It is very easy to develop an appetite for chop suey; all you need to do is taste it once (where it’s well prepared), and you’ll keep craving more. Chop suey is often compared to chow mein, but it is more flexible and versatile, allowing you to use any veggies, meat, noodles, or rice available to you, and create a tasty dish.
However, as a diabetic, a dish containing noodles or rice and a cornstarch-thickened sauce would instantly raise an eyebrow, and it would not be out of place if you went on asking, Is chop suey good for diabetics?
We have thoroughly investigated the dish to determine if it is safe for you to have some chop suey as a prediabetic, type 1, or type 2 diabetic. Here is what we know.
What is chop suey?
The origin of chop suey is like that of most popular foods; it is highly contested, with numerous stories tagging different inventors for the dish. Nonetheless, it is a Chinese-American cuisine invented around the 1890s.
Filipino cuisines, Dutch cuisines, British Chinese cuisines, Canadian Chinese cuisines, and many other countries have adopted chop suey. This unique dish originally appealed to the palates of Americans and Chinese.
Irrespective of the country, rice (commonly used) or noodles, meats (chicken, pork, shrimp, fish, or beef), eggs, bean sprouts, celery, cabbage, and a starch-thickened sauce are common ingredients in most chop suey recipes.
Is chop suey good for diabetics?
As a diabetic, I diligently scrutinize every ingredient to resist my cravings for high-carb foods. Most of the time, I have to take the alternative route of making most dishes myself. This way, I can determine the ingredients used, like when I substitute cornmeal for almond flour in my cornbread recipe.
Chop suey is one Chinese-American food that you can grow very fond of, and the good news is that it is safe for diabetics to consume in modest amounts. Typically made with either rice or noodles, its vegetable and protein content slows down the conversion of carbohydrates in rice or noodles to glucose and their absorption into the bloodstream.
I am a fan of Asian noodles since I make lots of palabok, bihon, chop suey, and chow mein. Most Asian noodles are usually derived from rice or eggs, which have a glycemic index of 61 and 40, respectively, but some varieties are made with refined wheat flour and could have a GI of 70 or higher.
Now, the issue with consuming chop suey as a diabetic is not the noodles or rice, which could have a high GI score depending on the particular product. However, the first problem lies in portion size: while rice noodles may have a medium-range glycemic index score of 61, eating lots in a sitting could shoot up your blood glucose levels.
Another thing you want to consider is what you pair the noodles or rice with. When you consume chop suey with adequate amounts of protein, the rate at which glucose is absorbed into your bloodstream decreases, thereby preventing blood sugar spikes. I usually eat 50% of the proteins available in my dish before digging into the noodles or rice; when I check my blood sugar level, it doesn’t shoot up.
A handy tip for prediabetics: consume more plant-based protein over animal-based protein, as studies have proven that animal-based protein could increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while plant-based proteins reduce the possible risks.
Typically, ingredients for the chop suey sauce include oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, Shaoxing wine, water, and cornstarch. The sauce’s major concern is its high sodium content, which could lead to hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, as well as its cornstarch, which has a glycemic index of 85.
The thought of consuming both rice or noodles and cornstarch may be frightening at this point, but it is good to know that when high-glycemic index foods are eaten with low glycemic index foods like veggies and proteins, they average the total glycemic index of the food. Plus, if you eat some proteins first, you should not have any issues.
However, if you’re preparing this dish at home, you’ll want to know about the following high-GI ingredient substitutes:
Low-glycemic-index ingredient substitutes for Chop Suey
Commercially prepared chop suey may not be a great option for you, as it aims to satisfy and enchant palates. If you can make the dish at home yourself, then you could have a healthy experience with these low-carb ingredients:
Sauce
Each tablespoon of the used soy sauce contains about one gram of carbohydrates, making it a healthy choice. Shaoxing, or rice wine, ameliorates diabetes, making it a great addition to the chop suey sauce. Cornstarch, which makes up most of the sauce, is the ingredient that needs substitution.
Instead of cornstarch, you can use flaxseed gel, made by mixing ground flaxseed with water. You could also use tapioca flour, a derivative of ground cassava; it is considered one of the best options for prediabetics and diabetics.
Rice and noodles
When selecting rice to eat as a diabetic, you want to choose rice with its bran and germ intact, like brown basmati rice or wild rice, which contains more fiber than average short-grain white rice.
Consider switching to more diabetic-friendly noodles such as kelp, derived from seaweed, instead of wheat or rice noodles. Kelp contains vanadium, a mineral that is beneficial for individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Shirataki noodles are another excellent choice; they have zero carbohydrates, 3% fiber, and 97% water, earning them the nickname “miracle noodles”.
Can diabetics eat chop suey? Summing up
If the dish is rich in vegetables and proteins, which could slow down the body’s absorption of glucose and prevent blood sugar spikes, diabetics could enjoy a serving of chop suey without any issues.
Since we all have different carb targets, it is usually best to speak with your dietician to work out a bespoke chop suey diet for you.
