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 wrote 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.
Pre-diabetes 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 pre-diabetes should avoid.
"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.
Pre-diabetes 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 pre-diabetes 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 fibre. However, fibre isn’t digested and absorbed by your body in the same way other carbs are, so it doesn’t raise your blood sugar.
Subtracting fibre 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 fibre, 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 fibre. This combination can result in high blood sugar levels. Alternatively, choosing high-fibre, whole foods may help reduce blood sugar response.
4. Fruit-Flavoured Yogurt
Summary: Fruit-flavoured 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. Flavoured Coffee Drinks
Summary: Flavoured 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."
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 fibre. However, fibre isn’t digested and absorbed by your body in the same way other carbs are, so it doesn’t raise your blood sugar.
Subtracting fibre 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 fibre, 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 fibre. This combination can result in high blood sugar levels. Alternatively, choosing high-fibre, whole foods may help reduce blood sugar response.
4. Fruit-Flavoured Yogurt
Summary: Fruit-flavoured 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. Flavoured Coffee Drinks
Summary: Flavoured 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
All the best Jan
You may also find our 'Introduction To Low Carb For Beginners' post interesting, find it here
We 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:
I'm thankful I'm not a diabetic.
There are so many people who do not eat the correct food and find themselves in hospital to be levelled out - I've seen so many it's just wicked.
Thanks for this great reminder.
I like when lists are provided with such detailed observations,, and instructions,,
I think that we could all (diabetic or not) benefit from at least limiting (severely) these foods.
Good article, thanks for sharing. Hugs, Valerie
Great source of info here Jan...thank you very much!!!
Hugs
💮❤💮
thank you sooo much for this absolutely useful information dear Jan!!!
in 48th year of my life i think this was needed to know strongly!
information about veggies and fruits are shocking because we usually think that while taking them we are adding only fiber to our blood .
i think your post is making point here about the portion of balanced diet rather than avoiding the all kinds of food
Thanks Jan, I'll remember that.
Thanks so much for this because it's super important information. I'm bookmarking to save. Hugs...and Happy Monday! RO
Wow...in 2012 I was told I was a diabetic. I hated that cause that was just one more jab to my horrible health. I have always been that one in the family that has all the issues! But...thanks to gastric bypass surgery a yr ago (don't think you have been following me that long) and dropping 70 lbs, I no longer have to take meds for it! YAY.....also, due to having it, and fibromylgia it was really hard to concentrate on cooking right for myself. So I had to do the meds.....
Wow so many foods to avoid. I am very blessed with good health. I try to eat a good balanced diet and my motto is all things in moderation.
A lot of these I either limit or avoid altogether.
It's interesting that you mentioned being "pre-diabetic." When I was pregnant with my first child (almost fifty years ago... YIPES!) I was told that I had gestational diabetes, which led to him being a very large baby and me having an emergency C-section. Our other two kids were large, too, but the surgeon took them early so they wouldn't get TOO big. Fast forward to a recent routine trip to the doctor. She said my blood sugar was a little high, and I told her about the gestational diabetes diagnosis of long ago. She laughed and said there's no such thing as gestational diabetes or pre-diabetes. According to her, you're either diabetic... or you're not. (I still don't know if I agree with her on that one, especially since one of the doggone medications she has me taking is known to elevate blood sugar levels.)
Anyhow, thanks for the list. It's good common sense eating advise for all of us.
A very concise and helpful list. I am not diabetic but follow a low carb diet to lose weight (under Dr.'s orders). I never was one for juices or soft drinks/pop and have never liked sweet cereals so I'm already ahead of the game. Any bread is high fibre, whole grains - rye breads or sourdough - that sort of thing - but a loaf can now last me 3 weeks and a slice is a treat. Pasta and rice were really tough as they were such quick meals but instead of being something I consume 3 or 4 times a week they are now once or twice a month at the most. Treats are strictly monitored and are TREATs not daily consumables.
It's not easy but it is worth it.
Thank you for this list Jan! Big Hugs!
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