Eating carrots raw can help you resist diabetes!
According to statistics, the number of diabetes patients in my country has exceeded 140 million, and nearly half of them have not been officially diagnosed.
Clinical studies have shown that there is an inextricable connection between type 2 diabetes and an unreasonable diet structure.
Eating carrots raw in moderation can help stabilize blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of disease. So, how does eating carrots raw play a role in controlling sugar? What are the taboos and matching skills when eating?
1. Why is eating carrots raw good for diabetes?
Many diabetic patients have heard that "eating more vegetables is good", but few people really understand which vegetables have the best sugar control effect and which are just in name only. Today, let's talk about foods that are ignored by many people but are very friendly to blood sugar management-carrots, especially raw carrots.
In 2024, a study published in "Clinical and Translational Science" attracted the attention of many endocrinologists and nutritionists. The researchers conducted an in-depth analysis of the effects of carrot intake on patients with type 2 diabetes. They found that carrots can not only improve glucose tolerance, but also regulate intestinal flora, affect gene expression, and even directly participate in blood sugar regulation through multiple mechanisms.
The glycemic index (GI value) is a standard for measuring the speed at which food increases blood sugar. The higher the value, the faster the blood sugar rises. Diabetics must pay close attention to this value.
Common staple foods such as white rice, white noodles, and cakes have GI values above 80. After eating a bite, blood sugar rushes up.
The GI value (glycemic index) of raw carrots is only about 39, which is undoubtedly a typical low-GI food.
What does it mean? It means that after eating it, blood sugar rises very slowly, gently and steadily, and it is not easy to have a sudden blood sugar surge.
Moreover, there is a big difference between eating raw and cooked.
The starch structure in carrots will be destroyed at high temperatures, the molecular chain will break, and it will become easier to be quickly absorbed by the small intestine.
Many people don't know that once carrots are cooked, their glycemic index will jump sharply, from the original low GI value to 60 to 70, and the rate of blood sugar rise will be significantly accelerated. If you want to control sugar with cooked carrots, the effect will be discounted. Eating carrots raw is the correct way to control blood sugar.
Don't think that carrots control blood sugar only because they have a low glycemic index. More importantly, they are rich in soluble dietary fiber. After entering the intestines, these fibers will mix with water and become something like gel, slowing down the absorption of sugar and making blood sugar rise more slowly. In addition, soluble fiber can stimulate the growth of intestinal probiotics and promote the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) such as butyric acid and acetic acid.
These short-chain fatty acids can not only provide energy for intestinal epithelial cells, but more importantly, they can activate the secretion of incretin (GLP-1). GLP-1 is a peptide hormone that can both enhance the efficacy of insulin and reduce the release of glucagon, so it has become the target of many hypoglycemic drugs. Eating raw carrots is equivalent to giving yourself a "free boost of GLP-1".
The bright orange-yellow color of carrots comes from the rich beta-carotene in them. This ingredient is both a precursor of vitamin A and an excellent antioxidant. Diabetic patients are in a high blood sugar environment for a long time, and excessive free radicals are produced, resulting in increased oxidative stress levels and damage to the vascular endothelium and pancreatic beta cells.
β-carotene has antioxidant properties and can play an effective role in the human body to remove excess free radicals, thereby reducing the oxidative stress response caused by excessive free radicals. Many epidemiological studies have shown that people with high levels of β-carotene in the blood are less likely to get diabetes. Long-term intake of vegetables rich in β-carotene helps maintain pancreatic function and enhance insulin sensitivity.
On the other hand, in 2023, a domestic paper entitled "Study on the Regulation and Mechanism of Carrot Peptide DCHP on Glucose Metabolism" confirmed for the first time that carrots contain a new type of active peptide called DCHP. Don't look at its name, but its effect is very direct.
The peptide has strong resistance to high temperature and gastric acid, is not easily destroyed during digestion, and can effectively inhibit the activity of α-glucosidase after entering the small intestine, which plays a vital role in the decomposition of carbohydrates. DCHP is like locking it, slowing down the decomposition of sugars, reducing the rate of glucose release, and naturally preventing blood sugar from soaring rapidly.
Interestingly, the mechanism of action of DCHP is exactly the same as that of acarbose, a commonly used hypoglycemic drug in clinical practice, but DCHP is naturally derived, with extremely low side effects, and almost no incidence of bloating and diarrhea.
In addition to the above functions, carrots can also help adjust the intestinal flora environment. Once the intestinal flora is healthy, blood sugar metabolism will be smoother, fat will not easily accumulate, and the level of inflammation in the body can also be suppressed. Unfortunately, factors such as high-sugar, high-fat diets and obesity can easily cause intestinal flora disorders, thereby aggravating insulin resistance.
The dietary fiber contained in carrots is a key nutrient source for intestinal probiotics, which can promote their growth and optimize the intestinal environment. This substance provides nutrition for probiotics in the intestine, promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria, and then helps regulate intestinal flora, inhibit the excessive reproduction of bad bacteria, and maintain intestinal health. Regular consumption of carrots can increase the content of short-chain fatty acids in the intestine, reduce inflammatory factors, and reduce insulin resistance.
To sum up, why raw carrots are good for diabetics: low GI value makes blood sugar rise slowly, and rich soluble dietary fiber delays sugar absorption. β-carotene reduces oxidative stress, active peptides can inhibit intestinal sugar decomposition, and dietary fiber helps balance intestinal flora and promotes the production of short-chain fatty acids. The two improve sugar metabolism in many ways. Eating carrots raw is indeed a smart choice for diabetics in their daily diet.
Of course, although carrots have many benefits, not everyone can eat them at will. Especially when diabetics take them, they should pay attention to some dietary taboos that are easily overlooked.
We also need to understand the things we need to pay attention to when eating carrots, so that good ingredients don't become a "hidden minefield" for health.
2. Do you know these taboos of eating carrots? A must-read for diabetics!
Although it looks like an ordinary carrot, there are actually many things to pay attention to when eating it, especially for diabetics. If you don't pay attention, it may affect the sugar control effect. The taboos of eating this kind of food are as follows:
1. Be careful not to eat too much carrots
Carrots are delicious and nutritious, but any food cannot be excessive.
Carrots contain a lot of beta-carotene. Intake is good for the body, but once you eat too much, the body cannot metabolize it, the level of carotene in the blood will increase, and eventually deposit in the skin and subcutaneous tissue, causing the skin to turn yellow.
2. Avoid eating with high-sugar fruits
In order to enrich the taste, some diabetic patients like to juice and mix carrots with sweet fruits such as apples, bananas, and grapes. It seems healthy, but it actually hides many hidden dangers. High-sugar fruits have a very high sugar content. Although they contain dietary fiber, the fructose and glucose they contain will be quickly converted into blood sugar after entering the human body.
If eaten with carrots, it is easy to affect blood sugar stability and cause blood sugar fluctuations.
In general, the reasonable consumption of raw carrots by diabetic patients is a natural, economical and simple auxiliary sugar control method. However, any food has its own suitable population and eating principles. Diabetic patients should avoid blindly following the trend or excessive single consumption. They should scientifically match, master the right amount, pay attention to the way of eating and taboos, so as to truly eat healthy and effective.
Carrot (Daucus carota L. var. sativa Hoffm.), native to southwest Asia, is now widely planted all over the world. Carrot is a nutritious vegetable, rich in sugar, fat, volatile oil, carotene, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, anthocyanin, calcium, iron and other nutrients needed by the human body.
1. Carrot powder effect can effectively improve the body's resistance, but it also can effectively supplement vitamins and trace elements.
2. Carrot powder can be used in porridge, cake making, jelly pudding, etc.
3. Carrot powder is beneficial to the liver and eyes, beneficial to the diaphragm, beneficial to the intestine, promote metabolism and enhance immunity.