You may have heard that whole grain products are high in fiber. However, the starch in grains quickly turns to sugar and overwhelms any blood sugar-blocking effect the fiber might have. Of course, all fruits and vegetables contain sugar; that's what makes them carbohydrates. Nevertheless, most contain proportionately more soluble fiber than sugar, so they don't raise blood sugar as much as grain products and other refined carbohydrates do.
Keeping blood sugar steady is an important tool for preventing insulin spikes, which can lock fat into your cells and prevent it from being used for energy. The substance in our diet that's most responsible for these blood sugar surges is starch. But the good news is you can blunt the blood sugar-raising effects by taking advantage of natural substances in foods—like fiber in fruits and veggies—that slow carbohydrate digestion and entry into the bloodstream.
You can tell which fruits and vegetables have the best balance of fiber to sugar by looking at their glycemic loads (Not sure what that means? Glycemic Impact 101.). All of the carbohydrates that have been associated with increased risk of obesity or diabetes have glycemic loads greater than 100. On the other hand, fruits and vegetables with glycemic loads less than 100 have been associated with reduced risk. Thus, you should avoid fruits or vegetables with glycemic loads higher than 100, even though they contain soluble fiber. Fruits and vegetables whose glycemic loads are between 50 and 100 are themselves acceptable to eat, but they release enough glucose to nullify their usefulness as sugar blockers. The best fruit and vegetable sugar blockers are those with glycemic loads less than 50.
It takes about 10 grams of fiber to reduce the after-meal blood sugar surge from a serving of starch by approximately 25%. No single, typical serving of fruits or vegetables comes close to providing the 10 grams needed to lower your blood sugar by 25%; you would need to include several portions.
A good way to ensure that you get enough soluble fiber to do the job is to have a salad with your meal—preferably before you eat starch. Salads allow you to combine enough sugar blockers to have a beneficial effect. For example, a salad containing 2 cups of romaine (2 grams of fiber), a cup of chopped tomatoes (2 grams), and a cup of red bell peppers (3 grams) provides 7 grams of fiber. Add that, say, to a cup of broccoli (4.5 grams) with your meal and you have 11.5 grams of fiber.
Soluble fiber blocks sugar best when consumed before, rather than after, you eat starch. For instance, if your meal includes a salad, steak, potatoes, and green beans, eat the salad and at least some of the green beans before eating the potatoes.
FRUITS
One difference between fruits and vegetables is that nature intended fruits to be eaten by birds and beasts. That's how they spread their seeds. Animals are enticed by the sugar in fruit. However, the generous sugar content of some fruits counteracts some of their usefulness as sugar blockers. Thanks to the second-meal effect, they might reduce glucose levels after the next meal, but the sugar they release neutralizes the benefits for the first meal.
One difference between fruits and vegetables is that nature intended fruits to be eaten by birds and beasts. That's how they spread their seeds. Animals are enticed by the sugar in fruit. However, the generous sugar content of some fruits counteracts some of their usefulness as sugar blockers. Thanks to the second-meal effect, they might reduce glucose levels after the next meal, but the sugar they release neutralizes the benefits for the first meal.
As fruit ripens, fiber barriers soften and the sugar content rises. Berries, peaches, and apricots have low glycemic loads even when fully ripe. Pears should be eaten while still crisp. Tart-tasting apples, such as Golden Delicious, make good sugar blockers, but the sweeter varieties, such as Fuji and Honeycrisp, contain enough sugar to counteract their usefulness as sugar blockers. Dried fruits have higher glycemic loads than fresh fruit simply because they're smaller, so you tend to eat more of them.
VEGETABLES
As a rule, vegetables make better sugar blockers than fruits do. They have higher fiber contents and lower glycemic loads. Soluble fiber is, well, soluble, so it soaks up water. Boiling vegetables until they're limp and soggy saturates the soluble fiber in them, making them less effective as sugar blockers. Also, the more crisp that vegetables are when you eat them, the chunkier they will be when they reach your stomach. The larger the food particles, the longer it takes to digest them. Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and asparagus all work best when they're cooked just enough for you to be able to puncture their surface with a fork. The rawer they are, the more effective they are as sugar blockers.
As a rule, vegetables make better sugar blockers than fruits do. They have higher fiber contents and lower glycemic loads. Soluble fiber is, well, soluble, so it soaks up water. Boiling vegetables until they're limp and soggy saturates the soluble fiber in them, making them less effective as sugar blockers. Also, the more crisp that vegetables are when you eat them, the chunkier they will be when they reach your stomach. The larger the food particles, the longer it takes to digest them. Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and asparagus all work best when they're cooked just enough for you to be able to puncture their surface with a fork. The rawer they are, the more effective they are as sugar blockers.
For example, Swedish researchers fed a group of subjects raw carrots with a starch-containing meal, and compared their after-meal blood sugar levels with those of a group that was fed cooked carrots. The subjects who ate the raw carrots with their meal not only had lower after-meal blood sugar and insulin levels; they also had significantly higher "satiety ratings," which measure how satisfied they felt.
In addition to their sugar-blocking effects, vegetables can often serve as delicious and satisfying starch substitutes. Said Sugar Blockers Diet tester Jane Wilchak, "Roasted veggies and roasted cauliflowers—that became my new starch."
BEANS
Beans and other legumes are packed with soluble fiber, but they also contain starch. A big serving can have a beneficial second-meal effect, but sometimes beans can release enough glucose to give you a sugar shock immediately after the first meal. Much depends on how you prepare them.
Beans and other legumes are packed with soluble fiber, but they also contain starch. A big serving can have a beneficial second-meal effect, but sometimes beans can release enough glucose to give you a sugar shock immediately after the first meal. Much depends on how you prepare them.
If you start with uncooked beans and serve them slightly crisp, a 1/2 cup or so won't raise blood sugar much and can reduce the blood sugar-raising effects of other foods consumed during the first and second meals. It doesn't take a lot of beans for you to get a good dose of fiber; just a 1/2 cup can provide as much as 7.8 grams of fiber. And as you can see from the table above, if you stick to a 1/2-cup serving, you're in no danger of raising your glycemic load too high. However, if you cook them until they're mushy or let them sit overnight and then reheat them, they'll become starchier and will likely raise your blood sugar.
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