Welcome back to Linkingo.com! So, we have discussed foods for type 2 diabetes and the proper diet to adopt but didn’t mentioned the foods to avoid with type 2 diabetes. A healthy diet for diabetes patients consists of healthy carbs like fruits, veggies, whole grains; low-fat dairy; heart-healthy fish like salmon, tuna, or mackerel; and good fats like avocado or olive oil.
However, it is not just about choosing the right foods. Limiting dishes that can spike your blood sugar levels and increase your risk of complications is also crucial for healing from the condition. That’s why we will take a look at foods to avoid for type 2 diabetes patients.
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So, What Types Of Foods To Avoid With Type 2 Diabetes?
According to Amy Kimberlain – RD, CDE, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokeswoman, balancing your blood sugar levels is all about food choices. “The general rule of a balanced, healthful diet for diabetes patients is to avoid refined carbohydrates, which increase blood sugar levels. You might also want to avoid saturated fats because they raise the level of cholesterol in your blood, which directly leads to heart disease”, she said.
After analyzing, we have divided foods diabetes patients should avoid into seven groups. Limiting these will not only keep your blood sugar at a safe level but also prevent weight gain. Losing weight can improve your insulin sensitivity, meaning you are less resistant and better able to respond to insulin.
1. Sugary Foods.
It might be bad news for dessert-lovers, but most of them are made primarily of processed sugar, like candy or soda. These are categorized as low-quality carbohydrates. They don’t provide any significant nutritional value and might cause a sharp spike in your blood sugar levels.
Aside from that, they are the main culprit behind weight problems. As refined carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels, your body will produce extra insulin to lower them down. The thing is, insulin serves as a fat-storage hormone. The more circulating insulin in your bloodstream, the more carbohydrates are converted into fat and stored by your body.
If you have a sweet tooth, it would be better to reach for fruits like apples, berries, pears, and oranges instead of sweets. They are a high-quality source of carbohydrates that provide plenty of fiber. Therefore, they help slow down glucose absorption. You will get better results if you pair fruits with high-protein foods, such as peanut butter.
There is only one caveat: Fruits are healthy in general, but they also raise blood sugar. For diabetics, it is all about timing. You shouldn’t consume fruits right after meals since that’s when your blood sugar level reaches its peak. Having a piece of fruit will only raise it even more. You should take time for the body to return to the normal range before giving yourself an apple or some berries.
2. White Carbs.
Scientists have proven that white carbs can significantly increase blood sugar levels in type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients. This response doesn’t limit to products made with white refined flour. A study shows that gluten-free pasta also increases blood sugar, with rice-based types having the most significant effect.
Another study discovered that white carbs also decrease brain functions in type 2 diabetes patients.
Also, foods that are high in white carbs are often low in fiber. Therefore, they can’t slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.
If you can replace white carbs with other carbs high in fiber, you can dramatically lower blood sugar levels. What’s more, it also helps you reduce the level of bad cholesterol.
3. Full-Fat Dairy.
Full-fat dairy often contains saturated fat. This type of fat can raise harmful cholesterol levels, hence putting you at risk of heart disease. As a diabetic, saturated fat can even further harm your body: It worsens insulin resistance.
It is best to avoid full-fat dairy and its products, such as cream, full-fat yogurt, ice cream, and cream cheese. Dairy products are still a rich source of protein, but you should look for fat-free ones instead. According to the American Heart Association, everyone should get no more than 5 to 6 percent of their total calories from saturated fat. It is even more crucial to those with diabetes. Therefore, if your average calories consumption is 2,000 per day, that’s around 120 calories from saturated fat.
4. Fatty Cuts Of Meat.
We all love regular ground beef, bologna, hot dogs, sausage, bacon, and ribs. However, just like full-fat dairy, they contain plenty of saturated fat. Saturated fats in meat increase bad cholesterol and promote inflammation throughout the body. Hence, it puts diabetes patients at even higher risk of cardiovascular disease. This risk in diabetics is higher than most people because diabetes contributes to other conditions that worsen heart health, including high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, high triglycerides, and obesity.
There are still many healthy and delicious choices for you when it comes to meat. Select lean proteins, such as skinless chicken or turkey, fish and shellfish; pork tenderloin; and lean beef. Once in a while, you can still treat yourself to some ground beef. Just make sure to choose one that’s at least 92% lean and 8% fat.
5. Packaged Snacks And Baked Goods.
We all know that packaged snacks contain sugar, junky white flour, sodium, and preservatives harmful to the body. However, the most dangerous thing in packaged snacks is trans fats. It promotes bad cholesterol, lowers good cholesterol, and puts you at risk of heart disease.
Trans fats are even nastier than saturated fats, especially for people with type 2 diabetes who are already at a higher risk of cardiovascular conditions. According to experts, there is no trans fat that you can safely include in your diet, even for a healthy individual.
The only good news is that you can easily spot the amount of trans fat on the food labels. When going to the grocery or supermarket, look for those that list 0 grams of trans fat. However, the U.S Foods And Drugs Administration (FDA) states that products with less than 0.5 grams of trans fats can claim 0 grams. Therefore, the package in your hand might not be trans-fats-free. Make sure to read the ingredient list and see if it contains partially hydrogenated oils, a significant source of trans fats.
6. Oily, Breaded Fried Foods.
Even if you are not into fatty foods, you might still have a weakness for fried ones such as french fries or potato chips at some point. Fried foods typically soak up tons of oil, which equates to lots of extra calories. Many of them are coated in breading first, which jacks up the number even more. It is easy to overdo greasy stuff, and once you do, you will cause blood sugar chaos.
These foods don’t spike blood sugar for a short period but will leave it high for many hours. That’s because fats take a long time to digest. Even some of them are deep-fried with hydrogenated oil, so they contain trans fat as well.
You can still enjoy the same flavor without extra carbs and calories by roasting or grilling your foods.
7. Sweeteners.
Most people think that natural sweeteners, such as honey are okay. Yes, they are better than artificial ones, but the body still won’t distinguish between sugar – it just knows that’s sugar. Therefore, they still will make your blood sugar level go up, which is bad for diabetes patients. You can use them moderately, under the recommendation of your doctor or healthcare provider.
Top 9 Foods To Avoid If You Have Type 2 Diabetes
1. Cinnamon Rolls.
We all know that donuts and muffins aren’t ideal for diabetes patients to start the day. Yet, many of us underestimate the risk that certain pastries pose. Cinnamon rolls, for example, can contain more saturated fat and added sugar than an individual with diabetes should have in an entire day.
2. Pancake.
Though being a breakfast staple, pancakes hardly contain any nutrients. Instead, it is topped with unhealthy toppings such as sugar syrup and saturated-fat-laden butter. In combination, they take your blood sugar level on a roller coaster.
3. White Bread.
White bread, the production of white carbs, acts a lot like sugar once your body begins to digest them. That means they will undoubtedly boost your glucose levels. It is best to replace white bread with whole-grain bread or rye bread.
4. Country-Fried Steaks.
This dish, made with tenderized cube steak and white flour, is something you must avoid altogether. High-fat meat and breading create an unpleasant combination for individuals with diabetes and can affect their heart health.
5. Foods To Avoid With Type 2 Diabetes – French Fries.
French fries are a typical oily fried food that is high in simple fat and carbs. It is a formidable combination for diabetes because it will raise blood sugar quickly, and the fat takes a while to digest. However, it doesn’t mean you are forbidden from enjoying potatoes. You only have to pay attention to how they are prepared and how much you consume each meal.
6. Frozen Dinners.
When mentioning the word “diabetes”, many people will think about carbs and sugar. There is one thing most tend to forget, which is salt. Dialing back on salt can decrease blood pressure and lower the risk for heart attack or stroke – two diseases that often come with diabetes. Since many frozen dinners are teeming with sodium to act as a flavor enhancement and preservatives, it is best to keep the consumption of these foods to a minimum.
7. Foods To Avoid With Type 2 Diabetes – Pretzels.
Pretzels indeed are addicting, but they are not so ideal for diabetes patients. Briefly, this snack is the combination of heart-taxing sodium and refined, simple carbs that can quickly spike your blood sugar levels in a minute.
8. Fruit-Flavored Yogurt.
If you still think fruit-flavored yogurts are healthy, you might want to know that most of them contain precious little fruits and more sugar instead. But fruit-flavored yogurts are not the only ones. A cup of creamy vanilla yogurt also contains 31 grams of carbs (28 are sugar) and only 7 grams of proteins.
9. Foods To Avoid With Type 2 Diabetes – Dried Fruits.
Since these sweet treats are produced by nature, people assume that they are innocent. Well, they are not! While fresh fruits contain nutrients like minerals and fibers, sweet and chewy dried fruits can pack somewhere between 34 and 75 grams of carbs (for raisin and dates) in a tiny 1.5-ounce serving.
So, how many names are in this list of foods to avoid with type 2 diabetes that you didn’t expect to see? Many foods people suppose to be beneficial for their health turn harmful to folks with diabetes. That’s one of the reasons why some people with diabetes try to improve their condition, with or without medication, and see little to no change. They most likely consume the wrong foods in the long run.
Aside from those above, there is still one single food that you won’t be able to imagine. Yet, it can spike your blood sugar levels within a few minutes and ruin all of your effort to get rid of diabetes into pieces. Most people think that a plant-based meal plan is safe, but actually, deep-fried it is not …
As Long As You Still Consume This Lethal Green Veggie, Type 2 Diabetes Will Still Haunt You!
Yes, you are not reading it wrong. It is a type of vegetable, a very prevalent, seemingly innocent vegetable that’s present every day on your dinner table. Yet, it will be a nightmare for your diabetes without you even realizing it.
The Real Truth Behind This Deadly Leafy Green Will Be Revealed In …
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Foods To Avoid With Type 2 Diabetes – Conclusion.
We hope that you are clear about the top 7 food groups and top 9 foods you should avoid if you have type 2 diabetes in this article. Keep in mind that the choice you make today determines your tomorrow. Refrain from consuming these foods as much as possible because they will worsen your condition and sabotage your healing effort.
It brings us to the end of our article on foods to avoid with type 2 diabetes. Your support is our encouragement, so if you find this article helpful, please like and share! Please do not hesitate to leave a comment below if you have other suggestions.
We look forward to seeing you again.
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