Carbohydrates are important when it comes to controlling your blood sugar. Carbohydrates are broken into sugar by the digestive system. That sugar enters your bloodstream and raises your blood sugar levels.
But the question is how many carbs are in a potato? Potatoes are considered a complex "good" carb, your body digests them faster than other types of complex carbohydrates. These broken-down carbohydrates fill your bloodstream with sugar. This causes your blood sugar to rapidly rise.
The Glycemic Index
The glycemic index is a scale from 0 to 100 that ranks carbohydrates. The bigger the number of food, the faster it boosts your blood sugar level. Low GI meals slowly release sugar into your body, allowing it more time to store or utilize it. High-scoring meals are digested faster than low-scoring foods.
• High GI meals have a GI score of 70-100.
• Medium GI meals range from 55 to 69.
• Low GI foods have a GI of 55 or below.
Potatoes have a high GI rating. A cup of them can have the same effect on your blood sugar as a can of soda. According to one research, women who ate a lot of potatoes had a higher chance of developing diabetes. They can be reduced by replacing them with whole grains.
The glycemic index of a potato depends upon how it is prepared. Here are a few examples:
• Baked potato (111 calories)
• Potato boiled: 82
• 87 instant mashed potatoes
• 73 French fries
All of these ratings are in the high range or higher.
Glycemic Load
The glycemic load is another crucial indicator of how this food might raise your blood sugar (GL). While the glycemic index informs you how quickly your blood sugar will rise in response to various foods, the glycemic load tells you how high it will raise.
To obtain this figure, multiply the glycemic index rating by the number of grams of carbohydrates in the dish and divide by 100. You may rate the glycemic load of your food using the following scale:
• The high temperature is 20 degrees or above.
• Medium is 11-19.
• The low is ten or less.
Baked Russet potatoes have an astounding GL of 33. The GL of a white-cooked potato is 25. Both have a greater GL rating than jelly beans or a doughnut.
Simple Potato Substitutions
A high-spud diet might make controlling your blood sugar considerably more difficult. You don't have to avoid them totally, but you should limit your intake to tiny quantities when you do. In the meanwhile, you can do the following:
• Instead of normal potatoes, try sweet potatoes or yams. Do not put cooked sweet potatoes on your plate because they are still on the upper end of the medium glycemic index range. However, an occasional sweet potato with an index of 64 instead of 111 might fulfill your potato need.
• Beans, like potatoes, may add starch to your diet while also providing fiber and protein.
• Whole grains, such as quinoa or brown rice, can provide a carbohydrate boost without causing a large blood sugar surge.
• Steamed and mashed cauliflower is a healthier alternative to mashed potatoes.
The type of potato you eat can also influence how soon its sugar enters your bloodstream. Some varieties, such as the Carisma, have a GI as low as 53. Waxy potatoes, such as fingerling or red potatoes have a lower GI in general. On the top end of the range are starchy varieties such as the Russet and Idaho.
