7 Types of Staple Foods That Are Actually Blood Sugar-Friendly

Feb 23, 2025 | 0 comments posted by Nature Target

Blood sugar primarily comes from the breakdown of carbohydrates, which includes various staple foods as well as sugary foods like fruits and desserts. Many people know that refined white rice and white flour should be eaten sparingly because they cause a rapid spike in blood sugar. So, does that mean if you avoid white rice and steamed buns, your only option is to eat whole wheat bread or multigrain rice? Actually, some staple foods that seem to raise blood sugar quickly are, in fact, quite friendly to blood sugar levels.

Seven Staple Foods That Are Friendly to Blood Sugar

Blood sugar, or blood glucose, is essentially the glucose found in the bloodstream. "Blood sugar stability" is crucial for energy supply and overall metabolic function. The key to managing blood sugar is keeping it stable.

An important reference indicator here is GI, or the Glycemic Index, which measures the speed or ability of a food to raise blood sugar. The higher the GI, the faster and stronger the blood sugar rise, leading to greater fluctuations. The lower the GI, the more stable the blood sugar levels.

GI ≤ 55: Low GI
55 < GI ≤ 70: Medium GI
GI > 70: High GI

For reference, the GI of white rice is 83.2. Aside from the commonly known multigrain rice and whole wheat bread, here are some other foods that seem to spike blood sugar quickly but are actually friendly to blood sugar levels.

Dumplings

Typically, foods with fillings have a lower GI because the vegetables, meat, and eggs inside help stabilize blood sugar. If you are looking to control blood sugar and reduce fat, you can mix some oat flour, whole wheat flour, kale powder, or other coarse flours or vegetable powders into the dumpling dough.

Pasta

Pasta is made from durum wheat flour, which contains more protein and complex carbohydrates compared to regular wheat flour. Its density and gluten content are also higher. Studies show that spaghetti made from refined durum wheat flour has a GI of 33 to 52, which makes it a low-GI food.

Corn Tortillas

Corn starch has a unique structure. Corn tortillas have a low GI, and even when processed into cornmeal porridge or corn grits, the GI remains around 50, making it a typical low-GI food. However, it's important to note that this applies to corn made from old, dent corn varieties. Sweet corn and glutinous corn are not ideal for people with high blood sugar levels.

Udon Noodles

The GI of udon noodles ranges from 38 to 62. In addition to wheat flour, they often contain gluten protein, which tightly encapsulates the starch. This helps slow down digestion and leads to less fluctuation in blood sugar levels.

Potato Starch

During the production of potato starch, the potatoes are cooked and then cooled, which produces resistant starch, making it harder to digest. However, potato starch and sweet potato starch are relatively pure starches with low nutritional value, so they should only be eaten occasionally.

Rice Noodles

Rice noodles are usually made from long-grain rice, and their GI is typically around 37. When purchasing rice noodles, it’s best to choose ones made from long-grain rice or those with higher amylose (straight-chain starch), as they digest more slowly.

Quinoa

Quinoa has a high proportion of germ, which has a unique characteristic: it sprouts as soon as it's cooked. This sprout, which is the quinoa's germ, is key to its high nutritional value. Quinoa is a low-GI food, high in dietary fiber and protein, and has a smooth texture, not at all coarse.

Tips for Blood Sugar Control with Staple Foods: Eat the Hard, Not the Soft

Even the same type of food can have different GI values depending on its texture, size, and cooking method. When carbohydrates enter the body, they are broken down into simple sugars and absorbed into the bloodstream. The digestion and absorption rates of food vary, meaning the speed at which glucose enters the blood can differ.

Generally speaking, the longer the cooking time, the higher the degree of starch gelatinization in carbohydrate foods, which leads to a greater impact on blood sugar. For example, rice porridge that has been simmered for a long time becomes more sticky and tends to cause a higher post-meal blood sugar spike.