The other day I was going through a diabetes support group on Reddit and someone posted a picture of a blood sugar reading of 299 mg/dl. The caption was: I ordered a caramel macchiato… or caramel frappuccino… I can’t remember now exactly what it was…
I’ve been a diabetic for 8 years. Do you know how many times the thought of ordering a caramel frappuccino has crossed my mind? ZERO, 0, CERO. Exactly.
This is just one example of hundreds that I see daily of people who are diabetics and are still drinking regular soda or getting a drink like the example above. And the typical excuse; I can eat whatever I want, I just have to inject enough insulin to cover for it… Oh and then they go and post a picture about their sugar levels and then wait for people to tell them: Oh it’s ok, it’s one of those days, we’ve all been there. I’m sorry this is happening to you, hope your sugars go back to normal…
Let me ask you: what the fuck did you expect your sugar to be after having a caramel frappuccino? Honestly.
I’ve also seen all the posts of diabetics who get mad or angry when people tell them that you can not eat this or that. I mean they haven’t accepted the fact that they have a chronic illness in which their body can not produce insulin so there are certain foods that we are not allowed to eat. Don’t get mad or angry. Accept this and things will be way better for you honestly. There are alternatives.
So many people that I’ve seen online struggle and have to deal with the bad consequences of diabetes because they lived in denial for a long time and didn’t accept this new way of living. Acceptance is key when it comes to dealing with diabetes.
This is why I’m doing this post on foods to avoid or minimize with Diabetes.
SODAS AND SUGAR SWEETENED BEVERAGES:
I mean, this is kind of obvious, no ? Grab a soda can and look at the label and see how much sugar it has… are you sure you want to drink it ? You and I are way better off without drinking sodas. Same thing with fruit juice, sweet teas and lemonades. A bunch of sugar…
What do I drink? Water, sparkling water, if I’m having a burger I might order a coke zero but I have to see the can myself. I don’t risk it. I ask the server to bring the can. I’m human and you are too. Sometimes we might crave a soda. Make sure it is a diet one. Try to stick with a home made lemonade and use stevia as a sweetener. I myself avoid all kinds of sweeteners. I stick to water and water…
There are many low sugar and diabetic friendly drinks available nowadays, do some research but use common sense. Make smart choices next time you order a coffee for example…
How do I drink my coffee? Black americano, no cream, no sugar, no bullshit…
WHITE BREAD, PASTA AND RICE:
These foods are processed and high in carbs, and as we know all carbs turn into sugar. They have little fiber so this will cause your sugars to spike faster.
I prefer to eat brown rice. Maybe once or twice a month I have pasta. And I always measure my servings and keep in mind portion control.
Eating less of these foods will definitely make it easier to manage blood glucose levels.
FRUIT FLAVORED SNACKS LIKE YOGURTS:
When in the supermarket pay attention to the labels and sugar content in yogurts for example. These can seem to be “healthy” but yogurts with flavors like strawberry, pineapple, banana, cherry or any other flavor have a lot of sugar. They can be labeled as low fat but are really high in sugar. So be careful. The alternative is low fat plain yogurt. You can add real fruits yourself and will not have that much sugar. This will be a healthy and better option for you.
BREAKFAST CEREALS:
Probably the worst fucking food to eat if you are diabetic. Are you sure you want to start your day this way ? Think about it…
These are highly processed and high in carbs. Very low in protein.
You want to start your day with a high protein breakfast. I do eat 3 extra large scrambled eggs with cheese. Every day…
FLAVORED COFFEE:
I think I covered this at the beginning…Next time you go to Starbucks pay attention to the amount of calories and amount of carbs you will get in a caramel Frappuccino. Don’t take me wrong, I love Starbucks, but I know what to order…
Are you sure you want to start your day with 400 calories and 50 grams of sugar ? In 1 single drink ?
Think about it…
DRIED FRUITS:
These fruits are processed and contain more carbs and concentrated sugar. Stick with fresh fruits especially low sugar fruits like berries and apples.
I only eat apples. One apple a day…
SNACK FOODS:
We all know that potato chips, pretzels, cookies, crackers and foods that come in packages have many ingredients and are highly processed. Stay away and minimize these as much as possible.
Healthier snacks are mixed nuts, cheese, cottage cheese, and apples. There are many, these are just a few of them…
FRIED FOODS (FRENCH FRIES):
Who doesn’t love a burger with fries? I do. I eat burgers and I try to eat a moderate amount of fries. I don’t over eat. I try to calculate a portion and stick to it. This is my cheat meal and I make sure that I workout hard before having my burger.
All fried foods are bad in general, stick to using the air fryer or potatoes cooked in the oven. These are healthier alternatives.
Ok so that’s a list of some foods to be careful with.
We are all human and we crave different foods. But let’s use some common sense and try to make smart choices so this will allow us better blood glucose management.
On a previous post I shared some foods that are diabetic friendly, heres the link: Diabetic Friendly Foods.
In that link you can find some alternatives for cereal and snacks.
I also did a post on how to treat low blood glucose levels, you can read it here: High and low blood glucose levels.
A low blood sugar is NOT a reason to eat cake, ice cream, chocolate bars, sweet desserts, a caramel Frappuccino or just overeat sweets to justify the low.
Measure the food you eat to treat a low and wait at least 15 min to check your sugar levels again.
And to finish this post I’d like to say this again:
THE MORE CARBS, PROCESSED FOODS, JUNK FOOD, SWEETS AND SUGARS THAT YOU EAT IN GENERAL; THE MORE INSULIN YOU NEED TO TAKE, AND THE HARDER IT IS TO CONTROL GLUCOSE LEVELS.
So can you eat anything you want because you have insulin ? Be careful with that…
@dieabeast