Top 5 Things To Avoid When You Have Diabetes

Things To Avoid in Diabetes

People suffering from diabetes usually have high blood sugar. This is because their bodies aren’t unable to efficiently process glucose properly. This can either be due to the fact that their bodies aren’t producing enough insulin which is essential for this function. Or, this hormone isn’t being utilized well in order to convert glucose into energy. For this reason, many diabetes patients turn to treatment or take medicine for diabetes. They can also eat the right food to properly regulate their blood sugar levels. 

If you have this disease, then chances are you’ve been told by your doctor to avoid a number of foods. These foods may cause your blood sugar to spike. These are not only limited to sugar-laden drinks, and sweets. But, foods that are high in trans fat and carbohydrates. Sticking to a strict diet can be tricky, but keeping them in mind is the key for you to avoid risking any complications. It will help you live a healthier and happier life. Read on to learn more. 

1. Sugary Drinks

No one can resist a cool and refreshing glass of iced tea on a hot summer day. There’s just nothing like taking a sip of this drink and letting the first few sweet gulps cool you down. 

However, just like any other artificially-sweetened drink, iced tea contains a large amount of sugar. For every 100mL, you’ll already get 8 grams of sugar. It is almost ⅓ of the recommended daily intake for type-2 diabetes sufferers. 

Aside from iced tea, this might be the perfect time to let go of other sweet beverages like store-bought fruit juices, energy drinks, chocolate milk, and worst of them all, soda. Instead, go for healthier, unsweetened alternatives. These may include water, unsweetened tea, tomato juice, sugar-free drinks, or if you prefer, carbonated water. 

2. Sweets

Sweets bring anyone comfort, even those who aren’t suffering from this chronic illness. Although there’s no strict rule on altogether banning sweets for diabetics. It’s advised that these be eaten alongside other meals for a healthy and well-balanced diet.

Some sweets that can be eaten in moderation include oatmeal cookies, dark chocolate, or even candy. But, remember not to overdo them. Instead, think of better and healthier alternatives to your favorite sweets to eat. 

Say for example, you’re craving supermarket cookies — why not go for plain biscuits that you can munch on while sipping tea? Craving for dried fruit? You may think this is a healthy option because, well, it’s fruit after all. But there’s just so much sugar in this kind of snack, you might as well gorge on a chocolate bar (this is NOT recommended). 

To curb your cravings, go for actual fruit instead like grapes, kiwi, apple, avocado, banana, pear, or pineapple. Not only do they contain much less sugar, but they also have a number of health benefits. 

3. High-Carb Food

Diabetics are not only advised to avoid munching on and drinking sweet snacks, they’re also oftentimes told to lay low on the carbohydrates. Especially when there aren’t adequate levels of the hormone insulin produced in their bodies, they might not be able to efficiently break down the nutrients from the carbohydrates. Carbs can also cause blood sugar levels to skyrocket, which is something that needs to be avoided.

Some examples of carb-rich foods include pizza, pasta, white bread, cheeseburger, fries, donuts, bagel, brownies, cookies — and basically anything that doesn’t bring value to the body. In the same vein, it’s not sound advice to get rid of carbs altogether — the idea is to get this essential nutrient from healthier choices. 

Diabetics can get creative about their diet. If they’re missing the taste of cheesy pizza, they can switch the flour-based crust to cauliflower. For pasta, a tasty recipe would be “zoodles” or zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, or eggplant lasagna sheets.

4. Deep Fried Food

Deep fried foods rich in trans fats and saturated fats don’t really have a direct correlation with exacerbating the health condition of diabetics, but there have been studies regarding their effects on insulin. Simply put, these studies have shown that high consumption of these “unhealthy” fats lead to a poorly-functioning insulin production. They can also cause a number of cardiac-related diseases that can be fatal in extreme circumstances.

Dietitians may advise to skip out all food sources of trans and saturated fats and instead choose foods with “healthy” or unsaturated fats. These can be found in fish, like salmon, mackerel, anchovies, or sardines. For those that don’t have allergens, they can also opt for natural sources of fat, like avocado, eggs, beans, and nuts. 

5. Key Takeaway

Aside from medicine for diabetes, sufferers from this chronic disease are also advised by their doctors to stay away from unhealthy food selections, like sweets, sugary drinks, carbs, deep fried food, and the like. Most of these can just worsen the condition and may even lead to other health issues.

If you or someone you know is a diabetic, keep in mind that there are still ways to eat your favorite foods without the guilt — the healthier choice just needs to be incorporated. 

Coupled with sound medical advice from a professional, such as a doctor or a dietitian and regular exercise, eating the right food can help diabetics navigate daily life with little difficulty.