What Foods Should I Avoid If I Have Diabetes?

Do you avoid sugar-sweetened beverages?

Do you avoid foods high in trans fats (margarine, peanut butter, spreads, creamers, frozen dinners, baked goods (cakes, cookies and pies), and fried foods, including french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken)?

Do you avoid white bread, rice and pasta?

Do you avoid starting your day with sweetened breakfast cereals?

Do you avoid dried fruits?

Do you avoid fruit-flavored yogurt?

Do you avoid flavored coffee drinks?

Do you avoid white sugar, brown sugar as well as "natural" sugars such as honey, agave nectar and maple syrup?

Do you avoid fruit juices?

Do you avoid packaged snacks foods?

Based on your answers, here are some tips on what foods people with diabetes should avoid. Sweetened drinks are a bad choice for a person with diabetes because they are rich in carbohydrates and fructose, which can worsen insulin resistance, but also contribute to obesity and heart disease. Unfortunately, unsweetened 100% fruit juice also has high fructose content. Trans fats are extremely unhealthy, but they can be found in many products, so it is best not to buy food whose label says "partially hydrogenated fat". Processed foods that are high in carbohydrates and low in fiber, such as white bread, rice and pasta, can increase blood sugar levels.

Based on your answers, you know a lot about what foods to avoid when you have diabetes. Fruit-flavored yogurts are usually made from skim milk, so they are low in fat but actually full of sugar and carbohydrates, so they should be avoided. The same goes for dried fruit. In the process of drying, the fruit loses water so that its content of vitamins, minerals, but also sugar becomes concentrated. The increase in blood sugar can also be the result of consuming sweetened cereals, but also "natural" sugars, including honey and maple syrup. Packaged snacks are highly processed foods that can quickly raise blood sugar levels.