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Managing type-2 diabetes is no piece of cake. But it can be, if you incorporate healthy foods and habits in your lifestyle. If you are looking for the worst foods for people with type-2 diabetes, you are at the right place.
Type-2 diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the way the body processes blood sugar. It requires elaborate diagnosis and careful treatment so as to manage the symptoms.
Type-2 diabetes can last lifelong but with wise choices of food and lifestyle, it is indeed manageable. The article gives you an idea of what type-2 diabetes is, its symptoms and the foods which can worsen the symptoms.
What’s In The Post
Diabetes is a health condition that is all about how the body processes energy. In the case of type-2 diabetes, the level of blood glucose or blood sugar is extremely high. This occurs due to the low production of insulin, a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar.
Although type-2 diabetes is seen commonly in adults, children these days are also affected by it. Some of the symptoms of type-2 diabetes are frequent urination, increased thirst, increased hunger, blurry vision, fatigue, infections and darkened skin in selective areas.
There is no known cure for type-2 diabetes but proper workout and healthy diet can significantly work in mitigating further risks associated with it. That is why it is imperative to understand what are the foods that people with type-2 diabetes should be avoiding so as to not worsen their condition.
It is all about sugar, let me tell you that. If you are type-2 diabetic, you must start by cutting down sugar. The first in our list is sugary cereals. Although a healthy bowl of cereals is perfect to start your day, sweetened or sugary cereals are not an option.
These cereals are loaded with artificial sweeteners and thus are high in sugar and carbohydrates. They can cause a spike in your sugar levels.
The next food that could be worse for a type-2 diabetic person is sugary drinks. Canned juice, carbonated drinks, and energy drinks which are all popularly enjoyed are all replete with sugar content.
In fact, those who regularly consume these drinks are at a higher risk of developing type-2 diabetes than others.
You might be wondering how something as natural and healthy as fruit juices can be one of the worst foods for a person with type-2 diabetes. Fruits and fruit juices are a good source of many vital nutrients.
Wait, that’s not all. These also contain sugar in considerable amounts. Consuming fruit juices can thus increase the sugar in your blood and thus are labeled one of the worst foods for type-2 diabetic people.
I get it. We all have heard the many health benefits of dried fruits. So, why is it one of the worst foods for people with type-2 diabetes? That is because the process of dehydration removes the water and hence we tend to snack on dried fruits more than whole fruits.
Even if fruits are dried, they are still high in fructose, a type of sugar, that paves way for insulin resistance and ultimately increases the sugar level in our body.
White carbohydrates are basically processed foods that are devoid of nutritional values. These are also known as refined carbohydrates or bad carbs.
Refined wheat, refined sugar, white rice and potatoes are examples of white carbohydrates. These foods can instantly cause a spike in your sugar levels and pose a risk to the functioning of other organs in your body.
Full fat dairy products should never be on your diet as they are notorious for their content of saturated fat. Saturated fat badly increases insulin resistance and thus has detrimental effects on your body.
Foods such as whole milk, cream, full-fat yogurt, ice cream, cream cheese, and other full-fat cheeses should be avoided by people who have type-2 diabetes.
Fat meat is something that we all love. But if you are affected by type-2 diabetes, it is time to bid adieu to fat meat. Foods such as bologna, hot dogs, sausage, bacon, and ribs are full of saturated fat similar to full fat dairy products.
They cause a spike in cholesterol level and cause inflammation which is harmful for people with type-2 diabetes. These can also increase the chances of developing cardiovascular diseases.
Baked goods such as cookies, doughnuts, and snack cakes contain trans fat which are totally unhealthy. Trans fat has the capability to reduce your good cholesterol and raise the risk for heart diseases.
People with type-2 diabetes are already at the risk of heart diseases and thus baked goods should never be on their list.
Packaged snacks such as chips, pretzels and crackers contain sugar, fat and are high in calories. These can easily contribute to weight gain and augment the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Also, these snacks come with preservatives and sweeteners which are all the more dangerous for people with type-2 diabetes.
Oily foods or fried foods are foods which are fried in oil and thus have a lot of oil content in them. These are high in calories and increase the blood sugar level in the body.
Also, these take a long time to digest, and thus keep the sugar level elevated. Some of these foods are fried in hydrogenated oil which are full of trans fat.
Alcohol can be consumed by people with type-2 diabetes but only in moderation. Excessive intake of alcohol is detrimental for people with type-2 diabetes since alcohol can easily mess up with the blood sugar levels in your body.
More than two servings of alcohol can wreak havoc in diabetic men and more than one serving of alcohol can be dangerous for diabetic women.
Sweeteners are substances which are used in foods in lieu of sugar for the purpose of sweetening. They can be natural such as honey or maple syrup or artificial.
Regardless of the type, sweeteners are in fact sugary substances that should be avoided due to their ability to increase sugar levels in your body.
Caffeine is a natural chemical found in coffee, tea, cola, cocoa and many such products. Although coffee is acceptable for consumption by people with type-2 diabetes, it should be in moderation only.
Excessive consumption of coffee or use of caffeine can hide the sugar levels in the body since it is a stimulant that initiates flight or fight response. Caffeine thus becomes one of the worst foods for people with type-2 diabetes.
Salt is the game-changer in the culinary world. But too much of anything is not good right? Overusing salt in your foods doesn’t affect blood sugar in any way. But excessive sodium content causes hypertension which is bad news for people with type-2 diabetes.
There is enough damage done to organs when one is affected by diabetes. With hypertension joining in, the risk is immense with a spike in blood pressure.
Yogurt is a healthy condiment that you can rely on as an accompaniment or as a major ingredient. But fruit-flavored yogurt is again loaded with sweeteners which increase the blood sugar levels in your body. Thus, fruit-flavored yogurt becomes one of the worst foods for people with type-2 diabetes.
I hope the article served the purpose of enlightening you with the worst foods for people with type-2 diabetes. People affected by type-2 diabetes should take immense care in what they eat.
Unhealthy food choices worsen this incurable health condition and that is why the list of worst foods should always be in your mind. Let me know what you think about the article in the comments section!
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