Palabok is a Filipino staple, a favorite at birthdays, celebrations, parties, and even as an everyday food. The sauce of this dish is bound to stun your taste buds and the overall dish is aesthetically pleasing.
One of Asia’s chains, Jollibee, offers this dish. You could also find pre-cooked versions in supermarkets, but nothing beats a pancit dish prepared by the locals, as I have witnessed in the Philippines. Before I get lost in describing the goodness of this dish, let’s get down to everything you need to know about palabok for diabetics.
Disclaimer: This material is presented for the purpose of education and should not replace the professional medical advice of your healthcare provider.
What Is Palabok?
Palabok, or pancit palabok, is a Philippine rice noodle dish with a delicious shrimp and pork sauce. This dish has a distinctive orange hue, and you may think it is made with tomatoes, but it is not; rather, the color is derived from the annatto seeds used in the recipe.
This delicacy is made with rice noodles and a shrimp and pork sauce derived from ground pork, shrimp stock, and pork broth, further furnished with toppings of choice like slices of hard-boiled eggs, tinapa flakes, shrimp, spring onions, and chicharron.
This dish is easily customizable. I and my three sisters make it in four different yummy ways, and it always turns out great. If you don’t want to make the dish from scratch, I have come across numerous pre-prepared versions that are easy to put together and are found in Asian sections in supermarkets.
Words will always fail to describe the visual appeal of this dish when the locals prepare it, as it is typically served in a bilao and the toppings are decoratively and symmetrically positioned on top of the meal, creating the memories that fuel your cravings going forward.
Is Palabok Healthy?
Palabok can be a generally healthy addition to your diet menu if portion size is well controlled. Per serving, palabok supplies 305 calories, 39 grams of carbs, 17 grams of protein, 9 grams of fat, 536 mg of sodium, 135 mg of cholesterol, 0.7 grams of fiber, and 80 grams of calcium.
According to UCSFHealth, you should consume only 200 milligrams of cholesterol if you have possible risk factors for heart disease. If you don’t have these risk factors, 300 milligrams is an ideal cap for your daily cholesterol intake. Given this stat, the cholesterol of palabok has almost taken half of your daily value.
Another thing to watch out for is the sodium content. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises limiting our intake to less than 2,300 mg per day, which is pretty much about a tablespoon of salt—this recommendation is even lower for kids. With a sodium content of 536, you’d love to watch the overall meal you consume for the day.
Besides the above concerns, you’re sure to benefit from the calcium, potassium, and protein content of palabok, which will help your overall health.
Is Palabok Good For Diabetics?
An important term discussed when it comes to foods for diabetics is glycemic index (GI). According to the NHS, foods that contain carbs are given a rating from 1 to 100 to determine how fast they could impact your blood glucose levels. The low glycemic index is considered 55 and below, the medium is 55–70, and the high is 70–100.
Typically, most ingredients used in palabok have a low glycemic index, making palabok for diabetics safe to consume—just as I have been doing for some years. I’ll have to state that there is no data on the glycemic index of Palabok since it can only be calculated by researching people, and so far, no such research has been carried out or I am yet to find one.
However, here is an exploration of the ingredients used in making palabok and how they could affect your blood sugar:
Rice noodles
Pancit palabok is usually made with bihon, thin rice noodles. These noodles are commonly made from early indica rice, which has an amylose content greater than 20, which makes the noodles harder and break less while also enhancing the sensory quality.
According to ScienceDirect, when high-amylose rice varieties are extruded into noodles, their starch digestibility is reduced by 15% and their glycemic index by 36%. Making them not bad for diabetics; rather, they could even benefit you.
Pro Tips: When making palabok at home, ensure not to boil the noodles for long as that could increase the glycemic response of the noodles (the effect of the noodles on your blood sugar after consumption). You could soak them in hot water or boil them for a shorter time, just like with other noodles like misua.
Shrimp
Diabetic-friendly diets are known for their protein content since they help slow how fast glucose is absorbed into the body. A quarter of my meal usually consists of lean proteins such as chicken or shrimp.
In addition to their low-fat content, shrimp also boast loads of proteins, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and B3. I prefer using the colossal shrimp for my meals since they have zero trans and saturated fats. Shrimps have a glycemic index of 0 as they are a carb-free food.
Pork
Pork, just like shrimp, has a low glycemic index of 0, meaning it will have little or no impact on your blood glucose levels. Even if you used typical wheat noodles for your palabok recipe, the shrimp, egg, and pork content is bound to slow down how fast its sugar would be absorbed into your body.
Other noodles you can use for the Palabok recipe
Rice noodles are low in carbs compared to your typical wheat noodles, but if you are looking for noodles with zero carbs to grace your meals, then you will be excited about the following options:
Konjac noodles
Konjac noodles, or shirataki, are a derivative of konjac corm. This noodle is also called a miracle noodle, and for the right reason; it has zero carbs and comprises a whopping 97% water, while the other 3% consists of glucomannan fiber (a derivative of the konjac corm).
The fiber content of this noodle will help you stay full for longer, which is great if you are on a weight management plan. Besides the fiber content, it will also supply you with some prebiotics, which are very beneficial to the gut.
Kelp
Kelp is an awesome-tasting, low-carb, keto-friendly, and low low-calorie or seaweed-based noodles. These noodles have a taste and texture like those of glass noodles. This noodle is made with just three ingredients: seaweed, water, and salt extracted from the seaweed.
Kelp is rich in iodine, whiciodineecessary to prevent hypothyroidism. It is also a rich source of vanadium, a type 2 diabetes-regulating compound.
Final Thoughts
Diabetics could have pancit without having sugar spikes, as the dish is loaded with proteins that slow down the absorption of glucose into your body. The rice noodles used have a reduced starch digestibility, making the dish even safer. Just like with every other food you consume, you need to be cautious about portion size.
