What is diabetes?
How often have you seen your elder family members misuse the term "sugar" for diabetes? A lot, we bet. Interestingly, the word "sugar" is used in this context because diabetes, a metabolic disorder in the human body, is attributed to an increased blood sugar level. This happens because insulin, a hormone that regulates the blood sugar level is present in varying amounts in the pancreas. Diabetes is a progressive disease and must be controlled through a possible measure. One of the most effective measures to keep diabetes away is through dietary modification. We have curated a list of foods that must be restricted to live a relatively healthier life and combat diabetes, one day at a time.
1. Refined cereals
Cereals are usually classified into two types: whole grain cereals like Whole wheat flour and refined cereals like Maida and Suji. For a diabetic, refined cereals are not advisable because they are low in dietary fibre, have a high glycemic index, and can lead to a rapid increase in blood sugar and insulin levels, thereby causing a reason of worry for a person suffering from diabetes.
2. Fried foods
Fried food should be also be limited if you are a diabetic. As tasty as they often seem, fried foods are high in saturated & trans fats which are basically unhealthy type of fats. Saturated fats tend to raise the level of bad cholesterol in our body, and add up to the already prevalent diabetes. This can become a reason for multiple health risks like clogged arteries, the presence of toxic salts in the body, inflammation and many more, and hence should be better avoided.
3. Soft drinks
Soft drinks are artificially flavored, sweetened and carbonated drinks with insane amounts of fizz, sugar and caffeine. These are known to cause an immediate spike in blood sugar levels in the body. Diabetes or no diabetes, the more you keep off from soft drinks, the better and longer you live.
4. Natural Sweeteners
Sweeteners like sugar, jaggery, honey, glucose, jams, jellies, toffee, chocolates, barfi, gulab jamun etc. should be restricted because these are simple carbohydrates and can bolster the level of fasting blood glucose in our body. Instead, more fibre rich foods should be opted for to keep diabetes away.
5. Full fat or buffalo milk
The use of milk and milk products like cow milk, curd, yoghurt, buttermilk etc should be liberal if the person is suffering from diabetes. But it is often advisable to avoid full-fat milk or buffalo milk because it is rich in fat. Along with this, the layer of cream atop the milk should be stripped off before consuming milk if you're a diabetic.
6. Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners contain harmful substances that can be dangerous to the body and can lead to various illnesses.
7. Extra sweet/dried/canned fruits
Even though fruits are beneficial for the health of a diabetic person, some fruits that are very sweet like mango, watermelon, sugarcane have high levels of sucrose and can prove harmful as they create blood sugar imbalance in the body. Similarly, canned and dried fruits like raspberries, blueberries, cherries, dried mango etc. have preservatives and added sweeteners which increase their shelf life but hamper ours. Hence, a person suffering from diabetes should consume less of these.
8. High-carb Vegetables
Most vegetables must be consumed in liberal amounts in diabetes, but some roots and tubers like Potato, Colocasia (arbi), yam, tender jackfruit (kathal) etc should be limited because they have lofty amounts of starch that can cause a sudden spike in blood sugar balance. Hence, people suffering from diabetes should consume more vegetables that are low-carb, like carrots, broccoli, beans, capsicum, mushrooms, cabbage, and many more.
9. Alcohol
Alcohol and blood sugar levels do not go hand in hand. People who consume excess amounts of alcohol are often at the risk of dramatically decreasing their blood sugar levels, while people who consume more beer and sweet flavored wines may end up aggravating their blood sugar levels. Either may, the case is, alcohol can prove to be a serious peril for people suffering from diabetes.
10. Sodium
We all know how processed foods, finger foods, assorted chutneys and pickles add that extra zest and tanginess to the meal. But for people with a prevalent diabetic condition, they can pose as a massive health risk. These savory assortments have insane amounts of preservatives and salts and can end up worsening the already existing health risk. Hence, these should be kept off your diets.
SheNutrition can help you withstand the struggle of diabetes on regular basis through effective and research-backed diet plans. Remember, if you take care of the little things like maintaining an ideal body weight, staying symptom-free, and preventing complications through balanced diets— all these central to a healthier lifestyle, then you're not much away from stepping the ladder of a diabetic-free life!
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