Health for life

Diabetes diet is the basis of diabetes management. A lot has been said and written about what one should eat to maintain healthy blood glucose levels. But how much do you know about food offenders? There are certain food offenders that may pose serious health risks especially for diabetics. These contain high amounts of fat, sodium, carbohydrate, and calories. These dangerous elements can increase your risk of uncontrolled blood glucose, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and weight gain.

So think twice before eating these foods:

Eating with diabetes doesnt necessarily mean deprivation or starvation. However, it is definitely important to make wise choices and avoid or limit the foods available on the list mentioned below. This is because they are usually high in saturated fat, calories, sodium, carbs, or even trans fats.

The problem is that very high amounts of sodium and saturated fat lead to serious heart disease. On the other hand, indulging in excess sugars, high carb counts, can make you gain weight and the blood sugar level also shoots.

Apart from following a healthy diet regime, it is also crucial to keep tabs on glucose levels using Accu-chek glucometer.

Say No to these Foods

Coffee Drinks

For a perfect diabetes diet, you need to eliminate your favourite cup of coffee or coffee shakes. Did you know your favourite Starbucks Chocolate Mocha with whipped cream will make you rich by 470 calories and 63 grams of carb? So it is best to stay away from it as far as possible.


Fruit Beverages


These are not only high in calories but also rich in sugar. So it is better to stay away from your favourite juice drinks. Make wise choices by reading labels. Be aware that nutrition information is per serving; many beverages that come in cans or bottles contain more than one serving.


French Fries


This is known to be a staple diet for fast food lovers. Hence, its no surprise that this fast-food is always on your list. Now, needless to say, these are quite a risky choice for diabetics. French fries are loaded with sodium, saturated fat, as well as calories. It is true that food joints and fast-food restaurants offer trans-fat-free fries, but they still don’t make that good an option for you.


Cookies

These are yummy and a beautiful combination with coffee and tea. Munching on it may be one of the greatest pleasures of your life. But alas! You need to sacrifice on these yummy treats. These are not healthy with all the sprinkles or chocolate chips. These could be hiding  lot of trans fats. The cookies are also laden with butter, margarine, high-fructose corn syrup, and hydrogenated oils. Hence, cookies make the biggest saturated fat and trans fat contributors. Having these daily will make you pile on a lot of calories and carbs.


Fried Chicken


This is another restaurant staple and all-time favourite food. It tastes heavenly and is simply irresistible. But diabetics need to cut down on this comfort food as far as possible. Frying chicken tends to add a lot of calories, and carbs. It also contains sodium, and fat. You need to avoid it to keep your weight and cholesterol in check. So the extra crispy KFC chicken is actually harmful for you.


Frozen Meals


Frozen meals are very convenient. However, their high sodium and fat contents tend to make them unhealthy choices for all (diabetic or non diabetic). So it is better that all of your family stays away from it. These quickies should be only an emergency option.


Regular Soft Drinks

These are laden with sugar and soda. They taste good but can actually derail your healthiest meal plans and spike blood sugar levels to a risky zone. Understand that each 4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon! Hence, if your drink comprise of 30 grams of sugar, that equals to consuming 7.5 teaspoons of sugar!!!! Now that’s really, really risky for a diabetic! Hence it is important to stay away from it to manage healthy blood glucose levels. Beverages with high sugar content will also add to the calories and carbs. However, they may also cause a lot of weight gain. Of course, there are many diet versions of soft drinks offered in the market place, these days. But all of these are made with artificial sweeteners. You need to go for healthier alternatives such as lime or lemon juices. A little research on the internet will let you know about more refreshing and satisfying drink choices. The best part is that these alternatives wont add much burden to your waistline.


Milk Shakes

We’re talking about the rich, thick milk shakes straight from your favourite restaurants or fast-food joints. You need to stay away from these beverages. They are loaded with sugar and calories. Many of these may also be hiding trans fats that are really very bad for your heart.

Other Foods to Avoid:

White rice

Sugar – Stay away from white sugar, cake, honey, jam, jaggery, jelly, pastries, icecream, pie, canned juice, chocolates, syrup, artificial sweeteners, doughnuts, cream and cookies foods.

Fried Foods – Strictly avoid fried foods. You can bake, saute or boil in a pan. Steaming vegetables is also a good option.

Sodium - MSG, Soy sauce, and brine contains a lot of sodium. Make sure you limit your sodium content.

Salad Dressings – Limit use of dressings such as salad dressing, mustard, mayonnaise, and avocado.
These are also high in sodium.

Refined Flours - Avoid white bread, pasta, all purpose flour (maida), puffs, pretzels, pizza, and processed foods.

Fruits - Mango, custard apple, grapes, strawberry, and prunes should be avoided to lower the blood sugar level.

Starchy Vegetables - Avoid starchy vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, peas, beans, and beet.

High Cholesterol Foods – Avoid high-fat meat, egg yolks, poultry, and high-fat dairy products.

Oils - Avoid hydrogenated oils or partially hydrogenated oils. Canola or olive oil are the best option for diabetics.

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