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If you have type 2 diabetes, you know about the importance of making healthy mealtime choices. But just as important is staying away from the wrong foods — those that can spike your blood sugar. That's because simple carbohydrates, like white bread and sugary soda, are broken down by the body into sugar, which then enters the bloodstream. Even if you don't have diabetes, these foods can lead to insulin resistance, which means your body's cells don't respond normally to the insulin produced by the pancreas. Here are seven foods you should avoid for better blood sugar control.
If you have type 2 diabetes, scratch white rice from your menus. In a study published in June 2010 in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that people who ate five or more servings of white rice a week increased their risk for developing type 2 diabetes, while people who replaced at least a third of their white-rice servings with brown rice lowered their risk by as much as 16 percent. The reason is that white rice has little fiber, especially compared with brown rice, and fiber can help keep blood sugar levels stable.
2 White Bread
Who would think this everyday staple could add to diabetes risk? The problem is that your body quickly digests products made with refined flour, such as white bread, and this quick digestion can cause your blood sugar to rise. Researchers have also found that people who eat more whole grains and fewer refined grains — including white bread — have less of the type of body fat that can trigger heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
3 Soda and Other Sweet Drinks
To keep your blood sugar within normal range, you want to avoid soda and other sugar-filled drinks. In an analysis published in November 2010 in the journal Diabetes Care, researchers found that people who drank one or two sugary drinks a day were at a 26 percent higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes than those who drank less than one 12-ounce glass a month. Replacing regular soda or sugary drinks with water or seltzer can help with weight loss, too.
4 Red Meat
Hold the bacon! You don’t have to cut red meat from your diet entirely, but studies show that eating lots of red meat and processed meats, such as bacon and cold cuts — all high in saturated fat — could contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. A review published in October 2011 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that people who ate processed meat — a hot dog, sausage, or two slices of bacon — once a day more than doubled their risk for diabetes. You can easily lower your risk by substituting one serving of red or processed meats with healthier sources of protein, such as nuts or low-fat dairy products.
5 Fast Food
Fast food is tempting, especially when you're hungry and in a hurry. But most fast food is high in fat, calories, and salt, all of which can increase your risk for type 2 diabetes, reduce your chances of weight-loss success, and send your blood sugar soaring. A study published in April 2011 in The Journal of Nutrition found that eating a fatty fast-food meal spiked blood sugar levels by 32 percent in healthy people who didn't have diabetes. Also, salty fast-food fare can increase your blood pressure, which is especially dangerous for people with diabetes, who, according to the American Heart Association are 2 to 4 times more likely to die from heart disease than those without diabetes.
6 Packaged Foods
It's not known for certain why some people develop type 2 diabetes and some do not, but poor eating habits are tied to the condition. Snack foods and commercially prepared baked goods also should go on your foods-to-avoid list if you have type 2 diabetes or want to avoid developing it. First, these foods make it harder for you to achieve your weight-loss goals. Second, they tend to be high in trans fats, and trans fats raise the bad cholesterol and lower the good cholesterol in your blood and can also cause inflammation, which may lead to diabetes. Even small amounts of trans fats can have harmful health effects. Choose wholesome snacks, like a handful of almonds, or make your own treats with healthier ingredients.
7 Whole Milk
When you think about saturated fat, red meat and butter probably come to mind first, but whole-milk dairy products are also loaded with saturated fats, the prime suspects in life-threatening conditions like heart disease. Research shows that a diet high in saturated fats is linked to both obesity and insulin resistance. Switch to no-fat or 1 percent dairy products to get all the benefits of calcium without the drawbacks, and reduce calories to help with weight loss.
Written by: Beth W. Orenstein
Medically reviewed by: Bhargavi Patham, MD, PhD
