Drinks and Foods to Avoid to Keep Your Diabetes in Control

Last updated on August 30th, 2022

People with diabetes can have all the types of foods and drinks but to some extent only. They need to count their calorie intake. It helps them to prevent the change in their blood glucose levels. It can be daunting to know what foods to avoid for diabetes. However, following the diabetes diet or help from a dietician can serve you the purpose. Read this blog to know about “What foods to avoid with diabetes?”

Your main goal should include staying away from unhealthy fats, processed foods, and food that contains refined carbs. Avoid foods that increase your blood sugar levels and drive insulin resistance. It will keep you healthy, reduces the risk of developing diabetes, and prevent the worsening of its related complications. Read this blog to know about food to avoid high blood sugar or diabetes.

The kind of food and drinks you consume determine your blood glucose levels. Consuming carbohydrates-rich foods and beverages lead to higher blood sugar levels and ultimately causes diabetes. Therefore, it is crucial for people with diabetes to choose their foods and drinks wisely. They need to look for foods to avoid diabetes. It helps them to control the amount of carbohydrate intake and maintain their blood glucose levels. Balancing your diet helps in improving diabetes and related complications.

Consult a Dietician Before Changing Your Diet

It is significant to eat cautiously to keep your blood sugar levels in control. Certain foods can increase your blood sugar levels drastically. They can lead to chronic inflammation, heart attack, or kidney damage. Therefore, you need to manage your diet. Some foods that are good for one diabetes patient may not be suitable for you. Instead of modifying your diet, you should take a consultation. They help you to prepare a list or chart of foods to avoid high blood sugar.

Also Read: Blood Sugar Levels Chart By Age

Diabetic Diet Chart

Diabetes is a lifestyle disorder that causes an increase in the blood sugar levels of a person. Some symptoms of diabetes are Weight loss, fatigue, frequent urination, blurred vision, etc.  Follow a diabetic diet to keep your diabetes and its symptoms under control. Some foods help control diabetes and prevent its complications. Such a diet includes leafy vegetables, cinnamon, nuts, whole grains, high-fibre-rich foods, and some fruits.

Also Read: Indian Diabetes Diet Plan

List of Top 10 Foods to Avoid in Diabetes

Well, it is easier to choose what to eat rather than identify what not to eat. It is the reason why many people fail to control their diabetes. They eat well but sometimes they end up eating all those food items that lead to sugar spikes. It is also surprising to know that sugar is not the only thing to control diabetes. Consuming lots of carbs, calories, sodium, and fat also causes uncontrolled blood sugar levels.

Also read: Is janumet better than metformin

Here is a List of 10 Foods Diabetics Should Avoid:

1. Dried Fruits: No doubt, fruits are the best source of vitamins and minerals that keep you healthy.  You should eat certain fruits with a low glycemic index to keep diabetes in control. However, on drying the fruits, the water is lost, and the concentration of nutrients becomes higher. Along with this, the sugar content also gets higher. It increases the risk of an increase in blood sugar when you eat them.
2. Trans-fat: Trans-fats are unsaturated fat that comes in both natural and unnatural forms. In natural form, animals and animal products contain trans-fats that do not impact your health. In unnatural form, hydrogenated vegetable oil contains trans-fat. This type of fat increases cholesterol levels and increases the risk of heart disease. People with diabetes should strictly avoid trans-fat. It increases insulin resistance and impaired arterial function that causes the risk of heart diseases.
3. High Carb Foods: It is the carbohydrates from your food that breaks down into blood glucose. Consuming high-carb foods increases your blood glucose levels. Bread, potato, muffins, cakes, cookies, pasta, burger, chips, rice, corn, sweetened yogurt, and French fries are some of the high-carb foods. Doctors and dieticians recommend high-carb foods to avoid with high blood sugar.
4. Processed Foods: Some foods are processed to make them edible and shelf-stable. Such foods contain unhealthy levels of fats, sugar, and sodium. They also lack nutritional value as most of the nutrients get removed during the processing of food. Most processed foods have zero fibre content; therefore, they are calorie-dense. It consequently increases blood sugar levels. Thus, people with diabetes should avoid processed foods.
5. Refined or White Sugar: Sugary foods, sweets, and desserts constitute sugar and high carbs. Generally, they do not add nutritional value to your diet but increases your blood sugar levels. Foods containing high sugar content include donuts, candy bars, chocolate, maple syrup, desserts, fruit-flavoured yogurts, etc. Adding refined sugar to your food items as a sweetener directly affects your blood sugar levels. Therefore, look for a healthy sugar substitute as a sweetener.
6. Starchy Vegetables: Vegetables for diabetics to avoid are potato, sweet potato, beetroot, etc.  Though they are a good source of fibre, they are high in starch. The higher amount of starch makes such vegetables rich in carbohydrates and sugar. Consuming these vegetables increases the risk of high blood sugar. Frying these vegetables in oil adds more calories to them. It also makes them more dangerous for people with diabetes. If they are consuming starchy vegetables, they need to be strict with their portion. 
7. High-protein Foods: Protein is an essential macronutrient that the human body needs. The body needs protein to build and repair muscles and maintain vital body functions.Lean protein and plant-based protein are healthy for people with diabetes. However, the animal-derived proteins contain unsaturated fats as well that increases blood sugar levels. Animal-derived high-protein foods like chicken, beef and pork have low fibre hence increases blood glucose.
8. Dairy Products: All dairy products contain calcium, proteins, and vitamins that keep you healthy. In addition to these, dairy products contain a sugar called lactose. The lactose breaks down into lactic acid. Higher levels of lactic acid in your body increase the risk of lactic acidosis which is a side effect of Metformin (a medicine to control diabetes). People with diabetes should avoid dairy products with high-fat content. It increases the risk of heart diseases.
9. Frozen Foods: Frozen foods are convenient but contain high sodium and fat content. Therefore, frozen foods are not suitable for people with diabetes. The use of preservatives in frozen foods also makes them unsuitable for people with high blood sugar levels. When you buy frozen foods, make sure to pick the frozen foods with fewer calories. You can also match the carbohydrate content with your daily carb requirement. If you want, you can freeze the veggies and fruits that will contain more antioxidants and fibre.
10. Bakery Products: Refined flour is the main ingredient of all bakery products. In addition to this, they contain white sugar or maple syrup as a sweetener. It adds more calories to bakery products and makes them unsuitable for people with diabetes. Bakery items like cakes, pastries, cookies, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, etc., cause insulin resistance and lead to diabetes.

Also Read: Fast home remedies for high blood sugar

Drinks to Avoid When You Have Diabetes

When it comes to selecting drinks, people with diabetes should make a wise choice. It keeps them away from calorie intake and prevents sudden sugar spikes. Even, flavoured water can lead to an increase in your blood sugar levels. Therefore, you need to be cautious when choosing a drink for you. Here is a list of drinks that people with diabetes should avoid:

1. Regular or Diet Soda: Regular soda and diet soda drinks contain sugar, artificial sweeteners, flavouring agents, and preservatives. They also have a high amount of carbohydrates and calories. Therefore, consuming such drinks increases your blood sugar levels. Within 10 minutes of drinking a glass of soda, around ten spoons of sugar hit your system. People with diabetes should avoid regular or diet soda to prevent diabetes and its related complications.
2. Energy Drinks: Energy drinks from various brands are available in the market that claims to give you instant energy. Well, the fact is energy drinks contain caffeine and carbohydrates in high amounts. They increase your blood glucose levels and cause insulin resistance in your body. It increases your blood sugar levels and causes diabetes type-2. Therefore, you need to avoid energy drinks if you have  diabetes.
3. Fruit Juices: Consuming pure fruit juices in moderation is fine for people with diabetes. All the fruits contain carbohydrates with a rich amount of fibre. The extraction of juice from fruits leads to the separation of fibre content from fruits. Hence, fruit juices only contain carbohydrates which can increase your blood sugar levels. People with diabetes should strictly avoid packed fruit juices. They contain artificial sweeteners and preservatives that kick up diabetes.
4. Alcoholic Beverages: Alcohol or alcoholic beverages can worsen the complications due to diabetes, like nerve damage. Alcohol can drop your blood sugar levels within few hours of consuming alcohol or alcoholic beverages. People with diabetes type-2 taking insulin or diabetes medications should avoid alcoholic beverages. Otherwise, it can lead to hypoglycemia.

Also read: Macronutrients in watermelon

FAQs:

References:

1. https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/drinks-for-diabetics#worst-drinks
2. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/314164#outlook
3. https://www.beatdiabetesapp.in/what-are-15-indian-foods-that-diabetics-should-avoid-completely/
4. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/10-foods-to-avoid-if-you-have-diabetes/photostory/73491786.cms?picid=73491820

Last Updated on August 30, 2022 by Dr. Damanjit Duggal