Diabetes has become one of the fastest growing chronic conditions across the globe. Increased blood sugar levels characterize the ailment. Although it is not easy to reverse the state, experts say that there are several ways in which the condition can be managed in a better manner. Eating fiber-rich food, drinking enough water, and avoiding oily and sugary food items can help. The management of this condition is quite tricky as there are several dos and don’ts to it. You cannot control diabetes just by refraining sugary and junk food. It involves specific lifestyle changes that include exercising, eating a balanced and healthy diet, meditating, and much more. When it comes to a perfect diabetes diet, there is a lot of confusion. You should avoid taking these food items if you have diabetes.
Sugary Foods
Food items such as soda, sweets, and desserts are made of processed sugar. They are low-quality carbohydrates and cause a sharp spike in the blood sugar levels. Excessive consumption of these food items can lead to weight gain, thereby exacerbating diabetes complications. To satiate your sugar craving, reach for delicious fruits, such as apples, berries, pears, or oranges.
Fruit Juice
It sounds contrasting, but it’s true that fruit juice is unhealthy as compared to whole fruits. This is because whole fruits are rich in fiber and healthy carbohydrates, unlike fruit juice that has concentrated amounts of fruit sugar. Fruit juices can cause your blood sugar to shoot up; hence, it is best to avoid them.
Dried Fruit
Dried fruits are rich in nutrients, but the loss of water make them more concentrated in sugar. They contain thrice as many carbohydrates as fresh fruits do. Avoid dried fruits and go for low-glycemic fresh fruit options, such as strawberries, grapefruit, cantaloupe, and peaches.
White Rice, Bread, and Flour
Refined starches are a big no-no for people with diabetes as they contain a lot of sugar, and can result in a sharp spike of glucose levels. White rice, white flour, bread, and pasta are food items that are best avoided. Replace white carbohydrates with whole grains like brown rice, barley, oatmeal, whole-grain flour/ bread, high-fiber cereals, etc.
Full-Fat Dairy
Saturated fats in dairy products can increase your LDL cholesterol levels. This can lead to heart disease and another severe problem- insulin resistance. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid full-fat dairy products like cream cheese, ice cream, whole milk, full-fat yogurt, etc. at all costs. Consume fat-free dairy products instead.
Packaged Snacks and Baked Goods
Packed snacks and baked goods contain all things harmful. They are full of preservative, sugar, white flour, sodium, and trans fat. Trans fat increases your LDL cholesterol level and lowers your HDL cholesterol level. Trans fats is even more dangerous than saturated fats. You should not incorporate trans fat into your diet at all.
Fried Foods
Only taking the name of French fries, potato chips, fried chicken, and the like can make your mouth water. However, excessively consuming the same can pack on some extra pounds and cause blood-sugar chaos. Fried food items are soaked in tons of oil that contain unhealthy trans fat causing several health issues.
Alcohol
Drinking alcohol can interfere with your blood-sugar levels. In case you are too tempted to have a drink, keep it in moderation. “Moderation” here means one serving per day for a woman and no more than two for man.
Staying healthy is quite rewarding. It allows you to experience everything in life without any restrictions. And, if anything goes wrong, there is health insurance that offers financial support in case of a medical emergency. A health insurance policy should be your priority and not an option. It gives your peace of mind to live a stress-free life.