Foods to avoid if you have Pre-diabetes or Diabetes, or want to maintain healthy blood sugar levels

May 12th, 2018

We all know refined sugars (e.g. white cane sugar, corn syrup) are not healthy for us and can be dangerous in larger amounts for people with diabetes.  In my practice, I’ve been noticing that people are overlooking certain other dangerous foods lurking in their kitchen pantry.  I usually remind patients to avoid the “white foods”, which consist of:  white flour products (white bread, white pasta), white rice, white potatoes, and the aforementioned white sugar.  While most of these white foods don’t taste sweet to us, when they get digested by our bodies, they raise our blood sugars and spike insulin levels (insulin is  the hormone that helps to take sugar from the bloodstream into muscle).  Over time, these elevations in sugar and insulin can lead to nerve and blood vessel damage which are commonly found in uncontrolled diabetes.

Here are some suggestions to move away from these “white foods”

• Change to whole wheat bread/pasta.  Whole grains have their fibrous brown husks intact, which prevent us from absorbing all of the sugars.
• Eat brown rice instead of white rice.  In addition to having higher fiber, brown rice makes us feel fuller.  You may notice that you can’t eat as much of it as white rice.  Less food equals less calories.  For people not used to cooking brown rice, I would advise soaking the brown rice a minimum of 8 hours before you intend on cooking it.
• Replace rice with quinoa, farro, or another whole grain.  I find these grains a delicious substitute for rice.  Many have a nutty taste which pairs well with sauces and vegetables.  An added bonus, these grains usually cook in less time than rice!
• Replace white potatoes with sweet potatoes.  Keep the skin on.  Yes, I did say “SWEET” potatoes instead of white potatoes will not raise your blood sugar as high.  Sounds odd right?  Sweet potatoes contain a larger amount of fiber compared to white potatoes and the sugar in sweet potatoes is not easily absorbed by our bodies as white potatoes.
• Cut out white sugar.  Many studies have found white refined sugar is the main cause of obesity worldwide.  If you must add a sweetener, use stevia, which is a spice which makes food taste sweet without adding calories.  Another option would be to use small amounts of honey.  Since honey is concentrated, we typically use less of it than white sugar to add the same amount of sweetness.
• Make your own food.  Processed and packaged foods (store bought cookies, cakes, snack bars) are often loaded with refined sugars.  If you make your own snacks, you will be able to control what goes into them.  By the way, there are TONS of recipes on the internet for healthy versions of your favorite treats.  In general, substituting white sugar with honey or stevia and whole wheat flour for white flour are two simple changes you can make to any recipe to achieve a healthier product.
• Add protein to reduce the impact of the white foods.  While white foods raise sugar and insulin levels, when taken with protein the effect is lessened.  For example, if I gave a diabetic person two slices of white bread, their sugar levels would spike in about an hour.  However, if I gave that same person two slices of white bread with a chicken breast in the middle, their sugars would not be as elevated.  Good sources of protein include beans, tofu, lean chicken, fish, nuts, edamame, chia seeds, eggs, Greek yogurt, and quinoa.
• Make changes gradually.  If you have been eating something for years, it may be shocking or even depressing to suddenly be changing your familiar meal staple.  For example, you could mix up white rice with brown rice, starting at a ratio of 3:1 for a few months, then gradually change to 1:1 until you get used to the consistency.