Learn what foods diabetics should avoid to successfully manage your diabetes.
When someone is diagnosed with diabetes, many questions typically arise when it comes to eating the proper diet. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with the disease, you may be wondering what foods diabetics should avoid? There are many foods to choose at your local grocery or farm that are better than others, but it is important to keep in mind that no one food is truly off limits – you just want to watch the amount you consume.
If you are curious what foods diabetics should not eat, let’s take a closer look at three main categories of food: starches, vegetables and fruits. This list will offer a green light of sorts that can help you recognize which foods you can safely consume in larger quantities:
Diabetes and Starchy Food
Starchy foods contain carbohydrates, which are critical to our body for energy. Diabetics need carbs but also need to keep an eye on which carbs they consume and in what amounts.
Some of the worst carbohydrate choices include:
- White rice
- Anything made with white flour
- French fries
- Pretzels
- White-flour tortillas
- Pastries and snack cakes
Some of the best carbohydrate choices include:
- Brown rice
- Steel-cut or slow cook oatmeal
- Quinoa
- Millet
- Anything made with whole grains
- Baked sweet potatoes
Diabetes and Vegetables
Certain vegetables are a great food choice for diabetics, offering a good amount of necessary fiber with little salt and fat. Some of the best non-starchy vegetables include:
- Asparagus
- Beets
- Brussels Sprouts
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Leafy greens – kale, collard, turnip, etc.
- Mushrooms
- Peppers
- Sugar snap peas
Some of the worst vegetable-related foods diabetics should not eat include:
- Canned vegetables with added sodium
- Vegetables cooked with added cheese and butter
- Peas, potatoes and corn, as these are considered starchy foods (limit the amount if consuming)
- Consumption of pickles and sauerkraut should be avoided if your physician has told you to watch your sodium intake.
Diabetes and Fruit
Many patients with diabetes wonder which fruits to avoid with diabetes because of the sugar amount. Fruits provide many vitamins, fiber and minerals but they also contain more carbohydrates than vegetables.
Some of the best choices for fruit include:
- Fresh fruits such as pears, kiwi, oranges, apricots, tart cherries and berries
- Frozen fruit that isn’t packed with added sugar and syrup
- Low-sugar or sugar free jelly or jam
- Applesauce that does not contain added sugar
Some of the worst fruit choices include:
- Canned fruit packed with syrup
- Jam and preserves that have added sugars and are not sugar free
- Fruit juice and fruit punch
As you can see, there are still so many options when it comes to starches, fruits and vegetables when you are on a diabetics-friendly diet. It is also important to remember that none of the “worst choice” foods mentioned are completely off limits, you should just be cognizant of the amount of the food you are eating as it could affect blood sugar levels. To learn more about diabetic friendly food, visit www.BetterHealthKare.com
