According to WebMD – diabetes cannot be cured, but it can be well controlled as long as you live a healthy lifestyle and take regular medication. One way to control blood sugar is by avoiding things that are diabetic taboos, such as sugary foods, even fruits and vegetables that contain high sugar.
By avoiding diabetes taboos, blood sugar levels will be maintained. The risk of diabetes complications will also decrease.
Diabetes taboos that must be avoided:
People who have diabetes should really pay attention to their food and beverage intake. Foods that are too sweet, such as candy, soda, or cakes are some of the foods that should be avoided.
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But did you know? Foods that look healthy, such as certain types of vegetables and fruits are also included as diabetic taboos.
So that you don’t make the mistake of preparing your daily diet, here are the diabetes taboos that need to be avoided so that your blood sugar can be controlled.
1. Sugary drinks
Sugary drinks, such as coffee, soda, bubble tea, or even sweet tea that you drink while eating your daily meals are included in diabetes taboos.
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If you have diabetes, these drinks should be avoided. Because, without realising it, just one small package or small glass can already contribute high sugar levels to the blood.
Soda and sugary drinks are very high in carbohydrates. In addition, sugary drinks can also make you gain weight.
This can increase the risk of obesity and insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is known to be the most common cause of diabetes.
2. White rice, bread, and pasta
White rice, bread, pasta, or other sources of simple carbohydrates are common dietary restrictions for diabetics. These foods are high in carbohydrates, but low in fibre, making it easy to raise blood sugar levels.
Actually, you can eat white rice. However, you must pay attention to the portion.
Another solution is to eat other carbohydrates for diabetes that are high in fibre, such as wholemeal bread, brown rice, corn, potatoes, or oatmeal.
3. Honey, agave, and other natural sweeteners
Not only do you need to limit your consumption of sugar, but you also need to limit your consumption of natural sweeteners such as honey and agave.
Honey does have many health benefits. However, if consumed by diabetics (people with diabetes), honey can still increase blood sugar levels.
High sugar levels from honey consumption can also disrupt insulin balance in the body and increase inflammation.
You may be able to consume a low-calorie sugar for diabetes, such as stevia.
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4. Dried fruit
Dried fruit can actually be a healthy snack if you’re not a diabetic. Dried fruit does contain more fibre than fresh fruit.
Unfortunately, the drying process will make the natural sugar in the fruit more concentrated. As a result, the sugar content is higher.
So, dried fruit is also included as a diabetic restriction that needs to be watched out for.
5. Packaged food
Packaged snacks do not contain many nutrients, such as vitamins or minerals. Instead, they are usually high in salt, sugar, and carbohydrates. All three are components that diabetics need to avoid.
Not to mention, the large portions and light texture make you often unaware that you have consumed a lot of snacks. As a result, blood sugar levels rise dramatically without realising it.
6. Fruit juice
Fruit is healthy for the body. However, if it is juiced and processed incorrectly, most of its benefits will be lost.
Fruit juices, especially those sold in packets in supermarkets or minimarkets have a very high sugar content. That’s why people with diabetes need to avoid it.
If you are going to consume fruit juice, choose diabetes-safe fruits. You should also avoid adding sugar.
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7. Trans fats
Trans fats are found in margarine, peanut sauce, fried foods, fast food, frozen pizza, pie, and other unhealthy foods.
Although it does not directly increase blood sugar, trans fats are one of the diabetic restrictions that need to be followed.
Trans fats can increase inflammation in the body, insulin resistance, and accumulation of fat in the abdomen. Trans fats can also damage the heart.
Without consuming trans fats alone, a diabetic is already more at risk of these conditions. What if you consume them frequently?
8. Processed meat
Processed meats such as meatballs and sausages are not sweet foods, but the unhealthy fat content in them can worsen the condition of diabetes.
That’s why, this is one of the food restrictions for diabetics. Even so, you can still process fresh meat to get protein in a healthier way.
9. Starch-containing vegetables
People with type 2 diabetes are not recommended to eat starch-containing vegetables. Starch-containing vegetables are high in carbohydrates.
This makes the carbohydrates in these vegetables converted to glucose and absorbed into the blood.
Therefore, starch-containing vegetables have a high glycaemic index and can raise blood sugar levels faster.
Types of starchy vegetables include beetroot, corn, beans, pumpkin, sweet potato, taro, potato and yam.
Choose vegetables for diabetes that are high in fibre and have a low glycemic index, such as carrots or broccoli.
However, this does not mean that diabetes is completely prohibited from eating starchy vegetables. It’s just that their consumption must be measured and limited.
10. Vegetables containing high sodium
Vegetables that contain high sodium are not fresh vegetables, but vegetables that are processed using certain ingredients. Examples of these vegetables are pickled vegetables, canned vegetables, or fried vegetables.
So, it is not only the type of vegetables that diabetics should pay attention to, but also how to process them.
Apart from starch-containing vegetables, people with prediabetes or diabetes should also avoid foods with high sodium content.
High-sodium foods can worsen the condition of diabetics because they can cause high blood pressure. This condition is prone to occur in diabetics.
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Therefore, foods containing high sodium should also be limited. For diabetics, sodium consumption should not exceed 2300 mg or as much as 1 teaspoon per day.
What if diabetic restrictions are still consumed?
If you do not adhere to diabetic restrictions, blood sugar levels can be uncontrolled and this condition will trigger various health problems and dangerous complications.
Some of the complications of diabetes that you may experience include:
– Heart disease
Uncontrolled diabetes can increase the risk of heart disease, including chest pain, heart attack, and narrowing of the heart’s blood vessels or atherosclerosis.
– Nerve disorders
If you don’t avoid diabetes taboos, one of the most common complications of diabetes, nerve disorders, can occur.
This will make you tingle easily and in the most severe cases, you will lose the ability to feel pain in your feet.
– Kidney disorders
High blood sugar levels can damage kidney function and in the most severe cases, diabetic patients can develop kidney failure.
– Eye disease
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Uncontrolled consumption of high-sugar foods and drinks can damage the blood vessels in the retina. In the long run, uncontrolled diabetes can lead to blindness.
– Alzheimer’s disease
Avoiding diabetes taboos can make blood sugar levels more controlled. The more controlled your blood sugar is, the lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Conversely, if your blood sugar continues to be high, the risk of Alzheimer’s will increase. Alzheimer’s can make the sufferer senile.
By avoiding diabetic restrictions, you can control your blood sugar levels well.
You must be careful in choosing foods for diabetics, so that blood sugar does not spike after eating.
Do not forget to also accompany this habit with regular exercise and control to the doctor so that the condition of diabetes can be controlled and the risk of complications can be much reduced.
