Avoid These 5 Foods If You Have Diabetes

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Diabetes management requires daily maintenance, which includes a healthy diet, monitoring your blood sugar and exercising. Weight control is another main aspect of managing diabetes.

A healthy diet for diabetes will help in managing your weight. Familiarize yourself with foods that have a positive effect on your glucose levels, and avoid those foods that are likely to cause dangerous spikes in your blood sugar.

Learn which 5 foods you should avoid if you have diabetes.

Avoid These 5 Foods If You Have Diabetes
foods to avoid for diabetes / pixabay

Foods to Avoid for Diabetes

1. Dried Fruit

Fruit is a good source of several important minerals and vitamins, and this includes potassium and vitamin C.

When fruit is dried, the process results in loss of water, which leads to even higher concentrations of these nutrients. Also, its sugar content becomes more concentrated.

If you are suffering from diabetes, you do not have to give up fruit altogether. Stick to low-sugar fruits such as fresh berries or small apples, which can provide health benefits, while keeping your blood sugar in the normal range.

2. Fatty Meat Cuts

If you have diabetes, avoid high-fat cuts of meat because they are high in saturated fats. Saturated fats in meat raise your cholesterol, promote inflammation throughout your body, and can also put people suffering from diabetes at even greater risk for heart disease.

Choose lean proteins, that include turkey, skinless chicken, shellfish, fish, lean beef and pork tenderloin.

3. Fried Foods

You may have a weakness for fried chicken, french fries, fried dough, potato chips, etc, but getting rid of this craving will be better for your health. Fried foods soaked up tons of oil, which equals to lots of extra calories.

Also, overdoing the greasy stuff can pack up the pounds, therefore causing blood-sugar chaos. Added to that, some foods are deep-fried in hydrogenated oils, which are laden with unhealthy trans fats.

Trans fats will lower your HDL cholesterol, raise your LDL cholesterol and, according to a study that was published in February 2014 in the Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, can increase your risk of heart disease. Remember that, there is no amount of trans fats that you can safely include in your diet, most especially if you have type 2 diabetes.

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4. Sugary Foods

Sweets, soda, desserts, and other foods that are made mostly of processed sugar are considered low-quality carbohydrates. These foods lack in nutritional value, and they can also cause a sharp spike in your blood sugar, thus leading to weight problems. Both of these can exacerbate diabetes complications.

Instead of satisfying your sweet tooth consuming candy, cookies, or cake, reach for nutritious fruits, such as berries, apples, oranges, or pears. These high-quality carbohydrates contain plenty of fiber, which can help slow down the absorption of glucose, therefore so they are a far better choice for blood-sugar control.

You can pair fruits with a high-protein food, like peanut butter, for even better blood-sugar levels.

5. Rice, Pasta and White Bread

Rice, white bread, and pasta are high-carb, processed foods. Eating bagels, bread and other refined-flour foods has been shown to significantly increase blood sugar levels in individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

A study showed that gluten-free pastas raise blood sugar, with rice-based types having the greatest effect.

While another study found that a meal which contains high-carb bagel raised blood sugar level, while also decreasing brain function in individuals who have mental deficits and diabetes.

These processed foods contain just a small amount of fiber, which helps slow down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.

While another study showed that replacing white bread with high-fiber bread was found to significantly reduce blood sugar levels in people who are suffering from diabetes. Also, they experienced reductions in blood pressure and cholesterol.

Read More:
1. 7 Fruits for a Diabetes Friendly Diet
2. 7 Best Cooking Oils for People With Diabetes
3. Expert Says Mango Leaves Can Help Treat Diabetes

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