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Poha and diabetes
Poha or Kande Pohe is one of the most popular breakfast and anytime snack in India. The most important ingredient in this is poha or flattened rice, which also is known as pauwa, chira, avalakki, sira, and Pohaa in various corners of the country.
Its birthplace is Maharashtra, and it was from here that this beautiful dish spread to all the corners of the Indian subcontinent.
Some time back I made a very detailed video about the history of Kande Pohe (In Hindi), where I have explained how the Great Maratha army under the stewardship of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj contributed in this process, and how this delicious dish spread beyond the borders of Maharashtra and captured the tastebuds of entire India. (In case you have not seen it you can always check it out on Nourishing KAKA channel.)
And as I have mentioned in that video, this dish is today loved in every part of the country, and as a result, it is part of the food culture of more than a billion people in our country. Goes without saying, there are too many questions in the mind of its fans and lovers about its appropriateness or inappropriateness in the diet of someone coping with Type 1 Diabetes or Type 2 Diabetes or Gestational diabetes or obesity.
The following pages try to answer a couple of questions.
Is poha good for diabetes?
As soon as someone is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or Type 1 Diabetes or gestational diabetes the person gets careful about their sugar intake. And they don’t just need to control the quantity of sweets, sweet dishes, or desserts in their daily life, but they also need to restrict the consumption of various carbohydrates that are a very integral part of our daily meals.
Sweet potatoes, potatoes, bread, bakery products, and even whole wheat bread supplies truckloads of starches, and all these can cause a spike in blood glucose levels and that is why such people need to avoid food products like poha.
So the briefest answer to the question: Is poha good for diabetes? is: No, poha is not at all good for diabetes.
Almost 80% of a standard serving of Poha is nothing but carbohydrates. In many recipes, the percentage is even higher.
A standard serving weighs at least 150 grams, but most people – including I myself – don’t stop at just one serving, given that it is mind-bogglingly delicious.
This simply means one intake of poha may easily infuse 100-200 grams of carbohydrates in the body within minutes. And given that most poha dishes use white rice flakes, the breakdown to glucose molecules is also almost immediate.
According to SFGATE.com: “On average, a gram of carbohydrate will raise blood glucose levels by about 4 points for someone weighing 150 pounds, or about 3 points for someone weighing 200 pounds.”
Needless to say, such a massive infusion of carbohydrates is not at all suitable for any person with diabetes.
Of course, this doesn’t mean living a life of total denial. No.
A diabetic patient who most often has a postprandial blood glucose level of less than 200 should not have much problem consuming a dish of Kande pohe once or twice a month, and even at that time, it will be advisable to add some extra proteins or some fibrous foodstuff along with it. However, a diabetic patient whose postprandial blood glucose level remains in the red zone of 300 plus must strictly avoid consuming poha at all times.
Poha may be an amazing dish but it is not worth such a risk.
Is Red POHA better than white poha?
Yes; red poha is decidedly better than white poha because red poha is manufactured from red rice whereas white poha is manufactured from white rice, and the glycemic index of red rice is far better then that of white rice.
Red rice also contains some bran which supplies extra fiber to the entire dish, and helps us reduce the impact of the dish on the blood glucose.
Red rice is a complex carbohydrate because, post-processing, the grain retains its bran and germ intact.
According to Dr. Jason Fung, the author of The Obesity Code: Fiber can reduce the insulin-stimulating effects of carbohydrates, making it one of the main protective factors against obesity, but the average North American diet falls far short of recommended daily intakes. Numerous studies and observations have confirmed the weight-lowering effects of dietary fiber. Natural whole foods contain plenty of fiber, which is often removed during processing. Fruits, berries, vegetables, whole grains, flax seeds, chia seeds, beans, popcorn, nuts, oatmeal and pumpkin seeds provide ample fiber.”
Not only red rice doesn’t create havoc with blood glucose levels, it is also a wholesome food product for the nourishment of the body.
And what makes red rice even more potent is the phytochemicals it contains. “Phyto-” means “plant.” Phytochemicals are a subset of nutrients exclusive to plant foods. Whole rice grain contains an abundance of antioxidants phytochemicals Phenolic acids, vitamin E, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, phytic acid, and γ-oryzanol.
Red rice is particularly rich in anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidant pigments that help protect the body’s cells from damage and it is the anthocyanins that give this rice its unusual color.
Besides, red rice is naturally high in Magnesium. Experts say that just one cup of red rice can provide almost one-fifth of the RDA for an adult human being.
Now there are no specific studies done about the nutritional profile of red rice flakes (red poha) given that it is not something that is extremely popular around the world, however, if one presumes that a similar nutritional profile passes from red rice to red rice flakes or red poha, then definitely red poha has a lot of advantage over white poha in terms of nutrition.
In one study researchers found that people who ate a lot of white rice—three to four servings a day—were 1.5 times more likely to have diabetes than people who ate the least amount of rice. In addition, for every additional large bowl of white rice a person ate each day, the risk rose 10 percent.
Studies apart, some time back I conducted two different experiments – one with white poha and another with red rice – and I consumed vast quantities in both cases – more than 400 500 grams each – and while white poha took my blood glucose all the way to 154, the rise in blood glucose in case of red rice was far muted – only up to 127.
And I remember that the quantity of garlic fried red rice was far larger than that of white poha dish.
So the conclusion is: red poha is the winner.
Poha breakfast benefits
While on one side Internet has provided a very easy dissimination of information at a very minimal cost, on the other hand it has also helped the spread of wrong information. And while wrong information in some cases doesn’t do much harm, in many cases it can cause lot of strife. Take for example healthcare and nutrition. There are lots of websites and social media pages that claim that poha is a great breakfast. Some websites go one step further and claim it is a great breakfast even for diabetes patients. Their reasoning is that it “controls blood sugar levels”. Another space calls poha a good probiotic, as well as a “Good Source Of Healthy Carbohydrates”. Other benefits mentioned are “Easily Digestible”, “Rich In Iron”, “Low In Calories”, and so on.
It is useless to name or blame one single website because there are literally thousands of websites peddling some information along these lines.
This is extremely hazardous, because reading such information many people actually begin to consume poha whole-heartedly. They feel they are doing nothing wrong.
But the facts are totally contrary.
Not only poha is not an ideal breakfast for diabetics, it can actually harm them.
Breakfast for diabetics type 2
Diabetes Type 2 is yet another name of full blown insulin resistance, and the body developes a resistance to something that is in excess. Antibiotics resistance is a resistance to overuse or careless use of antibiotics, alcohol tolerance is yet another form of resistance by the body to overcome usage of alcohol. Similarly the vaccines work on developing resistance to limited exposure to viruses.
Coming back to insulin resistance, when the body is already facing an excess of insulin, it makes no sense to consume more such foods that spike the blood glucose as well as insulin. And consuming poha at breakfast simply does that. And that’s why poha is most inappropriate breakfast for those suffering from diabetes type 2.
However if it is a question of satisfying some food cravings once in a great while, then poha is ok. And even on such occasions it would be much better to consume some proteins or fiber alongwith poha to neutralise its glycaemic response.
Is poha better than oats?
To be honest there is not much similarity between poha and oats. The only common thing between the two is that both have been manufactured by employing similar kinds of machines.
While oats are typically processed out of oat groats that have been dehusked and steamed before being rolled out into flat flakes, poha is also subjected to an almost similar process – under heavy rollers – to produce rice flakes. However, the basic raw material is totally different.
It is difficult to say whether Poha is better than oats. It is comparing apples to oranges. It depends on the recipe. It depends on the type of rice used to manufacture Poha, and it depends whether the oats we are talking are instant variety or steel cut ones.
Basically, oats can have a glycemic index ranging from 50 – 80, and often Poha may also have a very high glycemic index owing to the presence of potatoes or onions. White rice, which is generally used to manufacture poha, itself can be in the same range on glycemic charts.
Carbohydrates are carbohydrates. Whether they are instant oats or steel cut oats or poha. According to William Davis, the author of Wheat Belly…“Oatmeal, for instance, whether “stone-ground,” Irish, or slow-cooked, will cause blood sugar to skyrocket. No diet should be dominated by any of these grains, nor do you need them.”
So if someone is desirous of controlling their blood glucose level, then he or she must stay away from both of these food products.
Is there sugar in POHA?
Some regional recipes of Kanda poha or Kande pohe include the sprinkling of sugar crystals. Most such recipes use sugar crystals as a secondary garnish, the primary ones being desiccated coconut or coriander or namkeen. And this simply increases the glycemic load of the entire dish.
However, this is done only by a chosen few. But what’s more important to remember is that poha on its own contains plenty of carbohydrates. Poha or chivda or flattened rice itself has a higher glycemic index. So all in all, such preparations of Poha can be far riskier for anybody who is trying to control her or his blood glucose levels.
Is poha is good option as dinner for weight loss?
No; Poha is not at all a good option as dinner for weight loss. And that is because most poha varieties available around us are made of white rice, and the glycemic index of white rice is quite high. That’s the reason why white rice is generally not recommended for people with impaired blood glucose capacity or for those who wish to lose weight.
White rice has a tendency to spike blood glucose levels in a relatively short period of time.
Definitely poha can be eaten once in a while as a snack food but it is not suitable for dinner as most people don’t do any physical activity after dinner to dissipate the newly acquired supply of glucose.
However is someone is compelled to consume poha at dinner, then he or she must immediately take a walk for anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes.
The second line of protection can be to add some protein or extra fiber soon before or soon after consuming the poha dish.
Gestational diabetes breakfast?
Just as there are plenty of websites and “experts” claiming poha to be a good breakfast for diabetics, there are many which claim it is a great breakfast for women coping with gestational diabetes. And their reasoning is that poha is a carbohydrate, and thus it can provide a burst of energy to expecting mother.
As you can understand this logic is also full of holes. It is true that poha is a carb – and a simple carb, at that – and it is also true that it can provide quick energy, but the fact is that most expecting mothers don’t run marathons where they need a burst of energy after completing 35 or 38 kms.
Pregnant women do need energy, but they do so a sustained flow of energy, and even more important than that, they need a sustain supply of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Sadly, most of these essentials are missing in Poha. Manufactured out of polished white rice, poha has no claim to fame in providing wholesome nutrition. It is just a beautiful time-pass snack loaded with carbohydrates. It cannot provide a sustained flow of energy. In fact, not just poha but most carbohydrates, provide instant energy and then almost instant crash, often leading the blood glucose to hypoglycemic levels.
Even I have noticed it. The sweeter the carbohydrates, the more vertical the crash.
Exercise improves insulin sensitivity. It helps manage blood sugar balance and reduce the glycation of proteins.
David Perlmutter
