Emirati foods & blood sugar

RESEARCH BY UAE UNIVERSITY AIMS TO PROVIDE DIETARY CHOICES BENEFICIAL TO HEALTHIER CONSUMPTION Here are 18 commonly consumed Emirati dishes and their GI impact on blood sugar levels

How do the most popular and staple food items in the Emirati cuisine impact blood sugar levels? This was the question to which a team of researchers from UAE University sought answers and their research has led to a significant body of information.

The in-depth research project looked into 18 commonly consumed Emirati dishes, analysing their effects on a person’s blood sugar levels. The outcome is a much-needed dietary data which had previously not been available.

Led by UAE University (UAEU), the study assessed both the glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) of 18 foods such as biryani, harees (beef), and machbous (fish), etc. As part of their research, 15 participants were brought in to consume the se foods, with the participants’ sugar blood levels monitored post consumption. Other separate laboratory tests were also carried out on the foods to determine their GI.

A food with a high GI raises blood sugar more than a food with a medium to low GI. But the glycaemic index does not take into account the amount of carbohydrate in a food. So Glycaemic Load (GL) is a better indicator of how a carbohydrate food will affect blood sugar, the researchers said.

“This project began in 2010 because there was limited information on Emirati cuisine. In Western countries such as the United Kingdom and the US, they have databases for all types of food they consume with nutritional information. So we wanted to have a similar type of electronic database for Emirati foods,” said Dr Ayesha Al Daheri, chairperson of the nutrition and health department at UAEU, who led the project.

The study had strict parameters for the participants.

“Conducting this research and gathering the data with the participants was not easy, because they had to fast before they came in to participate. They were given a portion of the foods we were studying, and then their blood levels were analysed a few hours later,” said Dr Al Daheri.

The protein, fat, carbohydrate content of each food and its calorific value was evaluated at the university’s laboratory, she added. “We purchased the foods from reliable restaurants who were known to cook traditional Emirati dishes. Purchases were made three times during one month – the beginning, the middle, and the end. This was done to make sure that the recipe did not change. The testing was done repeatedly,” she said.

The research revealed that the GI levels varied between the different foods, and that higher GI levels were down to factors such as how the food was cooked, and what other ingredients were added to the dish.

Seven foods

In the low GI category were seven foods. “Chebab bread, khameer bread, harees, biryani, luqaimat, khanfaroosh, and habba hamra. “Six foods were classified as medium GI - Arabic bread, chami, machbous, khabisa, batheetha, and balalet,” said Al Daheri. And five foods had high GI values — regag bread, muhalla bread, fendal, thareed [beef], and arseyah.

Talking about how the GI value can be affected, she explained, “Several factors can affect the GI value of the food and increase it. One of them is the type of oven used for baking the bread, or the temperature of the oven and the amount of yeast used. Other factors for increasing the GI could be the amount of sugar added and the amount of white flour for foods like khabisa and balalet. The GI of batheetha is mainly related to its content of date paste, ghee and sugar,” she explained.

“The thin surface of the bread for regag and muhalla with no addition of yeast makes the carbohydrate or starch availability high for digestion which can explain their high GI content. For fendal, it’s all about the type of potato used plus the added amount of sugar from date paste.

“For arseyah, it’s due to the long hours of cooking that increase the digestibility of the rice. [Similarly], the high GI level for thareed is due to the use of regag bread which is also a high GI food,” she added.

Al Daheri emphasised that while a food could have a low GI, its overall GL could be high when portion sizes were taken into account. For example, khameer bread is classified as having a low GI value, but depending on the portion size, that value can significantly increase.

“The GL takes into consideration the portion size of the food as well as its GI value. The two are evaluated in the calculation of the GL value of each food. In this regard, it is always recommended to take into consideration the portion size when calculating this,” she said.

Fat content

Another factor that’s important to consider when arriving at these values is the fat content of a food, said Al Daheri. Some foods though low in GI value, may not necessarily be a healthy option due to their high fat content.

“A specific food can be of a low GI value but at the same time contain a high amount of fat. In this context, we should not depend only on the GI value as a sole indicator. We should look into the overall nutrient value of the food,” she said.

Going forward, Al Daheri said that the plan was to share the project’s results with nutritionists and dieticians, and to produce educational materials for the public.

“We are in the process of developing an Emirati exchange list for professionals such as nutritionists and dietitians which they can utilise when counselling their patients. “We are also planning to produce information flyers for the general population that contains details about Emirati foods along with suggestions on how to consume them in a healthier way,” she added.

“Our findings can also be beneficial for policy makers, as they can plan appropriate diet programmes for the population and raise awareness,” she said.

We are developing an Emirati exchange list for professionals like nutritionists and dietitians to utilise when they counsel patients. We also plan to produce flyers for the general population with information about Emirati foods and suggestions on how to consume them in a healthier way.” Dr Ayesha Al Daheri (above) | Chairperson, nutrition and health department at UAE University