.
This gourd has revolutionised the treatment of diabetes in Asia, as you’ll see in our webpage here: Natural Blood Sugar Control with Bitter Melon
Worth a try alongside some dietary changes and a bit of old fashioned common sense when it comes to eating.
Yours, as always,
Ray Collins
