When you’ve got diabetes, the most important thing to do is to keep your blood sugar in check. Creating a diabetes-friendly diet can be challenging. To help make it easier, we’ve listed 4 healthy foods to avoid if you have diabetes.
Gluten-Free Foods
Gluten has had a lot of media attention, leading many to opt for gluten-free food options. However, gluten-free food does not always mean healthier food. Gluten is a protein from wheat that adds volume and elasticity to certain foods. Gluten-free foods, on the other hand, lack this protein and tend to be denser and higher in carbohydrates per serving than conventional foods.
Sports Drinks
Sports drinks like Gatorade have been shown to help very active people to stay hydrate and aid in athletic performance. However, they can be a high source of calories and added sugars which diabetics should avoid. For active people with diabetes, opt for water during your workout or low-calorie sports drinks.
Fruit Smoothies
Fruit smoothies, even the freshly blended organic ones, can be a huge source of excess sugar and carbs. They also remove healthy fiber that helps to regulate blood sugar and slow digestion.
Dried Fruits
It’s hard for us to add these tasty snacks to our list of healthy foods to avoid if you’re diabetic, but we have to. Dried fruits may seem healthy but can wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels. When fruits a dried, the process results in water loss that concentrates the nutrients and sugars of the fruit. To put this in perspective, a cup of grapes contains 27 grams of carbs, while one cup of raisins (dried grapes) contains 115 grams of carbs. If you have diabetes, stick to fresh, low-sugar berries or small apples.
