1. A Closer Look at Tteokbokki’s Ingredients
Tteokbokki is a beloved Korean snack, but it is considered one of the worst foods for a person with diabetes. On the surface, it may seem like a dish made of rice cakes, fish cakes, and vegetables, but it is full of elements harmful to blood sugar and weight management.
2. Why it’s Bad for Blood Sugar
– Rice Cakes (Tteok): The main ingredient, rice cakes, are lumps of ‘highly concentrated carbohydrate’ made from milled and compressed refined rice. Tteok is a food with a very high glycemic index (GI) that raises blood sugar much faster and higher than plain rice.
– Gochujang-based Sauce: The spicy and sweet sauce is based on gochujang (Korean chili paste). Most commercially available gochujang contains a large amount of corn syrup or sugar. In most recipes, additional sugar or oligosaccharides are added to enhance the flavor. This sauce can literally be described as a ‘lump of sugar.’
3. The Worst Combination: Carbs on Carbs
Consequently, tteokbokki is a food with one of the worst combinations for spiking blood sugar: ‘highly concentrated refined carbohydrates (rice cakes)’ plus ‘simple sugars (sauce).’ The habit of eating it with fried foods, ramen, or soondae (Korean sausage) is equivalent to completely giving up on blood sugar control. The small amount of fish cakes or vegetables included does not solve these fundamental problems.
Summary: Both the main ingredient (rice cakes) and the sauce of tteokbokki are composed of components that raise blood sugar very quickly and steeply. The idea that it is a ‘healthy snack’ is very dangerous, and people with diabetes should avoid it as much as possible.
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