14 Foods to Avoid With Diabetes For A Healthier Life

Diabetic life does come with its fair share of limitations. As much as people might say that you can eat everything and anything, the amount does have restrictions. Wondering what foods to avoid with diabetes?

It is believed that every kind and form of food can be consumed in diabetes, if it is consumed in moderation. It is important to not go overboard with any kind of food.

By the end of this article, you will be more or less well versed with the list of foods to avoid with diabetes that can provide you with a healthy life.

What Foods to Avoid With Diabetes?

When it comes to discussing about why it is important to have restrictions for Diabetic patients, the reason behind the same is actually quite normal.

Diabetic patients have the tendency to have their sugar levels spiked and the abundance of glucose in the blood stream is what ends up being a problem for their overall health. Persistent presence of high levels of glucose often tends to have repercussions on the overall functioning of the body.

The kind of diet we consume is one of the primary deciding factors behind the kind of impacts it would have on our health.

There are certain foods that are quite beneficial for diabetics and there is a certain list of foods to avoid with diabetes as well.

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Check Out These Foods To Avoid With Diabetes.

1. Beverages with Sweeteners

Fizzy drinks and sweetened beverages might taste amazing and appetizing on the palate but their impacts on the body is not at all good for people with diabetes.

The standard 350 ml can or bottle of soda that you normal drink has around 35 grams of carbohydrates (R) in them.

The worst part of it is not even that. The carbohydrates are mainly in the form of fructose which further makes the situation worse. Fructose have the tendency to not just spike the blood glucose levels quickly but can also end up getting converted to fats by neoglucogenesis and then getting them stored in the body.

Apart from that, the level of fructose in these drinks are often associated with the heightened condition of insulin resistance which further makes the situation worse for diabetics.

Studies have also shown possible impacts on the induction of diabetes related other issues like fatty liver and such.

Not just that, a study (R) governing participants to consume 25% high fructose beverages for 10 consecutive weeks were found to have altered metabolism rate, weight gain and deposition of abdominal fat along with insulin resistance as well.

2. Grapes

Tastes and sounds delectable, don’t they?

While you might have a strong love for grapes, they are one of those foods to avoid with diabetes because of its high carbohydrate amount.

Even just one small grape is loaded with 1 gram of carbs in them. While that figure might not necessarily seem like much, there is not one person who eats just grape and is done for the day.

We do tend to consume a whole bunch which is where the problem does arise. It has a high glycemic index (R) when consumed in larger quantities.

If you are eating grapes, eat them in moderation. Pair it up with some other fruits that have low glycemic index. This will help in balancing out the carbs and you can enjoy your grapes too.

3. Fruit Juices

As weird as it might sound, fruit juice is one of those foods that are bas for diabetics.

You must be here wondering, but, what about the whole fruit juices?

Well, even they are a no go for the diabetes patients.

It is true that fruits for diabetes do actually play a very crucial role but the fruit juices don’t necessarily have the same impacts on their body.

The presence of concentrated sugars in the fruit juices is what ends up spiking the blood sugar levels which is not something you want to experience at all, especially when you are a diabetes patient.

Not just that, fruit juices also don’t contain all the essential fibers that are necessary for the body. Additionally, consuming fruit juices won’t fill you up the way eating a fruit does.

So, if you are a diabetic, it is better to concentrate on choosing healthier options for yourself instead of picking something that would end up doing the complete opposite of it.

4. Refined Grains

Grains, be it refined or the whole grains are predominant form of starch.

If you are to consider the foods to avoid in diabetes, grains do make the top 5 in the list. While whole grains still do have a good enough impact on the sugar levels of a diabetic, the same can’t necessarily be said about the refined grains.

Refined grains, especially white flour or enriched flour, is loaded with high levels of starch and has the potency of spiking the glucose levels in the blood very quickly.

Try and make healthier choices by consuming whole grains instead of the refined ones. Studies (R) have found that whole grains have the potency to reduce the risks of type 2 diabetes by 21%.

If you are looking out for grains to consume, try and include oatmeal, barley, brown rice, millet etc. in your diet rather than pasta, bread, crackers, cakes etc.

5. Trans fat

Trans fats are most possibly one of the worst kinds of fats that you could consume. If you have been looking out for the foods to avoid with diabetes, it is important to ensure that you avoid any form of industrial Trans fats completely.

These are primarily manufactured by adding in unsaturated fatty acids to them in order to keep them stable and in fresh condition.

If you are a diabetic, apart from the blood sugar levels, chances are that there could be additional factors that impact the overall health of an individual. Diabetics do have heightened risks of developing other accessory conditions which is why it is important to keep them in check.

While the consumption of Trans fats might not necessarily worsen the glucose levels in the blood right off the bat, it impacts other factors tremendously.

They have been associated with heightened inflammation (R), risks of insulin resistance (R) and even the deposition of belly fat (R). The worst of them all includes the fact that it brings down the levels of HDL in the body which can increase the risks of heart conditions.

6. Cherries

Much like grapes, even cherries are loaded with carbs, maybe not when you are eating just one but a handful.

One single cherry does contain 1 gram of carbohydrate which is quite a bit when you come to think of it.

Nobody stops at just a few cherries but the amount does extend on till multiples, right?

Instead of just gorging down cherries, it is best suggested to mix it up with other fruits so you can enjoy them all.

Owing to the high glycemic index, cherries are often considered in the list of foods to avoid with diabetes.

7. Dried Fruit

Yet another one of the common foods to avoid with diabetes is the dried fruit. Unlike the fruit juices, dry fruit do have their fibers and nutrition completely intact.

The only problem with this is the fact that the fruit sugars in them are predominantly concentrated which does make it easier for it to spike the blood sugar levels up.

If you have been considering eating dry fruits, consume the ones of the fruits which has a lower glycemic index. Consuming raisings won’t do your blood sugar levels any justice whatsoever.

For the best results, simply stick to the fruits that have lower glycemic index like that of grapefruit and cantaloupe. As shocking as it might sound, even strawberries and peaches have low glycemic index, so if you find them in dried forms, they are permissible for consumption.

8. High Protein Consumption

Protein is a very important part of every diabetic’s daily diet. This goes without saying.

The problem arises when the amount of protein is exceedingly high in your diet, especially when it is sourced from unhealthy sources like that of red meat and processed meats and such.

While the protein does help in keeping you full throughout and preventing you from craving unnecessary snack cravings, when the amount of protein in the body is high, chances are that it will undergo metabolism.

The cells in our body have the capability to transform non-glucose compounds into fats in our body, thereby causing heightened risks of type 2 diabetes which is the last thing you want to experience.

Instead of sourcing protein from the unhealthy sources, stick to the healthy options like beans, fish, soy, poultry, eggs etc.

9. Flavoured Yogurt

Yogurts are actually a good option to ponder upon, if you are suffering from diabetes. That being said, if you are opting for the fruit flavoured yogurt, chances are that you are doing your body worse than good.

It is very important to ensure that you steer clear of these kinds of fruit flavoured yogurt, mainly because of the fact that they are predominantly made from low fat milk and high amounts of sugar and carbs.

A standard 250 gm serving of the flavoured yogurt tends to contain around 45-50 grams of sugar (R), out of which nearly 81% of the calories are derived from it.

It is important to note that if you are planning on consuming yogurt, try and cut out the consumption of the flavoured ones, instead, stick with adding some fresh low glycemic index fruits to it for getting the overall benefits.

10. Pineapple

Pineapples, when completely ripe, are extremely juicy and sweet. The primary reason why this one is considered to be one of those foods that are bad for diabetics is mainly because of the fact that it has a high glycemic index.

This means that the consumption of pineapple slices have the tendency to spike your normal glucose levels in the body.

Not every person gorges down a whole pineapple which is one of the primary reasons why pineapple is often not a very hard pass at all. Given the fact that you won’t necessarily overeat it, chances are that it is not something you need to completely cut out from your diet. But, don’t make eating it a habit.

Try and include different varieties of fruits with it so you can reduce the amount you are consuming of this one.

11. Full Fat Dairy

Many people don’t have this knowledge but full fat dairy is actually one of the many foods to avoid with diabetes.

While the consumption of saturated fats from the full fat dairy often tends to contribute to the higher levels of LDL in the bloodstream, it also tends to impose higher risks of developing insulin resistance in individuals.

If you are pre-diabetic or even suffer from diabetes, it is always best suggested to ensure that you skip out on drinking full fat milk or any kind of derivative arising from the same, be it yogurt or even cream. Switch it up with something that will prove to be beneficial for your health.

12. Breakfast Cereals

Yet another one of the foods to avoid with diabetes are the sweetened breakfast cereal. If you are here wondering why, it is because of the combination of the refined grains along with the excess sugar which makes the entirety of food even higher on the carbs, thus making it unsuitable for the diabetics.

Majority of the breakfast cereals are often loaded in with more carbs than the normal ones, making them unhealthier than the standard version of cereal you will find.

Even just half a cup of such cereal could impact a lot of negative impacts on the body by increased carb content in them.

Instead of these, make sure to either opt for the whole grain based standard cereal or simply just stick to oats to get in that nutrition in the body.

13. Honey or Maple Syrup

 

How often have you come across people recommending honey as a replacement for the sugar and sweeteners?

Quite often, right?

If you are someone who likes to enjoy maple syrup or even a light drizzle of honey on their pancakes or waffles, chances are that you might have to drop out on those specific habits if you are a diabetic.

Even though honey and such other natural sweeteners might not necessarily have a lot of sugar content like that of the refined sugar, the amount is not necessarily lesser than what you would expect.

A conducted study on a group of participants suffering from pre-diabetes showed that the consumption of these natural forms of sweeteners even inflicted similar rise in the levels of blood sugar, insulin as well as the inflammatory responses. They were given 50 grams of sugar and then the same amount of honey.

Instead of depending on any form of sugar derivatives, try and stick to the natural forms of sweeteners like stevia etc.

14. Packaged Snacks

Many people have this notion that packaged snacks like pretzels and such are not that harmful for one’s health, especially for a diabetic patient.

That is not really the case though.

Majority of these packaged snacks tend to be loaded with refine flour and little to no nutrients in them. Apart from that, they also tend to have fast digesting carbs in them which further tend to spike the blood glucose levels to the peak.

Instead of depending on consuming the packaged snacks, try and switch it up with something healthier, much like that of the unhealthy and high in carb variants.

Summating all, it is not surprising that the list of foods to avoid with diabetes might seem long because of the ones mentioned here. Diabetes is handled best from prevention and regulation and it is always best suggested to be cautious of the foods that could inflict negative impacts on the body.