7 Foods You Shouldn’t Eat To Prevent Diabetes
Fruit Juice Beverages
Fruit beverages make our list of worst foods for diabetes because they can be high in calories and sugar. For example, Minute Maid Enhanced Pomegranate Blueberry 100% Juice Blend* has 29 grams of sugar, 130 calories, and 31 grams of carbohydrate in an 8-ounce serving. Minute Maid does offer a line of low-calorie juice drinks with 2 grams of sugar or less per 8-ounce serving.
French Fries
It’s no surprise that this fast-food staple is on our list. French fries are loaded with saturated fat, sodium, and calories. Although most fast-food restaurants now offer trans-fat-free fries, that doesn’t make them good for you. Here’s a look at the nutritional breakdown for an order of large fries from three fast-food chains.
Cookies
That cookie with all the sprinkles or chocolate chips could be hiding trans fats. Butter, high-fructose corn syrup, shortening, margarine, and partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils are the biggest saturated fat and trans fat contributors, and they can also pile on calories and carbs.
Fried Chicken
Fried chicken is another restaurant staple and all-time favorite comfort food that should be avoided. Frying the chicken adds significant carbs, calories, sodium, and fat — it turns a good protein choice into a healthy-meal deal-breaker.
Soft Drinks
Sugar-laden soda can derail your healthy meal plan and spike blood sugar levels. Every 4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon, so if your drink has 30 grams of sugar, that’s equal to consuming 7.5 teaspoons of sugar!
Beverages with high sugar content not only add calories and carbs, but they may cause weight gain. Of course, there are diet versions of many drinks that are made with artificial sweeteners (sugar substitutes) and other healthier alternatives, such as sparkling water with fruit.
Cakes
Dessert is not off-limits for people with diabetes, but some desserts are better choices than others. Would you still eat that tempting piece of cake if you knew it had 2 grams of trans fats and 25 grams of sugar in one small serving? Many commercially baked cakes, such as those sold by Pepperidge Farm,* contain trans fats, which can lead to high cholesterol and risk of cardiovascular disease.
Portion and moderation are the keys to enjoying a sweet treat and taking care of your diabetes. And if you can have your cake and eat it, too, with better-for-you ingredients, you win!
Frozen Pizza
Pizza is delicious, it’s convenient, and you can eat it with your hands — plus, it’s an icon of football games, birthday parties, and movie nights. The downside is that many commercially made pizzas are full of calories that can blow a meal plan in one slice.