Blood sugar spikes occur when your blood sugar rises and then falls sharply after you eat. In the short term, it can cause lethargy and hunger. Over time, your body may not be able to lower blood sugar effectively, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a rising health problem. 29 million Americans have diabetes, and 25% of them don't even know they have it. Blood sugar spikes can also cause your blood vessels to harden and narrow, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
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). 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. It’s failing to
maintain appropriate blood sugar levels that can lead to serious health
problems for diabetics, including damage to major organs, from the liver and
kidneys to the heart and even eyes. Here are foods you should avoid for better
blood sugar control.
1.
Alcoholic Drinks-Many social
butterflies do consume a huge amount of alcohol to celebrate the weekend or a
special event, like New Year’s Eve, Thanksgiving, or just the start of a summer
vacation. For anyone keen on watching their blood sugar levels, such as
diabetics, that’s a huge issue. Why? Because many alcoholic beverages are
loaded with sugar or carbohydrates and drinking just one or two of them can
cause blood sugar levels to spike.
And because many partiers enjoy far more than
one or two, the potential for disaster is significant. If you do expect to
over-indulge in alcohol, try mixing your own drinks using low-sugar options
like vodka, gin, water, and club soda.
2.
Bananas-We like to think
that anything found in the produce section is healthy, and for the most part
that’s true. There are some fruits that contain high levels of natural sugar
and that could pose serious problems for those carefully monitoring their blood
sugar levels like diabetics.
Bananas
are among the sweetest and therefore more dangerous types of fruit. Like
grapes, mangoes, and cherries, eating them can cause blood sugar levels to
spike very rapidly. Bananas do represent an excellent source of potassium so you
shouldn’t feel like you need to avoid them altogether. As always, moderation is
the key.
3.
Coffee-On its own, coffee
doesn’t pose a huge problem for people, like diabetics, who may be watching
their blood sugar levels. But relatively few people drink their coffee “black,”
meaning they don’t add anything to it. Rather, many coffee fans like to spice
things up by adding milk, cream, sugar, or specialty syrups that add a kick of
vanilla, caramel, or hazelnut.
Obviously,
that’s a serious problem, particularly if you’re not making the coffee
yourself. Many of the biggest coffee chains in the world do a serious business
selling coffee-like beverages that are simply loaded down with sugar and can
cause your blood sugar levels to skyrocket. Ideally, you should ask for black
coffee and add your own sugar, being mindful of those blood sugar levels,
afterwards.
4.
Dried Fruit-One of the more
misunderstood types of food out there is trail mix, which often includes a
curious but delicious combination of nuts, dried fruits (like apples, apricots,
cranberries, raisins, and pineapple), and, in some cases, candy. While
diabetics would be wise to avoid the trail mix with bits of chocolate or candy
in it, dried fruit may pose just as much of a problem.
That’s
because dried fruit is often sweetened with additional sugar, which can throw
your blood sugar levels into overdrive. Even if sugar hasn’t been added, dried
fruit presents a problem because the natural sugars inside can be substantial.
Additionally, because dried fruit has had all of its water removed, it can take
much longer for you to feel full, which means you’re way more likely to
over-indulge.
5.
Fast
Food-
Fast
food is tempting especially when you're hungry and in a hurry.
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. Eating a fatty fast-food meal spiked blood sugar
levels by 32 percent in healthy people who didn't have diabetes.
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.
Fruit Juice-Fruit juice can pose
just as much of a problem as soda even if it’s made from fresh fruit. That’s
because fruit juice contains a lot of sugar, even if it’s just natural sugar.
Consider that making your own juice from actual fruit can require going through
many individual pieces of fruit — something anyone with a home juicer will
know.
Of
course, if you’re buying fruit juice in the store, there’s a good chance it’s
had sugar added to it, something that’s usually the case when the juice is made
from concentrate. If you love fruit juice, don’t worry you won’t need to avoid
it, though you should definitely consider cutting back.
7.
Milk--Milk contains
protein and calcium, which can help in the development and maintenance of
healthy muscles and bones, respectively. Milk also contains sugar and some
types of milk, like chocolate milk, contain a lot of sugar. In fact, most types
of milk contain lactose, a form of sugar that’s relatively easy to digest. The
good news is that milk doesn’t pose as much of a threat as soda, fruit juice,
or sugary alcoholic beverages.
The
bad news is that you shouldn’t feel safe to drink as much as you like.
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. A milk product, yogurt, has been
experiencing a major resurgence in popularity in recent years.
This
is largely because of the sensation surrounding probiotics, which can be found
in many types of yogurt and which can help enhance the digestive process and
increase regularity. For individuals with digestive problems, such as excess
gas or constipation, yogurt containing probiotics can be hugely helpful. It’s
important to remember that most types of yogurt contain their fair share of
added sugars, with only plain yogurt (not to be confused with vanilla yogurt)
relatively low in added sugars. Keep this in mind if you’re monitoring your
blood sugar levels.
8.
Packaged
Foods-It's not known for certain why some people develop type 2
diabetes and some do not. 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.
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.
9.
Red meat-Many diabetics know
to monitor their consumption of carbohydrates and simple sugars, but they may
not be as aware of the threat posed to them by red meat, which can also cause
blood sugar levels to rise. Research has shown that red meat, and especially processed
meats like bacon and deli meats, can cause blood sugar levels to rise. There’s
some concern that simply eating too much protein can cause levels to creep up
to a point where they may pose problems for diabetics.
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. 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.
The good news for passionate carnivores is
that, when consumed in relative moderation, red meat shouldn’t pose a major
concern. But it’s important to know that these foods do have their issues,
especially for individuals with diabetes.
10.
Rice-Rice often
accompanies some very healthy dishes, like a home-made soup or stir fry. It’s
simply delicious when paired with fresh vegetables, from broccoli to asparagus,
bell peppers, celery, carrots, and the list goes on. It’s important to remember
that white rice can present significant health problems for those people
watching their blood sugar levels. It can cause those levels to spike very
fast. Like white bread, white rice is a simple carbohydrate that’s processed
quickly in the body.
For
something that won’t have such a dramatic impact on blood sugar levels, try
brown rice, which is also high in fiber.
If you have type 2 diabetes, scratch white rice from your
menus. 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. Fiber can help keep blood sugar levels stable.
11. Sweet Drinks-
To keep your blood sugar within normal range, you want to
avoid soda and
other sugar-filled drinks. 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. A lot of people think sports drinks are a healthy choice simply
because they contain the word sport in the name. Others might feel that because
they’re usually less sweet than fruit juice or soda, they’re a healthy
selection.
That’s rarely the case; in
fact, unless you’re a very active individual competing at a high level, you
probably don’t need to consume sports drinks at all. In most cases, sports
drinks contain a substantial amount of sugar, which can seriously affect your
blood sugar levels. For diabetics, that’s a huge problem, particularly if they’re
not actually using these drinks for playing competitive sports. If you’re just
looking for something to get you through a tough workout, look for low-sugar
sports drinks or consider sticking with old-fashioned water.
12.
Tea-Many of us like to
think tea is a healthy beverage, and in some cases it can provide some notable
health benefits. Chamomile tea can help you relax and go to sleep; green tea
may help boost metabolism; ginger tea can settle an upset stomach; cranberry
tea could help prevent urinary tract infections.
Black
tea, such as English breakfast or orange pekoe, can give us a nice little boost
of energy through caffeine. But tea can be quite unhealthy if it’s loaded down
with sugar, cream, or heavy milk. And that’s often how many people drink it,
especially from popular tea or coffee shops that offer their own specialty
flavors. As with coffee, the best idea is to get your tea plain while adding
sugar yourself if need be.
13. 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.
The first and most obvious
food group to watch out for following a diabetes diagnosis: breads and cereals.
It’s a tough group to leave behind as many of us treasure foods like breakfast
cereal and fresh bread with butter. The good news is that you don’t have to
abandon these foods altogether. The bad news is that you do need to monitor
your consumption of them. In this group, bagels might pose the greatest threat.
Often dense and filling,
they can provide the same amount of carbohydrates as many slices of bread or a few bowls of breakfast cereal. While you may
not have to ditch bagels altogether, it may be wise to consider seriously limiting
their consumption or making adjustments, such as eating only half a bagel at a
time.
“Insulin is not a cure for diabetes. It is a
treatment. It enables the diabetic to burn sufficient carbohydrates, so that
proteins and fats may be added to the diet in sufficient quantities to provide
energy for the economic burdens of life.” (Frederick Banting) [i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“12 Simple Tips to Prevent Blood
Sugar Spikes” by Alexandra Rowles
·
“7
Foods That Spike Blood Sugar” by Beth W. Orenstein
·
“Everyday Foods That Can Cause Blood Sugar Levels to
Spike” by Emily Lockhart
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