Are you also confused about should a diabetic person intake sugarcane juice?
An introduction to Diabetes
Have you ever wondered how our bodies get energy from the diet we intake? If yes, but you never could understand it, we will simplify it for you. Energy in the human body and several other organisms is the source of energy. But again, why is glucose the source of energy? It is because glucose undergoes a couple of reactions and results in the release of a molecule, ATP. ATP is a biological molecule that carries energy for several biological processes.
Glucose in your bloodstream means more energy in your body. But what if the levels of glucose attain a peak and have adverse effects? Or let us say glucose in your body fails to get converted into the end product. This is what diabetes is. In this medical condition, the sugar levels in your blood are too high.
Diabetes can be classified into two types: Type 1 Diabetes & Type 2 Diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is caused when the body fails to synthesize a hormone necessary for the generation of ATPs from glucose, i.e., Insulin. People with type 1 Diabetes can be treated by giving doses of insulin to maintain their blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes is caused when the body produces normal levels of insulin, but still, the glucose levels are rising. This is because the body fails to use insulin.
Diet is a crucial part of a diabetic patient. If a diabetic patient does not focus on his diet, his blood sugar levels can be easily disturbed and result in adverse results. Sugarcane juice is often a point of confusion for diabetic patients. Let us discuss in the following section whether sugarcane juice is good for diabetes or not.
Sugarcane Juice
Sugarcane juice is obtained from pressing sugarcane and obtaining its sugary juice. Sugarcane juice has a long list of benefits associated with it. It is moderately rich in calories and is a good source of minerals like sodium, potassium, iron, magnesium, & calcium. Sugarcane juice can be an effective way to fight off dehydration.
Sugarcane juice is also beneficial for the detoxification of your liver. If you are suffering from any troubles in the digestive tract, sugarcane juice can sometimes be used as a home remedy. Some studies also claim that sugarcane juice can have benefits for diabetic patients. Let us discover more about it in the following section.
What is the Glycemic index?
The Glycemic index is a value assigned to food items to estimate their capacity to increase the sugar levels in our body. The glycemic index is determined by clinical methods in the laboratory. A food item having a high Glycemic Index value indicates it causes an upsurge in sugar levels after consumption. Foods having a glycemic value of 70 and higher are considered to increase sugar levels in the body. These food items undergo breakdown rapidly and result in a rapid increase in sugar levels. Some examples of high glycemic index values are sugar, sugary foods & drinks, potatoes, white rice, and white bread.
Low or medium glycemic values indicate the carbohydrates of the food do not cause elevated levels of sugar in the body. Values that are under the range of 1 to 55 are put under the category of low glycemic index. Food items that have glycemic index values from 55 to 70 are medium glycemic index values. Some examples of low GI foods are green vegetables, beans, porridge, and lentils. Foods like honey, bananas, multigrain, and raw pineapple are a few examples of medium GI foods.
The Glycemic index helps in controlling and management of sugar levels in the body. The Glycemic index of a food item is controlled by different factors like the nutritional components, its cooking methods, or the processing it has undergone. It makes you aware of the food you are consuming. Keeping a check on the glycemic index values can help you in weight loss or maintaining cholesterol levels. The glycemic index of sugarcane juice is 43, which makes it a low glycemic index food. But is sugarcane juice really good for diabetes?
Is consuming sugarcane juice a good choice if you are diabetic?
A lot of researchers claim that sugarcane juice has beneficial effects on patients suffering from diabetes. This is justified by the fact that sugarcane juice is a low glycemic index food. While some experts claim the opposite. Some of the research suggests sugarcane juice is not a healthy option if you are suffering from diabetes. Let us explore more about if sugarcane juice is good for diabetes or not in the upcoming section.
As we mentioned earlier, sugarcane juice is believed to have a lower GI (glycemic index). But can low GI food be consumed in diabetes without taking any precautions? Do not fool yourselves and consume sugarcane juice if you are a diabetic patient. Many sources claim that sugarcane juice can be consumed in moderate amounts. But should you really trust the information? The answer is no! Let us justify our answer together.
Even if sugarcane juice is a low GI food, at no cost, can it be trusted for your diabetic conditions? We agree sugarcane juice has a lower glycemic index value, but let us consider the glycemic load of sugarcane juice. Glycemic load is another parameter we should consider for diabetic patients. Let us understand the difference between glycemic index value and glycemic load value. The Glycemic index value is a measure of how fast a particular food item causes a rise in blood sugar levels.
Contrarily, glycemic load refers to the cumulative blood level rise caused by the consumption of a particular food item. High values for glycemic load are considered equally problematic for diabetic patients. Even though sugarcane juice has a lower GI value, it should be avoided by diabetic people.
Let us thoroughly get an idea of the nutrient content necessary for diabetes. One cup of sugarcane juice is approximately equal to 240 ml of it. One cup of sugarcane juice contains 183 calories and 50 grams of sugar. 50 grams of sugar is equal to approximately 12 tablespoons of sugar. The recommended levels of sugar are 9 tablespoons and 6 tablespoons for men and women, respectively. The sugar levels added by sugarcane juice are considerably high when compared with the moderate and recommended levels of sugar. This concludes that sugarcane juice is at no cost a healthy drink for diabetic patients and should be avoided by patients with diabetes.
Health benefits of Sugarcane juice
Sugarcane juice is not a healthy beverage for diabetics, but that does not conclude sugarcane juice not being a healthy drink. If you face no trouble with diabetes, sugarcane juice can be one of the healthiest choices of beverage for your body. It is an instant energy booster. Additionally, it also has benefits for our gut health and helps in adding antioxidants to our bodies. Sugarcane juice also is a rich source of vitamin C.
Sugarcane juice also is a rich source of different nutrients essential for the proper functioning of our body. Sugarcane juice is a reservoir of nutrients like magnesium, iron, calcium, and potassium. The alkaline nature of sugarcane juice is helpful in maintaining the electrolyte balance of the body. One of the benefits of sugarcane juice also includes that it helps in curing troubles linked with the liver.
Wrapping It Up
Diet aids in managing our health physically and mentally. Medical conditions like diabetes make the choice of your diet an utmost priority. As normal blood sugar levels are already disturbed in diabetes, one must be careful about what he is consuming on a daily basis. One of the food items that concern diabetic patients is sugarcane juice.
According to experts, sugarcane juice is not the best choice if a person is suffering from diabetes. If we exclude the factor of diabetes, sugarcane juice is a healthy choice of food. It has several benefits and can be extremely beneficial for the human body. One thing to consider if you are consuming sugarcane juice is that you do not consume unmonitored amounts of it, as it can cause troubles in your body.