# Beetroots



## Andy HB (Apr 24, 2013)

I was just wondering. Does anyone have any first hand experience of the effect of beetroot (the nice deep red pickled variety) on blood sugars?

From what I've seen on t'internet, it may be 'worse' than bananas in terms of glycemic index. But I'd like to have a second opinion.

Thanks,

Andy 

p.s. I'm asking because I had a large portion of it at lunchtime and my BG level 2hrs after was only 6.1mmol/L (and this included a smallish portion of potatoes too!).


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## AlisonM (Apr 24, 2013)

I've only had it once since Dx and didn't notice any great rises. It's not something I tend to buy because I eat so little of it. According to the BBC last week it _can_ help lower blood pressure though.


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## Annette (Apr 24, 2013)

I eat beetroot, and it has a negligible (ie not countable) effect on my levels (but I dont eat masses, just a bit).


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## Andy HB (Apr 25, 2013)

Thanks for the responses.

Just one last thing, does anyone have the details from one of those useful little books about the GI and GL for beetroot?

Ta,

Andy


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## lucy123 (Apr 25, 2013)

Does this help?

_'Let's take a look at beets, a food with a high GI but a low GL. Although the carbohydrate in beet root has a high GI, there isn't a lot of it, so a typical serving of cooked beetroot has a glycemic load that is relatively low, about 5.Thus, as long as you eat a reasonable portion of a low-glycemic-load food, the impact on blood sugar is acceptable, even if the food is high in its GI'_.


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## Northerner (Apr 25, 2013)

The only way I can eat beetroot is if it is one of the ingredients in a chocolate cake  As a child I used to hate beetroot in salads and the way it discoloured other food items, yuck! 

They are supposed to be very good for you though!


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## Copepod (Apr 25, 2013)

When it's ready for eating from our garden, I eat lots of beetroot, mainly boiled then sliced for sandwiches / salads, plus making about 1 chocolate & beetroot cake each season. Never noticed any particular effects on blood glucose - in fact, I don't bother to count carbs in beetroot. 

Main problem I find is stopping cat pulling slices off my plate, resulting in staining on table / floor / work surface


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