What are the foods to avoid for diabetes?
- Sugary drinks
- Trans fats
- White rice, bread, and pasta
- Full-fat dairy
- Fatty meat
- Packaged foods
Diabetes is a chronic and debilitating health condition that impacts how the body turns food into energy. Today, about 422 million people in the world have diabetes. If left unmanaged, diabetes can lead to heart diseases, blindness, kidney disease, stroke, and more. It’s important to understand that your diet plays a major role in managing diabetes. There are foods that control diabetes. However, there are also foods that increase blood sugar and ultimately, increase diabetes risk. In this article, we list the six foods to avoid with diabetes. Continue reading on!
Sugary Drinks
Sugary drinks like soda, sports drinks, energy drinks, powdered drinks, and sweetened tea or coffee drinks are the top beverage choices to avoid for those with diabetes.
Carbohydrates, fat, and protein are the macronutrients that provide the body with energy. Among these, carbohydrates have the greatest impact on blood sugar because they are broken down into glucose (sugar) and absorbed into the bloodstream.
Sugary drinks are very high in low-quality carbohydrates. These carbs lack nutritional value and increase blood sugar. According to a study, a 12-ounce (1.5 cups) soda contains 38.5 grams of carbs already. A 12-ounce sweetened iced tea contains about 45 grams of carbs from sugar. Additionally, these drinks are full of fructose, which is strongly associated with insulin resistance and diabetes. What’s more, the high fructose in sugary drinks leads to lower metabolic rate and belly fat formation.
Instead of sugary drinks, turn to carbohydrates with plenty of fiber such as apples, pears, and oranges to slow down glucose absorption. You can also consume club soda, water, and unsweetened iced tea.
Trans Fats
Trans fats are a type of unsaturated fat that is chemically altered and extremely unhealthy, especially for those with diabetes. These are made when food manufacturers turn liquid oils into solid fats.
Some of the food that contains trans fat include fried foods, cookies, cakes, frozen foods, margarine, shortening, peanut butter, and spreads. Trans fat plays a significant role in increasing inflammation, insulin resistance, lowering HDL “good” cholesterol, and impairing heart function. This is especially concerning for diabetics as they are the ones who are at risk for heart disease.
White Rice, Bread, and Pasta
White bread, white rice, and pasta are considered refined starches or refined carbohydrates. Refined starches are broken down right before they reach your plate. As a result of this processing, the body quickly absorbs refined starches and increases blood sugar.
Refined starches also contain very little fiber, which slows down sugar absorption into the bloodstream. After you eat white bread, white rice, and pasta, you will feel hungry very again soon.
Replace white bread, white rice, and pasta with brown rice, barley, high-fiber cereals, whole-grain bread, and oatmeal to reduce your sugar levels.
Full-Fat Dairy
Those with diabetes should avoid full-fat dairy goods like cream, ice cream, cream cheese, full-fat cheeses, and full-fat yogurt. These foods are high in saturated fats and can worsen insulin resistance. Dairy alternatives like skim milk, almond milk, soy milk, Greek yogurt, and string cheese are fat-free or have reduced fat.
Fatty Meat
People with diabetes should avoid fatty cuts of meat such as bacon, ribs, hot dogs, sausage, ground beef, and bologna. Similar to full-fat dairy, fatty meat is high in saturated fats. Saturated fats increase cholesterol, promote inflammation, and put you at a greater risk for heart disease. Keep in mind that people with diabetes are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
Instead of eating fatty meat, choose lean cuts of meat and protein like fish, seafood, skinless chicken, breast part of chicken, tenderloin, beans, nuts, seeds, and lean beef.
Packaged Foods
Pretzels, crackers, chips, snack cakes, and other packaged foods should be avoided by those who have diabetes. Aside from sodium and preservatives, they are loaded with unhealthy trans fats. As said earlier, trans fats lower HDL “good” cholesterol, increase LDL “bad” cholesterol, and raise the risk of cardiovascular problems. In addition, packaged foods are often made with refined flour and rapidly raise blood sugar.
Remember to read the nutrition label of the packaged foods you buy. These may contain more harmful ingredients than stated. If you can’t avoid snacking, it’s better to eat nuts, fruits, and whole-grain crackers.
Key Takeaway
Knowing which foods to avoid with diabetes can be challenging. However, staying informed and following this article can make it easier. If you are diabetic, your main aim is to avoid saturated fats, trans fats, processed food, and food that contain refined starches. Making adjustments in your diet can avoid more serious diabetes complications.
Want to manage your diabetes better? At Perpetual Help Medical Center – Las Pinas, our Diabetes Education Center and Nutrition Intervention Management Services (NIMS) offers a complete range of services including meal planning, dietary counseling, techniques for insulin injection, and more. Click here to inquire more about this.