Heart disease and diabetes around the world cannot be taken lightly. The number of sufferers worldwide continues to rise as lifestyles become increasingly unhealthy. For example, lack of exercise, staying up late, and unhealthy eating are major factors.

As a chef and food scientiest, I strongly advise heart and diabetes patients to pay more attention to their diet. Because food is very influential on health from the inside. When we eat well, our body will not get sick easily. Conversely, unhealthy foods such as those high in cholesterol can lead to blockage of blood flow which leads to heart disease. Or excessive sugary foods can also lead to insulin resistance which then causes diabetes.

But, limiting or even giving up some foods is not easy. So if it’s difficult for us to reduce or stop consuming them, we can at least look for healthier alternatives.

Here, I have summarized 3 alternative food ingredients that can replace everyday food ingredients. With these alternative food ingredients, we can make food that is still delicious but friendlier to people with heart disease and diabetes.

1. Stevia as an alternative food ingredient to sugar

Stevia is a leaf that naturally tastes 300 times sweeter than sucrose or the sugar we use daily. But, stevia is zero calories and does not cause blood sugar spikes like regular sugar.

So, if you like sweets but want to control your weight or are at risk of diabetes, stevia can be used to replace sugar.

READ ALSO Chef Angie: These 3 Alternative Food Ingredients are Good for Heart and Diabetes Patients!

2. Coconut oil as an alternative food ingredient to butter

Butter is quite high in fat and cholesterol. Fat and cholesterol that enter the body and bloodstream can form plaques that stick to the walls of the arteries. Over time, these plaques disrupt the flow of blood from the heart to the rest of the body, and vice versa. This can lead to a heart attack.

Instead of butter, you can use coconut oil chilled in the refrigerator or freezer to give it a solid texture. This oil is trans fat-free, cholesterol-free, and is actually heart-healthy because it can increase the levels of good cholesterol or HDL. In addition, coconut oil is also good for brain health and makes us feel fuller for longer.

3. FiberCreme as an alternative to coconut milk

Coconut milk is widely used in traditional Indonesian food and beverages. So, Indonesian food lovers who are advised to reduce coconut milk can replace this ingredient with FiberCreme, a powder that is high in fiber, low in sugar, and contains 0mg of cholesterol.

FiberCreme is made from a fiber source called oligosaccharides that is processed with coconut oil to produce a coconut milk-like taste. Now as we discussed above, coconut oil is healthy, good for the heart and brain. Its antioxidant content can also reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

All this coconut oil goodness combines with the many benefits of fiber. These include lowering blood sugar levels, improving insulin sensitivity, lowering cholesterol, and helping to control our diet to be more regular and less excessive.

READ ALSO Even though you’re still young, here are 5 signs you should check your cholesterol!

Sound too good to be true? But FiberCreme is good and true!

Isomalto Oligosaccharide (IMO), one of FiberCreme’s main ingredients, is a type of long-chain soluble fiber that can help you feel full longer. IMO can also increase good cholesterol (HDL) and lower bad cholesterol (LDL).

For those who
concern
with diabetes problems, IMO helps insulin stabilize blood sugar by optimizing sugar into energy. What’s even cooler is that IMO acts as a prebiotic to aid digestion.

Prebiotics are different from probiotics. Probiotics are good bacteria that live in our gut. Just like any other living thing, these bacteria need food to live, multiply, and work to keep the digestive tract healthy. Prebiotics are a food source for these bacteria, so they can help boost immunity, prevent constipation, and aid in the absorption of various nutrients.

There is scientific evidence that FiberCreme is really beneficial!

There is a research that proves FiberCreme can lower blood sugar. Here we are invited to compare the use of sugar and FiberCreme in banana porridge. This menu was chosen because it contains resistant starch that can lower blood pressure.

The results showed that banana pulp with FiberCreme could help stabilize blood sugar levels in subjects with induced diabetes. Contrast this with sugar-sweetened banana porridge, which raises blood sugar.

Interestingly, FiberCreme has a natural sweetness from the IMO it contains. So, FiberCreme’s banana porridge can be categorized as healthy while providing a delicious and creamy taste that is not
overpower
the original flavor of the banana porridge.

Interested in learning more about this study? Click here to read the clinical study check. Also comment on other interesting topics that you want me to cover!