Food myths or facts

I will discuss in a two-part series, four popular Jamaican foods and beliefs surrounding them as it relates to disease management.

String beans and diabetes

Myth

Most people, newly diagnosed with diabetes, who seek my professional service, will tell me proudly that they are using "the string bean". These people will credit any improvement in diabetes management to this vegetable. Their belief is that string beans contain insulin. The hormone, insulin, is not found in plants.

Fact

String bean is a vegetable which is low in carbohydrate; one cup has seven grams of carbs, half the amount found in a thin slice of bread. It is a good source of calcium and contains a whopping 640mg of the beta carotenes, lutein and zeaxanthin.

Its high-fibre content is made up of a soluble fibre called inulin which is classified as a prebiotic. Prebiotics are non-digestible and stimulate the growth and activity of bacteria in the intestine which are beneficial to health. Inulin belongs to a group of soluble fibres called frutans. These fibres have about one-third the amount of energy as carbohydrates and so have a minimal effect on raising blood sugars. Inulin is also found in garlic and onions in larger amounts for weight than string beans.

String beans contain another substance, an alkaloid called trigonelline, which is also found in large amounts in fenugreek seeds and has the effect of causing a low rise in blood sugar after a meal.

Take home message

A diet high in vegetables is beneficial because of the high insoluble and soluble fibre they contain. An increase in vegetable intake will mean a decrease in complex and refined carbohydrate sources and will result in a lower blood-sugar reading after a meal. There is no one magic food in managing diabetes. People must consume foods from all the food groups for their synergistic benefits and a reliance on one or two food groups will lead to malnutrition.

Green bananas and iron

Myth

This is a favourite staple for many people and one that I find to be friendly to people with diabetes. There is a myth that green bananas are a significant source of iron. This is incorrect as approximately two ounces has 0.14mg, a negligible amount. Adding callaloo and liver to the meal would improve the iron profile. The liver will help your body to absorb the iron from the callaloo, but if you choose to have the callaloo, with beans, consume some orange juice or other vitamin C- rich food instead, you could also aid the absorption of the iron from the callaloo.

Fact

Green bananas are high in water, have moderate amounts of fibre and a two-ounce finger has less carbohydrates than a thin slice of bread.

Rosalee M. Brown is a registered dietitian/nutritionist who operates Integrated Nutrition and Health Services; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.