What is Diabetes?

These days, diabetes has become a household name. Studies show that nine percent of the urban population and three percent of the rural population suffer from diabetes. Sedentary lifestyles, lack of regular exercise and increased consumption of processed food are just some of the reasons for the considerable rise in diabetes cases around the world.

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when blood sugar levels rise to unhealthy levels. It is a chronic condition that affects how your body converts food to energy. Food that is eaten is broken down into glucose and released into the bloodstream. The insulin then lets the blood sugar into the body’s cells to use as energy. Those with diabetes do not produce the amount of insulin needed to process the blood sugar, leading to high sugar levels in the system. If left untreated, it leads to problems such as heart disease, kidney disease, and more. It is therefore important to take steps to maintain healthy blood sugar levels at all times.

While modern medicine surely comes with advanced treatment, nature has its way of healing us with some of the most medical herbs. One traditional and locally growing plant that is known to be beneficial for those with diabetes is the arrowroot plant. The stem of the plant is washed and descaled in order to extract the milky-white, juicy pulp. This pulp is then strained to extract the starch from the rest of the components. This starch is then sun-dried until it forms a flour-like, white powder. This powder can now be used for cooking and is often also used in ayurvedic medicines.

Arrowroot flour is reportedly good for those with diabetes due to its low glycemic index and high levels of potassium. In order to understand why the arrowroot is so highly recommended, we need to look at why glycemic index and potassium are an important measure for those with diabetes.

Understanding Low Glycemic Index of Arrowroot Flour

Arrowroot flour is particularly beneficial for those with diabetes. The flour is gluten-free and has a low glycemic index. Glycemic index (GI) is an important factor for people with diabetes to consider while including food in their diet. A glycemic index is a unit of measurement designed to determine how the food will affect the body after consumption. It accounts for the effect of carbohydrate food onblood glucose levels. For those with diabetes, the Glycemic Index of the dish should ideally range between 55 and 70. Keeping track of the glycemic index of food helps to improve blood sugar management. Additionally, it helps manage weight and reduce cholesterol as it promotes mindful consumption of food.

Key factors that influence the glycemic index are its nutrient composition, and the amount of processing it has undergone. Arrowroot powder is rich in nutrients and is produced using traditional methods that don’t involve chemical processing. The glycemic index of arrowroot flour ranges around 65 and is, therefore, a healthy option for diabetic patients. As a result, more people have begun to adopt arrowroot flour into their recipes. These days, it is not uncommon to find baking recipes that replace flour with arrowroot flour.

Benefits of Potassium in Arrowroot for Diabetes

Potassium is a mineral and electrolyte that is responsible for keeping body fluids at optimal levels. These fluids are responsible for maintaining healthy heart rate, brain functioning and muscle contractions. Recent research shows that there is also a link between potassium and diabetes. Those who have diabetes are found to also have low levels of potassium and insulin. Studies also show that low levels of minerals such as potassium leads to an increased risk of diabetes.Medication that is used to treat diabetes is sometimes known to cause a dip in potassium levels in patients. Therefore, it becomes important to ensure that a healthy diet contains sufficient levels of potassium.

One serving of arrowroot flour is said to contain 11% of the necessary Daily Value of potassium needed for a healthy diet. It is rich in nutrition and provides essential minerals that are easy to absorb and offer key benefits for those with diabetes. Processed foods reduce the body’s ability to absorb potassium. However, since arrowroot flour is produced with minimal processing, it becomes an ideal source of potassium.

Arrowroot For The Diabetes Diet

• In the recent years, arrowroot flour has become a healthier and tastier alternative to cornstarch. It is used in both sweet and savory dishes in India. In day-to-day cooking, it is used to thicken the gravy for curries and soups.
• It is a known fact that all-purpose flour has high levels of gluten, sugar, and fat. Half a cup of Arrowroot has just 1 gram of sugar, under 40 calories, making it a safer and healthier choice for people with Diabetes.
• Dietary fiber is crucial for people with Diabetes as it helps them digest fats and sugars much better and maintain their blood sugar levels. Arrowroot tubers contain as much as 9.79 to 13.70% in total fibers.
• The arrowroot powder has many uses and provides a tasty and healthy option for those with diabetes. It is unbiased in flavor and adds a reflexive completion to food varieties. Arrowroot is without gluten, vegetarian, and paleo-accommodating, and furthermore has an extremely long time span of usability.
• Arrowroot has fewer calories and more protein. It is also high in folate, which helps with making DNA and other hereditary material. Its high concentration of essential minerals such as potassium, low glycemic index, and healing properties make it the ideal ingredient to be included in the daily diet.
• Although not a lot of extensive research has gone into studying the benefits of arrowroot, doctors and researchers agree that it is a great alternative for people with diabetes. So switch to healthy choices with Arrowroot and manage diabetes the natural, organic, and chemical-free way.