Type 2 diabetes

People diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes are often misinformed as to what foods they are supposed to stay away from. Simply listing a category of food isn’t enough as it is not always such a clear-cut case. Sometimes it is better to be much more specific so that a diabetic isn’t limiting themselves unnecessarily.

Sugar, for example, is a definite enemy. But there are many other places white refined sugar can hide instead of in the obvious doughnut or brownie. Your favorite condiments, from mustard to ketchup and relish are loaded with it. White bread is notoriously high in sugar. (Also, any food such as bread made with white refined flour is bad for you… it starts out naturally brown and is whitened by a chemical process which forms another substance called alloxan, which is known to destroy pancreatic function!) In fact, white bread breaks down into pure sugar before it can even be swallowed. Crackers, waffle and pancake mixes are also full of the “white stuff”.

You were probably told to avoid foods with a high concentration of fat, but what does that really mean? Avoiding all saturated and trans fats would be good, but this would take a lot of policing to accomplish. It’s almost impossible to completely eliminate all saturated and trans fats from your food. The best way to handle fat in your food, is to limit it as much as possible. Look at food labels and take into account how much fat is in each serving… not the entire container. This is the key.

Vegetables are good for you, so they can’t be on the list of foods to avoid… right? Wrong. Having a free-reign on all vegetables is never a good idea. First, you have to see the way the vegetables are packaged. Canned vegetables can still be high in sugar. Frozen vegetables can be stripped of vital nutrients with harmful preservatives added back in.

Even in their raw form, there are some vegetables to stay away from. Corn, certain types of squash, sweet potatoes and the dreaded white potatoes all should be avoided whenever possible.

Are you eating sugar-free products? You may unknowingly still be consuming sucralose, an artificial sweetener not recommended for diabetics. Read labels if you want to find the hidden ingredient of sucralose or other artificial sweeteners. Also remember, many sugar-free foods are not healthy for people with Type 2 diabetes.
Foods can also have another hidden danger: salt. Otherwise known as sodium, salt can inflict an incredible amount of harm on a body in a relatively short amount of time. A major problem with salt is that it can be hidden in virtually any type of food imaginable. Frozen foods are laced with it as part of their processing. Canned foods, especially the seemingly harmless vegetables and canned meats, are filled with salt. This is what gives them their long shelf life.

Processed foods, no matter what kind you are talking about, are loaded with salt. The best way to identify the salt content is to look closely at the label. Remember to take into account the number of servings, and not just the salt content per serving.

If you want to limit salt, always go with fresh foods.