Choosing the right starch to accompany your meal can be tricky if you have diabetes or are watching your blood sugar levels. Take rice vs. potatoes for blood sugar, for example. How does each impact your glucose levels, and is one better for blood sugar management than the other? Read on to find out.
Meet the experts: Jordan Langhough, R.D., C.P.T., a registered dietitian, certified personal trainer, and owner of Wildflower Fertility + Nutrition; Amanda Pasko, M.S., M.P.H., R.D., a nutrition expert at the wellness app BetterMe.
While there is one winner in this debate, both rice and potatoes offer benefits for blood sugar management. If you choose a whole grain variety of rice, such as brown, black, red, or wild rice, it will deliver fiber alongside the carbohydrates. “The fiber in these rice varieties slows digestion and glucose absorption,” explains Jordan Langhough, R.D., C.P.T., a registered dietitian, certified personal trainer, and owner of Wildflower Fertility + Nutrition. This means that instead of the rapid blood sugar spike that would result from eating white rice, blood glucose levels will rise more gradually. Cooling the rice after cooking it and before eating it also increases levels of resistant starch, making it even more supportive of blood sugar management. “Instead of turning into glucose, resistant starch passes to the large intestine where it acts like fiber, slowing down digestion and improving insulin sensitivity,” explains Amanda Pasko, M.S., M.P.H., R.D., a nutrition expert at the wellness app BetterMe.
Speaking of resistant starch, levels will also increase in potatoes if you cook and cool them before eating, meaning that both white and sweet potatoes can offer similar benefits for blood sugar. “Sweet potatoes offer a separate advantage because they are naturally higher in soluble fiber, which slows down digestion and gives them a lower baseline glycemic index than hot white potatoes,” adds Pasko. “To make either type of potato work for your blood sugar, you should always keep the skin on for extra fiber, and limit your portion to about half a cup.”
All that said, Langhough and Pasko agree that if it’s rice vs. potatoes, sweet potatoes are the best option for blood sugar management. When cooked and cooled, they contain the highest concentration of resistant starch, which Pasko says “results in a significantly lower glycemic response and improved insulin sensitivity over time.” Potatoes are also an excellent source of potassium, which Pasko notes is crucial for maintaining healthy blood pressure—and given that people with diabetes are at an increased risk for cardiovascular illness, keeping blood pressure low is key.
To get the most benefits, regardless of which starch you choose, Pasko says that rice and potatoes should ideally not be eaten hot and should be paired with a high-quality protein and a healthy fat to blunt blood sugar spikes. As long as you do this, you may enjoy either without significant worries.
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