Rice, potatoes or pasta: which is better for blood sugar?

As you can see, the GI and GL vary greatly depending on the type and method of cooking.

In general, potatoes have the highest GI values, meaning they tend to cause the fastest rise in blood sugar. However, potatoes often have a lower overall impact on blood sugar than white rice, brown rice, and white pasta, based on their GL values.

A food’s influence on blood sugar also depends on how it is prepared and what you pair it with. For example, eating potatoes, rice, or pasta with protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich foods can help slow digestion and reduce blood sugar spikes.

Compared to potatoes and rice, pasta, especially whole wheat pasta, often has a lesser impact on blood sugar levels.

The process used to make pasta results in a dense starch structure that takes longer to be broken down and absorbed by your body. Studies show that pasta contains more resistant starch (RS) and slowly digestible starch (SDS), compared to quickly digestible starch (RDS), compared to other carbohydrate sources, such as bread and cereals like couscous.

Additionally, cooking your pasta al dente, meaning a firmer texture, can help make your pasta more blood sugar-friendly. If you’re looking for the best pasta for blood sugar, choose options high in fiber and protein, like whole-wheat pasta or pasta made from legumes, which take longer to digest and have a lower impact on blood sugar.

When it comes to potatoes, several factors can influence their impact on blood sugar levels.

Differences between varieties

There are many types of potatoes, some of which have a greater impact on blood sugar than others. A baked sweet potato has a GI of 91 and a GL of 18, while a baked Yukon potato has a GI of 81 and a GL of 16.

Differences in GI and GL between potato varieties come from their starch structures, sugar levels, and cooking methods.

Cooking Methods Matter

Research shows that boiling potatoes causes the starch in the cells to break down and become completely gelatinized. This makes the potato easier to break down and digest, leading to a faster rise in blood sugar levels.

Cooking methods such as baking and roasting tend to increase the formation of resistant starch, a type of starch that resists digestion in the gut, resulting in a lower glycemic impact.

Cooling cooked potatoes increases resistant starch

Cooling potatoes after cooking is one of the best ways to make them more blood sugar-friendly. Through a process called retrogradation, chilling converts digestible starch to resistant starch, making the potato more blood sugar-friendly.

Studies show that, compared to cooked potatoes, potatoes that are cooked and then refrigerated result in a smaller increase in blood sugar.

Not all types of rice affect blood sugar levels in the same way. Like potatoes and pasta, the variety and cooking method of rice affects how it influences your blood sugar.

• White rice or brown rice: Brown rice contains much more fiber and protein than white rice. Fiber and protein slow the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, leading to a smaller, more gradual rise in blood sugar levels after eating.
• Jasmine rice or basmati rice: Basmati rice has a lower GI than basmati rice and generally causes a more gradual rise in blood sugar. This is because basmati contains higher levels of starches that are more resistant to digestion, making it more difficult to break down and absorb.
• Portion size matters: Although some types of rice have less impact on blood sugar levels, even lower GI rice can significantly raise blood sugar levels if consumed in large quantities. Monitoring your portion sizes and choosing lower GI varieties can help reduce blood sugar spikes and control calorie intake.

When trying to choose a healthy, blood sugar-friendly carbohydrate source, many people focus solely on food without considering other factors that can also impact blood sugar levels, including:

• Culinary pairings: Pairing carbohydrates with foods high in fiber and protein can help slow digestion and reduce blood sugar spikes after meals.
• Serving size: Even healthy, filling sources of carbohydrates can have a significant impact on blood sugar levels when consumed in large quantities.
• Cooking methods: While certain cooking methods can help reduce the impact of a food on blood sugar, others can have the opposite effect. For example, breading and frying foods, or adding glazes and sugary coatings, can significantly increase their impact on blood sugar.

When it comes to supporting healthy blood sugar regulation, overall diet quality matters more than any individual food.

While choosing fiber-rich carbohydrate sources, such as potatoes, brown rice, and whole-wheat pasta, can help promote more stable blood sugar levels, it’s also important to prepare balanced meals and snacks that include protein and fiber, and to pay attention to portion sizes to promote better overall blood sugar control.