Jack(fruit) of all trades: A diabetes diet alternative
For the past couple of years or so, green jackfruit flour has been increasingly associated with multiple health benefits, including lowered HbA1c levels and reduction in fatty liver. A few fitness professionals have already started recommending it to diabetes patients, thanks to its low glycaemic index (GI) and carbohydrate count and high fibre content.
“Green jackfruit flour is an authentic nutritional gem for medical nutrition therapy. Adding 30g of green jackfruit flour with whole wheat flour or rice batter in each meal has resulted in remarkable improvement in the blood glucose levels of diabetics. Use green jackfruit flour on a daily basis and the benefits are visible in most of the metabolic parameters, including blood sugar levels and glycemic variability,” Dr Vinod Abichandani, diabetes and endocrine physician, shares.
Weighing in on the benefits of jackfruit flour vis-à-vis its counterparts — white rice and wheat flour in the Indian context — dietician and diabetes educator Sheryl Salis says, “30g green jackfruit flour replaces 50g of wheat, rice or millet flour. The amount of soluble fibre is higher even for a smaller volume of green jackfruit flour (30g) when compared to 50g of wheat or rice or millet flour.”
Food with high glycaemic index releases glucose in the bloodstream quickly, and is associated with diabetes. The glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) of a variety of Indian foods (bajra roti and makka roti) is higher than that of green jackfruit flour. “But what is really striking is that it has high amylose content and consists of type 2 resistant starch, which makes the GI lower,” shares Salis.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends Medical nutrition therapy (MNT) as necessary pretreatment measure. The role of green jackfruit flour in MNT is also valuable. Salis says, “It is also a good prebiotic. With the incorporation of green jackfruit flour, patients have achieved satiety much faster and the post-meal blood glucose levels were definitely much better. [This reiterates] the fact that integration of MNT into diabetes care has the potential to improve diabetes management.”