Foods You Must Avoid if You are Diabetic
The problem of diabetes has reached an epidemic level now, all around the world. And the condition poses some serious concerns. Diabetes may lead to various other health problems, including heart-related disease, kidney problems and blindness etc. Furthermore, eating the wrong foods may make the condition even worse.
I know, it hurts when someone tells you not to eat something you like. However, you must understand that it’s for your own good. Plus, there are still a plethora of choices you have when it comes to treating your taste buds. I’m serious! And if you don’t believe me, you may talk to a doctor online and ask. They can list down at least a hundred nutritious and tasty food items for a diabetic person. But some foods… you must keep a distance from.
Here is a list of foods you must avoid if you have diabetes.
Added-Sugar Beverages
If you have diabetes, sugar-sweetened beverages are probably the worst kind of drink you can have.
For starters, they have a really high carb content, with a 350ml soda drink having around 38 grams. The same amount of lemonade or sweet ice-tea has a carb content of approximately 36 grams, just from sugar.
Furthermore, these drinks have an excessive amount of fructose, which has a strong link with diabetes. Plus, it also leads to an increase in belly fat and cholesterol levels.
Various studies have shown that consuming sugary drinks can increase the chances of various diabetes-related diseases, such as fatty liver. Plus, the drinks that are high in fructose may lead to lower metabolism and worsened heart health.
So, in order to control your blood sugar level, you should avoid consuming sugary beverages. Instead, prefer consuming plain water or unsweetened ice-tea.
White Bread, Rice and Pasta
Processed foods like bread, bagels, and any other refined-flour products have a very high level of carb. And this is strongly linked to the increase in blood sugar levels in diabetic patients. Furthermore, according to a study, even the gluten-free pasta can spike up your sugar level in your blood, with rice-based products showing the highest effects.
The problem with these processed food items is that they do not generally have much fiber, which is important to slow down the rate of sugar absorption into your bloodstream. As per the research, if you switch your white bread with high fiber one, you can significantly reduce your blood sugar levels. Plus, it also helps you reduce your cholesterol and blood pressure.
Fruit-Flavored Yogurt
Plain yogurt is actually a very good option for diabetic people. However, fruit-flavored ones are completely opposite.
Flavored yogurts are usually prepared from very low-fat milk and have a very high carb and sugar levels. In fact, even a small cup of flavored yogurt may have around 47 gms of sugar. This means at least 80 percent of its calories are sugar-induced only.
People usually consider fruit-flavored yogurt a better option than ice-cream. However, it actually contains just as much sugar, or even more. So, instead of flavored yogurt, which may unnecessarily increase your blood sugar level, you should choose the plain one. This doesn’t usually have any sugar in it. Plus, it can also help you with your appetite and weight control.
Dried Fruits
Fruits are definitely an amazing source of all the necessary nutrients, like vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, etc. And when your fruit is dried, it losses its water, making the concentration of these nutrients even higher. However, dried fruits have sugar too in high concentration. And this can be a problem for a diabetic patient.
As per the estimate, raisins contain almost four times more carbs than grapes. And other types of dried fruits are also no different. So, given all this, it’s better to choose whole fruits over dried ones. This will not only give you all the nutrients that your body needs but will also keep your blood sugar level in control.
Fruit Juice
While fruit juice is definitely a very healthy beverage for anyone, its effects on your blood sugar level are quite similar to those of any other sugary drink. This is true for both, the ones that have added sugar in it and those that are 100 percent fruits. In fact, in some cases, fruit juices contain more carbs and sugar than sodas. For instance, a 250ml pack of unsweetened apple fruit juice contains approximately 24 grams of sugar, which is just the same as the equal amount of soda drink. An equivalent grape juice drink has an even higher amount of sugar, i.e. 32 grams.
Furthermore, just like sugar-based beverages, fruit juices have a high level of fructose, a substance that may lead to various health problems, such as obesity, insulin resistance and heart disease etc. So, instead of drinking fruit juices, prefer lemon water, which is virtually free of carbs and calories.
Flavored Coffee Beverages
Coffee is quite famous for the benefits it can provide us in terms of our health. And this also includes reducing the risk of diabetes. However, flavored coffee is quite different. A flavored coffee drink is actually more like a liquid dessert.
According to the research, our brain doesn’t process solid and liquid food in a similar way. So, when you drink something, you cannot compensate your calorie intake by eating a little less later. And this leads to an increase in weight. Furthermore, flavored coffee has a lot of carbs, which can spike up your blood sugar significantly.
So, in order to keep your weight and blood sugar level in control, prefer plain coffee.
High Fat Meat
Diabetic patients should avoid consuming high-fat meat, such as hot dogs, ground beef, ribs, bacon, etc., because they have a very high amount of saturated fats. Consuming saturated fats can raise your cholesterol level and increase the inflammation throughout your body. And this can elevate your risk of developing a heart disease, even more, since diabetic people are already prone to this.
Therefore, rather than consuming fatty meat, you should prefer lean proteins, such as lean beef, fish, skinless turkey and chicken, etc.
Bottom Line
Choosing what to eat and what to avoid can be really hard, especially when you are suffering from diabetes. But your goal should be to stay away from sugar, unhealthy fats, and any other foods that contain too many carbs. Avoiding such foods can really help you stay healthy in the long run.
I hope the above list helps you. But if you still have any doubts regarding this, or any other issues, you may reach out to us and talk to a doctor online, anytime.