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Sunday 12 March 2017

Diabetic or Prediabetic : Eleven Foods To Avoid

Franziska Spritzler has a BSc in nutrition and dietetics. She is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator with expertise in carbohydrate-restricted diets for diabetes and weight management. She recently published an article on the Authority Nutrition site that you may be interested in reading.

She writes:
"Diabetes is a chronic disease that has reached epidemic proportions among adults and children worldwide.
Uncontrolled diabetes has many serious consequences, including heart disease, kidney disease, blindness and other complications.
Prediabetes has also been linked to these conditions.
Importantly, eating the wrong foods can raise your blood sugar and insulin levels and promote inflammation, which may increase your risk of disease.

This article lists 11 foods that people with diabetes or prediabetes should avoid.


Why Does Carb Intake Matter for People With Diabetes?
Carbs, protein and fat are the macronutrients that provide your body with energy.

Of these three, carbs have the greatest effect on your blood sugar by far. This is because they are broken down into sugar, or glucose, and absorbed into your bloodstream.

Carbs include starches, sugar and fiber. However, fiber isn’t digested and absorbed by your body in the same way other carbs are, so it doesn’t raise your blood sugar.

Subtracting fiber from the total carbs in a food will give you its digestible or “net” carb content. For instance, if a cup of mixed vegetables contains 10 grams of carbs and 4 grams of fiber, its net carb count is 6 grams.

When people with diabetes consume too many carbs at a time, their blood sugar levels can rise to dangerously high levels.
Over time, high levels can damage your body’s nerves and blood vessels, which may set the stage for heart disease, kidney disease and other serious health conditions.

Maintaining a low carb intake can help prevent blood sugar spikes and greatly reduce the risk of diabetes complications.

Therefore, it’s important to avoid the foods listed below.

1. Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
Summary: Sodas and sweet drinks are high in carbs, which increase blood sugar. Also, their high fructose content has been linked to insulin resistance and an increased risk of obesity, fatty liver and other diseases.

2. Trans Fats
Summary: Trans fats are unsaturated fats that have been chemically altered to increase their stability. They have been linked to inflammation, insulin resistance, increased belly fat and heart disease.

3. White Bread, Pasta and Rice
Summary: White bread, pasta and rice are high in carbs yet low in fiber. This combination can result in high blood sugar levels. Alternatively, choosing high-fiber, whole foods may help reduce blood sugar response.

4. Fruit-Flavored Yogurt
Summary: Fruit-flavored yogurts are usually low in fat but high in sugar, which can lead to higher blood sugar and insulin levels. Plain, whole-milk yogurt is a better choice for diabetes control and overall health.

5. Sweetened Breakfast Cereals
Summary: Breakfast cereals are high in carbs but low in protein. A high-protein, low-carb breakfast is the best option for diabetes and appetite control.

6. Flavored Coffee Drinks
Summary: Flavored coffee drinks are very high in liquid carbs, which can raise blood sugar levels and fail to satisfy your hunger.

7. Honey, Agave Nectar and Maple Syrup
Summary: Honey, agave nectar and maple syrup are not as processed as white table sugar, but they may have similar effects on blood sugar, insulin and inflammatory markers.

8. Dried Fruit
Summary: Dried fruits become more concentrated in sugar and may contain more than three times as many carbs as fresh fruits do. Avoid dried fruit and choose fruits low in sugar for optimal blood sugar control.

9. Packaged Snack Foods
Summary: Packaged snacks are typically highly processed foods made from refined flour that can quickly raise your blood sugar levels.

10. Fruit Juice
Summary: Unsweetened fruit juice contains at least as much sugar as sodas do. Its high fructose content can worsen insulin resistance, promote weight gain and increase the risk of heart disease.

11. French Fries
Summary: In addition to being high in carbs that raise blood sugar levels, french fries are fried in unhealthy oils that may promote inflammation and increase the risk of heart disease and cancer.

The Bottom Line
Knowing which foods to avoid when you have diabetes can sometimes seem tough. However, following a few guidelines can make it easier.
Your main goals should include staying away from unhealthy fats, liquid sugars, processed grains and other foods that contain refined carbs.
Avoiding foods that increase your blood sugar levels and drive insulin resistance can help keep you healthy now and reduce your risk of future diabetes complications."

Please read Franziska's full article with all information / research links here

You may also find our 'Introduction To Low Carb For Beginners' post interesting, find it 
here

We try and bring a variety of articles, studies etc. plus recent news/views and recipe ideas to this blog, we hope something for everyone to read and enjoy.

Please note, not all may be suitable for you.

If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan


15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the info. We avoid these items as much as possible.

eileeninmd said...

Hello, this is good information. It is important to know all the foods to avoid. Thanks for sharing. Happy Sunday, enjoy your day and the new week ahead!

only slightly confused said...

I'm feeling pretty good about this...we avoid totally 9 out of 11 and are very modest with our intake of the other two.

JFM said...

Great information!...thank you Jan!!!

Debbie said...

awesome information, but i am in real trouble if......

Jenn Jilks said...

This is good information. Sadly, I have little self-control!!!!

William Kendall said...

A good deal of these I already avoid- for instance I prefer whole wheat to white bread, but maple syrup's something I'd have a problem with cutting out.

Snowbird said...

Very informative Jan, those foods are probably bad for everyone too.xxx

Christine said...

great list, I am guilty of flavoured yogurt.

Rebecca D. Thomas said...

Great advice, thank you!!!

Revrunner said...

Gave up fries years and years ago. Yogurt? Uhm, love it. :-)

Sandra Cox said...

Good Gravy! I eat nearly everything on this list. Gulp.
Thanks for the heads up, Jan.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Great list..... I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes in 2004 --when my blood sugar was so high... I immediately started watching what I eat, lost some weight and started exercising more... This has worked for me since my blood sugar is fine now and has been for years. BUT---since the 'tendency' will always be there, I try to be careful...

I haven't been sick in years --but this past month, I have been VERY sick... Of course the blood sugar loves to rise when one is sick... I still tried to be careful ---but one drink (which I normally never drink due to the sugar) was the ONLY thing that I liked.. Guess what it was? ORANGE JUICE... I drank quite a bit of it last month...

BUT--now that I'm beginning to feel better, I will get back on track and stop drinking OJ....

Hugs,
Betsy

Bob Bushell said...

Thanks for the info Jan.

Magic Love Crow said...

Excellent post! Thank you for the information!!