According to the American Diabetes Association, not only medication can help you control this dangerous condition that is diabetes, but your diet matters as well. A well-balanced diet plan helps to keep blood glucose, blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight on the healthy levels.
Eating habits are especially important when it comes to your blood glucose levels. Not only the type of products you consume matters but also how consistent you are with your meals. In other words, how much you eat and when.
Some people think that such diets only involve quitting eating sugar, but there are many more products to avoid, and you’ll see the most important of them listed below.
Red Meat
Red meat contains lots of saturated fats; that’s why its consumption can result in cardiovascular disease and diabetes. So, for those already with diabetes, red meat is particularly hazardous. The reason for that is that the nitrites in it reduce the effectiveness of the pancreas’ work. Also, the iron in this product can raise insulin resistance.
Pretzels
Pretzels are sometimes considered to be pretty healthy, for some reason, but in reality, they’re hardly good for you. Just have a look at the ingredients; there’s white flour, fats, and salt – junk food apotheosis. As a result, pretzels don’t do much in terms of nutrition. What’s more, the refined carbs in them lead to blood sugar spikes.
Coffee with Cream and Sugar
Coffee shops have deserved their bad reputation because they add lots of sugar to their drinks. People who have diabetes are better off making coffee at home. It’s not that difficult, and hey, so many financial experts claim drinking coffee you made yourself will solve all your money problems! Time to check if that’s true. If your drink contains a lot of fat and sugar often, it might cause insulin resistance development.
Smoothies
But smoothies are just some fruits blended together, right? In theory, yes, but unfortunately, if you weren’t the one who made it, you can’t be sure that your “healthy” drink doesn’t contain tons of sugar—especially those huge delicious (and instagrammable) ones, with fruit syrups and yogurts. The same goes for juices – always look at what they contain. Or just opt for fruit instead – it’s much healthier.
Flavored Water
Ok, smoothies, juices, but water?… It must be ok even with a little flavoring, it’s still just water! That’s the idea which marketing strategies try to sell you all the time. This is the case with VitaminWater, for example. It contains 32 grams of sugar in just one bottle. Just drink some water, and add a slice of lemon or lime in it, if you want that extra flavor.
Mayonnaise
Mayo is not great for you; that’s a pretty much known fact by now. First of all, it is typically produced with dangerous fats, even though it could have been easily avoided by using some less harmful alternatives, such as olive oil. The condiment also has tons of carbs and sodium, which is especially dangerous for diabetes patients. If you aren’t ready to replace mayo with something healthier, stick to the kinds with olive oil and more or less healthy ingredients.
White Bread
White bread has loads of starches as well as refined grains. The latter is well-known for being digested very fast and processed in a similar manner to sugar. Even though there’s no actual sugar in white bread, its consumption still leads to blood glucose spikes, which are risky for people with diabetes. Besides, this type of food doesn’t have many nutrients, especially fiber, which affects blood glucose in the way that it leads to its digestion in a more measured manner, more consistently. Thus, fiber is essential for avoiding blood glucose spikes; that’s why it’s so important to consume enough fiber if you have diabetes.
Nachos
It is impossible not to love nachos, but this dish, despite being very yummy, can be dangerous for people with diabetes. A plate of nachos typically contains red meat, lots of cheese, refried beans, and loads of other unhealthy ingredients. In addition, all chips are not great for people with diabetes, except when they are baked in an oven, and that’s why they aren’t high in carbs. Anyway, this whole plate of fats isn’t good for anyone.
Dried Fruit
Yet another type of food that is usually portrayed as a healthier option. While the fruits are turning into the dried version of themselves, the sugar which they contain becomes concentrated. And from that moment on, it’s not good for you because and can easily cause spikes in blood sugar. Also, sometimes actual sugar is added to make them tastier. Throughout the article, that’s a common trend – choose the most natural versions of things, in this case, fruits.
