Of Course, Avoid These Foods that Increase Blood Glucose Levels

Be Wise, Don't Be Nice to Processed Foods

Diabetes is an evil disease that can debilitate your quality of life. While 85% of the individuals suffer from type 2 diabetes (T2D), the rest are victims of type 1 diabetes. The general advice given by physicians to patients suffering from T2D is to keep their blood sugar levels under control. Only by doing this, these people can feel healthier mentally and physically, and above all, avoid from getting into complications such as nerve damage, heart diseases, eye problems, stroke, and more. For this, the primary suggestion given by experts in this field includes controlling the intake of sugary foods, choosing fiber-rich foods, and forming a well-balanced diet plan that doesn’t compromise on macro and micro nutrient intake.
 
Should We Be Concerned Over Carbs?
 
There have been aplenty discussions regarding the impact of carbohydrates on high blood sugar levels. These nutrients get converted into sugars after digestion and this is the primary reason why physicians, dietitians, and nutritionists recommend diabetics to control their carb portions while increasing the intake of fiber-rich foods. Don’t panic as there are a number of healthy foods as well that increase blood glucose levels in people suffering from type 2 diabetes. The only difference is that all the carbs consumed by us get converted into sugar in our body while proteins, fat, and fiber have an impact on glycemic levels.
 
Let’s look at some of the foods that spike glucose levels drastically:
 
White Grains: During recent times, we’ve heard repeatedly that white is bad! This includes white rice, sugar, refined flour, and more. The American Diabetes Association (AMA) states that foods such as white pasta, bread, and rice are perfect examples of carbs whose fiber content is completely removed while processing them. It doesn’t mean that you must eliminate these foods totally from your diet. Rather, choose small portions of white grains pairing them with the perfect blend of nutritious choices such as whole-wheat pasta, bread, brown rice, and other whole-grain options such as quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, and more.
 
Junk Food: Surely, fast food is an enemy to weight loss efforts and obese/overweight individuals are recommended to stay away from mega-sized burgers, yummy pizzas, and lip-smacking french fries in their pursuit to weight loss. But, how many of you know that most fast food products are also extremely high in sugar content and carbohydrates? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) quotes that McD cheese burger contains up to 10 grams of sugar and 43g of carbohydrates when compared to normal-sized snicker bar that contains up to 29g of sugar and 35g of carbs. It doesn’t mean that you must stay away from all the fries, condiments, sweetened beverages, and baked goods forever. If you desire for a treat, go for a small-sized product, a lighter dressing for the salad, or the burger without the extra cheese.
 
Starchy Veggies: Potatoes, yam, and colocasia are often a no-no among individuals with diabetes as these are rich in carbohydrates. The glycemic index of starchy vegetables is high, especially that of baked potato which has the potential to skyrocket blood sugar levels even beyond a yummy donut.
 
Surprisingly, chilled potatoes have a lower GI value than warm ones but choosing to eat green veggies, crucifers, and others provide better nutrient content than starchy vegetables. Consuming potatoes or yam occasionally is not a problem. But during such times pair them with low GI foods that are high on nutrients.
 
Fruits: Firstly, don’t ever think that eliminating fruits from the daily diet is going to work wonders on the blood glucose levels. Never eliminate any food group entirely but keep a tab on portion sizes. Mangoes and jackfruits can be sugar-rich but don’t forget to pop a juicy piece of mango fruit during the hot summer months neither neglect the golden jackfruit. Being rich sources of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants, fruits play an integral role in maintaining the nutrient requirements of the body. To know your intake, understand that one tennis-ball-sized piece of fruit is one serving. Any fruit is ok to eat until it is fresh or frozen as these are not processed nor contain any extra sugar. A fan of dried fruits? It’s better to be cautious as dried fruits can increase blood sugar levels despite having no added sugars. Because they are dried, these fruits pack ample sugar content in small portions. For example, a fresh apricot contains only 3 grams of sugar in comparison to only 2 tablespoon of dried apricots that contains the same.
 
Some Nondairy Products: Dairy is an integral part of a well-balanced diet and is necessary for good bone health. Nowadays, lactose-intolerant people have aplenty options right from almond and soy milk to oat milk. The Harvard Medical School tells that while dairy milk is a carb-containing product, they are not rich in carbs unlike non-dairy milk like oat milk that that are overladen with sugar. Rice milk has the highest sugar content amond nondairy milk with a GI of 86, almost equivalent to sugar. So go for those products such as unsweetened soy milk that’s high in proteins as well as low in sugar content having only 1 g of sugar.
 
Alcohol: Alcoholic beverages not only account for empty calories but are also sugar-rich but sadly, not many consider the sugar content of these drinks. The sugar content is even more when you mix the drinks with carbonated beverages. Understand that the effect of alcohol on blood sugar is dangerous, especially for people with type 1 diabetes as their glucose levels might drop to extremely low levels suddenly. People with diabetes are not curbed from touching alcohol but should take a few cautious steps to not go overboard. Pairing the drink with food, consuming it slowly, avoiding mixing them with other sugary drinks, and restricting alcohol consumption to not more than a glass or two in a day is mandatory to stay within recommended blood glucose limits.
 
Sweetened Beverages: Consuming solid food is different from drinking up a beverage as we can gulp down up to 2-3 bottles of our fizzy drink or sweetened beverage at a time. It is very difficult to keep a check on blood glucose levels when someone has the habit of consuming sweetened beverages. Such drinks have close to zero proteins, fat, or fiber content. In fact, people with severe hypoglycemia are sometimes recommended to consume a small serving of such beverages to raise glucose levels instantly. Instead of such zero-nutrient, sugar-overloaded sweetened drinks, mix up a few pieces of fresh fruit with water and drink it up every now and then to stay hydrated and to satisfy flavor needs.
 
The Bottomline
 
Eating healthy is not a grave task at hand but a simple one if you know how to tackle your desires and control your taste buds. All the glucose-enriched foods mentioned above make one thing clear--to avoid picking stuff from the middle of the grocery store. Instead, choose to pick from the corners of the shopping mart where you can find fresh produce, proteins, and meat stacked neatly on the shelves. Avoid processed foods and if you have any doubts regarding the food’s nutritive value, always look into the nutrition label for some help.
 
At the end of the day, all we want is to eat healthy and have something nutritious close by to help us nibble through the evening without leaning over to processed foods to satisfy our hunger or taste buds. Getting in touch with a nutritionist/dietitian can help in planning a well-balanced diet chart that’s easy to follow and offers variety too. Pursue a healthy lifestyle and exercise regularly to stay fit and keep diabetes under control.