Diabetes is a chronic disease. Type 2 develops slowly over time...
And then something tips your health over into illness...
This condition can lead to many other serious consequences...
If it's left untreated...
Controlling diabetes, or more specifically, your blood sugar level takes a balancing act...
And that means avoiding some high carb, or sugary foods...
that spike glucose levels, trigger inflammation,
cause more hunger, and sap your energy.
Today, we’ll learn which foods are the very worst for Diabetics...
And therefore should be avoided at all costs...
Some of these SEEM very healthy, so don’t want to miss a single one!
And you'll want to hear a few tips about
why they're bad, even though they're based on healthy food...
And what you can eat instead...
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Now, let’s count down the very worst foods for diabetics...
But please note, these are all bad choices...
12. Gluten-Free Foods . . . sometimes
Sometimes, gluten free foods are healthier...
They look healthier if they’re labeled as “organic” or “low-fat.”
And, sure, it’s true they might have less contaminants due to that fact...
However, with the rise in need for gluten-free products,
we've seen more snack-type foods...
Many of these gluten-free products are high in carbs, and gluten-free breads tend to be
denser, because they don’t rise the same way
bread does with gluten in it.
The gluten free product section is also full of snacks...
meaning white crackers, pretzels, and breads...
So, let's talk about the gluten version, too...
11. White Bread and Crackers
This category includes many varieties that might not cross your mind, like instant noodles,
pancakes, crackers, and pretzels. Saltine crackers have 20 grams of carbs, pretzels
have 22, and graham crackers have 21... Well, all three hardly have any fiber at all.
It’s easy to see that doughnuts are sugary treats, but so are pancakes.
Pancakes, by themselves, don’t offer much
nutrition, and we often slather them in butter and syrup.
Bagels are also loaded with carbohydrates, although you might pair them with cream cheese
and lean meat.
When it comes to instant noodles, they’ll spike your blood sugar level, AND you have
to watch
out for the outrageous sodium content.
Along with these issues, many foods might
have even more carbs than their label claims. A study called “Food label accuracy of common
snack foods” found that snack foods have an average of 7.7% MORE carbs than stated.
That’s not good news for anyone counting
carbs or calories, and it’s ESPECIALLY bad for Diabetics, who have to know what they’re
eating. So, avoid white bread and any related product.
BUT you can have whole wheat breads
and it's even better to pair whole wheat foods with proteins and healthy
fats. 10. Cold Cereal
Guess where you’ll see the most health claims in a grocery store? The cold cereal aisle!
Some cereals with sugar as their second ingredient after wheat or corn meal,
will still advertise their health benefits on front of the box.
Cereals are often loaded with carbs and added sugars, but they don’t have much in the
way of fiber or protein. Plus, eating cereal usually means adding a
good amount of milk. That means you’ll be adding fat and sugar content on top of the
high-carb load you’re already getting with these bread products.
Yes, even the healthiest of cold cereals are still grain-based, and they will raise blood
sugar to some extent. If you can’t get by without a quality-but-quick
breakfast, try keeping your blood sugar in check with eggs and avocado on top of 100%
whole wheat toast, and ditch the cereal for good.
While we’re looking at carby breakfasts, let’s talk about oatmeal.
We must include instant oatmeal in the extremely BAD category.
Old fashioned, steel-cut oats offer a lot of fiber. In fact, they tend to contain a
specific type of fiber called beta-glucan, which can have anti-diabetic effects. But
you lose out on that fiber and most any other nutrition when you go with instant oatmeal.
Of course, most instant oatmeal products are also carb-heavy and loaded with added sugars.
9. Dried Fruit Here’s one food that can trick you!
Dried fruit seems like a handy and healthy snack, and it does contain a little fiber
and some nutrients. The problem is, when it comes to dried fruits,
their natural sugar content has been MAJORLY concentrated.
Basically, just one slice of dried pineapple is pretty much equivalent to eating an entire
apple or banana! Whole, fresh fruit has water content, fiber,
and more nutrients, because it’s less processed. And, of course, due to the higher fiber and
water content, whole fruit will fill you up much quicker.
So don’t be fooled when you see dried fruit in a section with healthy nuts or even health
foods. Because, at the end of the day, dried fruit
is basically candy! 8. Fruit Smoothies
Here’s another fruit food where nutrition takes a back seat.
While fruit smoothies are often promoted as a healthy drink, full of vitamins, minerals,
and antioxidants, they’re also extremely high in carbohydrates.
Like dried fruit, smoothies have concentrated sugars . . . and often added sugars.
It’s important to understand that fruit smoothies and chain-store fruit energy juice
drinks that there are usually multiple pieces of fruit, compressed down to fit into one
cup. That means you’ll most likely be consuming
more fruit in a few gulps than you should be consuming in a day.
We like to think that fruit smoothies have fiber, but in reality they lose some of the
fiber when they’re pulverized. If you go for store-bought juiced fruit drinks, they
take it a step further by removing pretty much all the fiber content.
So what looks like a very healthy option in between meals is actually a low-fiber, high
carb and sugar food. You can improve your smoothie by adding healthy
fat and protein content, such as avocado or yogurt, to your fruit smoothie, but that still
won’t negate the high carb load. So if you’re really craving a fruit smoothie,
make one at home with just a few pieces of fresh fruit. Add in some protein and healthy
fat, and keep the portion size very small. 7. Honey and Maple Syrup
All natural food is usually much healthier . . . however, diet is a little different
when you’re diabetic. Honey and maple syrup are natural foods, but
they’re both basically pure SUGAR. Bees make and eat honey because they spend
all day working, often flying from flower to flower.
Maple syrup is a type of sugar that maple trees live on.
So while they’re natural, they’re not a natural food for humans to eat.
Only 1 tablespoon of both honey and maple syrup contain over 50 calories and over 10
grams of carbs. In fact, 2/3 of maple syrup is basically just sucrose.
That means honey and maple syrup can each send your blood sugar skyrocketing. So these
natural sweets should be used sparingly. 6. Flavored Yogurt
Now, yogurt CAN be healthy . . . if it’s just plain, unsweetened yogurt.
But when you add high fructose corn syrup, sugar, or fruit syrup, you’re changing it
into a full-on dessert. In fact, some small yogurt containers have
up to 45 grams of sugar! Plus, food corporation, pre-packaged yogurts often have other harmful
chemicals added in order to improve the shelf-life, taste, and texture.
Another problem with flavored yogurts, sold in supposedly healthy single-serving containers,
is that they most likely won’t satisfy your appetite. Since the container is small, and
there’s very little if any fiber, you’ll consume a high amount of fat and carbs very
quickly, but you’ll still be left hungry. However, low-fat yogurt isn’t necessarily
good for you either. These types of products are usually loaded with added sugar and unhealthy
preservatives. Instead, skip the single-serving yogurt packages
and go for larger quantities of unsweetened Greek yogurt. From there you can prepare a
bowl at home and include your own chopped fruit or berries.
5. Ice Cream Ice cream is similar to flavored yogurt in
sugar content . . . plus it has lots of saturated fat, which can clog your arteries.
Why is ice cream such a tricky food? Some varieties can seem healthy when they include
fruit or nuts. But, the bottom line is - the incredible amount
of sugar and fat makes most any ice cream a food that will spike your blood sugar and
add on the pounds. Then there’s milkshakes . . . which you
might think are better because they’re not as thick as ice cream.
They’re still loaded with sugar and calories. A SMALL fast food milkshake has 19 grams of
fat, and 14 of those are saturated! It could also contain about 500 calories and
77 grams of carbs. Before you despair, there’s some good news:
you can make a chocolate shake at home that won’t send your blood sugar soaring.
Start by freezing a banana, and then chop it into a blender with 2 tablespoons unsweetened
cocoa powder, and choose a plant-based alternative to full-fat milk, such as almond or coconut
milk. You can also add fiber with a tablespoon of
flax seed. Also, half an avocado will make your shake
creamier and add healthy fats . . . and you won’t really taste it.
We’ll get to the top 4 worst foods for diabetics in just a moment.
But first, it’s time to reveal our 2 free gifts!
Get a deeper look at the best foods for helping you fight diabetes with our free book - “The
10 Incredible Foods That Reduce Blood Sugar.” Also, the learn the real truth about how sugar
affects your body, with our 1 hour documentary - “The Scary Truth About Sugar.”
Just click the link in the description below to gain full access to both gifts.
And now, let’s get back to the list... 4. Deep Fried Foods
“Deep frying” food usually means to cook it submerged in boiling oil.
But there’s also deep frying at home with a pan of oil, even if it’s not in a deep
fryer. A study in the The American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition said that frying foods changes the quality of nutrients and raises the calorie
count. Researchers surveyed 70,000 women and concluded
that frequently eating fried foods increased the risk of type 2 Diabetes AND cardiovascular
diseases. In fact, eating fried foods just one to three times per week could raise your
risk of a heart attack or a stroke by 7%. Eating fried foods at a restaurant raised
the risk factors even more. While cooking at home lets you choose healthier
cooking oils, like extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, fast food chains and restaurants
usually opt for cooking oils high in saturated fats, such as canola oil.
Researchers warned that eating fried foods also encourages drinking sugary drinks and
eating larger portion sizes, both leading to weight gain.
All these factors make deep fried foods one of the very worst for Diabetics.
3. Pizza Is all pizza equal? No. American pizza takes
carbs to a whole new level when compared to those European thin crust styles.
But any kind of pizza with a white bread crust, meat, and excessive amounts of oil, will hurt
your health—especially for those managing diabetes.
A typical slice of simple cheese pizza could contain over 270 calories, over 30 grams of
carbs, and almost 10 grams of fat. Plus, most pizza is usually high in sodium.
This is one dinner choice that you’ll want to avoid, especially if you’re worried about
obesity or diabetes. There are methods for creating healthier versions
of pizza – namely by using a cauliflower crust. You can also scale back or completely
remove the cheese, and you can top your pizza with healthy veggies, like mushrooms or bell
peppers. But, at the end of the day, typical pizza,
made with high-sugar white flour and high-fat cheese, can play havoc with your blood sugar
and hurt your heart health. 2. French Fries
Getting back to deep fried foods, here comes possibly the most popular one on the planet:
French fries. Before they’re fried, potatoes are already
full of starch and carbs. From there, deep frying them only adds extra fat and carb content.
A medium sized fast food order of French fries has over 40 grams of carbs, sometimes up to
almost 60! But even if you make your fries at home, you
could still be looking at a half a cup supplying about 200 calories, 13 grams of fat, and 18
grams of carbohydrate. You’re much better off having a baked sweet
potato with the skin, where most of the nutrition within potatoes is found.
If you do want a french fry fix, stick with those less starchy sweet potatoes and slice
them into fry shape yourself. Then bake them at 425 F for 15 – 20 minutes.
1. Potato Chips What could be less healthy than a French fry?
Potato chips are barely potatoes—they’re soaked in fat and oil, covered in salt, deep
fried, and heavily processed from there. A serving of a generic potato chips could
contain 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 15 grams of carbs. Keep in mind that this
serving is only about 15 individual chips. There’s decades of research behind their
allure. Not only are they crunchy, a little sweet, and salty . . . they usually contain
MSG and other chemicals, meant to give bursts of flavor. This can make potato chips incredibly
addictive. After all, how many times have you reached
for only one chip, only to find yourself mindlessly eating a whole handful?
Filled with simple sugars and barely any fiber, you could chomp your way through an entire
bag without getting full. If there is only one food you avoid to keep
your blood sugar balanced, it’s gotta be those highly processed potato chips.
Instead, if you just need a crispy treat, switch to nature’s crunchy snacks – nuts.
Try almonds, roasted cashews or pumpkin seeds. You can also add spices and bake them in the
oven for a warm, extra-nutritious snack alternative.
That’s the 12 WORST foods for Diabetics – along with some alternatives.
Hopefully this list gives you more knowledge and control over your diet and blood sugar
levels. Please keep in touch! Subscribe to the channel
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