Question:
Is Jerusalem artichoke a carbohydrate? Do I need to take insulin when I eat it?
Background:
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I’m a 36 year old type one diabetic. A few days ago i went to a friend’s for dinner and he served Jerusalem artichoke soup (which I enjoyed very much). My host was kind enough to tell me not to take too much insulin (I thought I needed a lot to cover a carb based soup). The soup hardly effected my BS. How can that be? I read about it in NutritionData where is says it’s high in sugar (17% carb).
Asked by:
Drake
| February 3, 2010
Categories:
Food & Nutrition
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You are right, the carbohydrate content of Jerusalem artichokes is about 17%, but the type of carbohydrate found in this food is not absorbed into the blood as well as other carbohydrates, so it should not require as much insulin as other carbohydrate sources. Jerusalem artichokes contain a complex carbohydrate called fructans which are composed of fructose units which are attached to each other in a way that makes it difficult for people to absorb them into the bloodstream. Many other foods contain small amounts of fructans, but Jerusalem Artichokes contain mostly fructans as their carbohydrate source so that is why the soup did not effect your blood sugar.