Those with diabetes already know to check their blood sugar multiple times a day. On top of that, it’s important to restrict certain foods to avoid blood sugar spikes. Doctors almost always tell us that having a level blood sugar is better than having huge spikes that could cause damage to our blood vessels and other parts of the body.
As if that wasn’t enough, medical professionals are more than happy to tell someone what they can’t eat, and that can feel really limiting. Honestly, it can sometimes feel like there isn’t anything that’s okay to eat, especially for a person that’s super busy and relies on quick, ready-to-eat food. What are we supposed to eat? Water and cardboard.
Nah! Thankfully, we’re here to say that you still have plenty of food options — it just takes a little more creativity and planning. Anyone with diabetes knows that you should stay away from salt that raises your blood pressure, but you can still get heat-‘em-and-eat-‘em foods by meal prepping. Instead of using a ton of salt, introduce your own herbs to amp up the flavor.
As far as foods go, you can make a few swaps here and there that are healthier and can help keep your blood sugar from spiking. You can still have sandwiches and some other favorites without changing too much. If you need a little help, here are 15 foods that can spike your blood sugar, and 15 things you can eat instead.
Avoid: Milk Chocolate
We’re sorry to say that your favorite treat isn’t the best choice. Milk chocolate has a lot of sugar and can easily cause blood sugar spikes even if you eat just a little of it. Just because milk chocolate isn’t on this list doesn’t mean you have to give up chocolate altogether.
And it’s not just sugar that you’ve got to worry about when it comes to eating milk chocolate. In addition to being a high calorie snack, it’s also quite high in fat. It might provide your body a bit of much-needed calcium, but the negative health effects definitely outweigh any potential health benefits.
Instead, Eat: Dark Chocolate
Try dark chocolate! Dark chocolate is healthy for you, believe it or not. Studies have shown dark chocolate can improve health and lower your risk of heart disease. This is probably because it gives your body lots of Vitamin K for bone strength, selenium to help prevent coronary heart disease, and antioxidants to keep free radicals out of your body and help prevent cancer.
However, moderation is still vital when it comes to this treat. Dark chocolate can still increase your waistline if you eat too much. That being said, it’s still a much smarter choice than milk chocolate–which can expand your waistline too but without any of the good health benefits that dark chocolate provides.
Avoid: Bread Crumbs
You already know how bad white bread is for you, but sometimes you still ignore it because you’re not consuming very much. The crunchy coating on your crab cakes can actually be making your blood sugar spike. Avoid this high-carb mistake in favor of something more healthy.
However, blood sugar spikes are not the only reason it’s smart to avoid bread crumbs. Despite the relatively straightforward name, pre-packaged bread crumbs contain a lot more than just bread–some are even hiding high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils. And both of these things can lead to weight gain or heart problems.
Instead, Eat: Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia nuts are crunchy, buttery, and slightly sweet, making them a delicious alternative to bread crumbs. They’re packed with heart-healthy fats that help keep you fuller longer without affecting your blood sugar. Just crush them up and use them instead of breadcrumbs to coat your fish filets, chicken, or veggies.
But even if you’re snacking on this healthy alternative, you still need to keep track of just how much you’re eating. Like most other nuts, macadamia nuts are high in calories–with a 1 ounce serving coming in at just over 200 calories. Heart healthy or not, those calories will add up quickly.
Avoid: White Bread
White bread is seriously bad for your body. It can spike your blood sugar quickly and leave you hungry again in a short amount of time. It also has little fiber, so there’s nothing to help transport what little nutrients are actually there.
When it comes to judging foods by the glycemic index, there aren’t many that fare worse than white bread. On the index, foods are given a score from 0 to 100 depending on how fast they increase your blood glucose, with 0 being the slowest and 100 being the fastest. White bread comes in with a terrible score of 95.
Instead, Eat: Whole Grain Bread
Instead, replace it with whole grain bread — just make sure to look at the ingredients list. Whole grain bread should start with “whole grain” over anything else. White bread usually begins with enriched flour, which isn’t good for you. The biggest benefit of whole grain bread is its high fiber content, but the benefits don’t stop there.
Whole grain bread is packed with folate for your body’s cells, B6 for proper brain development and serotonin, zinc to boost the immune system, and magnesium, which is crucial for nerve transmission and your metabolism. However, like many of the swaps on this list, calories from bread can add up pretty quickly if you’re not keeping track.
Avoid: Mashed Potatoes
Everyone loves good mashed potatoes, but they can quickly get out of hand. Butter, salt, and cream can make the food bad. Potatoes can be healthy on their own as long as you eat them plain, but those with diabetes should stay away from mashed potatoes. The food can be high in carbs and fat that contribute to weight gain, and fats that can increase your risk of heart disease.
When it comes to nutrition, potatoes prepared with any method aren’t that great for you. They are not particularly nutrient dense when compared with other vegetables, and, like we mentioned earlier, when it comes to potatoes, unhealthy things like butter, salt, and cream are never far behind. It’s best to just avoid them.
Instead, Eat: Pureed Cauliflower
Pureed cauliflower can give you the same texture and almost the same taste. Plus, you get vitamins and minerals from the vegetable. In fact, cauliflower contains 77% of your daily value of vitamin C, which is necessary for energy, maintaining connective tissue, and strong blood vessels and bones. This makes it a great alternative to fruit juices for getting vitamin C as well.
It also has vitamin K to help prevent bone loss, and riboflavin that boosts energy, maintains a healthy metabolism, and repairs the body. And really, you don’t have to puree your cauliflower unless you just miss mashed potatoes that much–it’s a nutritious side dish no matter how you prepare it.
Avoid: Cereal
Most cereals at the market are loaded with sugar and very little fiber. It’s easy to see children’s cereals are packed with sugar, but even some “adult” brands can be bad. For example, Raisin Ban has as much as 18g sugar per serving.
If you just have to have your cereal fix in the morning, you’re going to need to do a little research about which ones to choose and which ones to avoid. Number one: you should always be reading the ingredient list on the side of the box. Sometimes cereals are marketed as “healthy” but one quick glance at the ingredients lets you know that it’s actually loaded with sugar.
Instead, Eat: Steel-Cut Oats
Swapping out your cereal with steel-cut oats is simple and delicious. You can add fresh fruit, nuts, and other ingredients to make it any flavor you want. You can also mix in extracts to add a splash of vanilla or cinnamon. Steel-cut oats are an excellent source of manganese and molybdenum.
Manganese is essential for the absorption of calcium and necessary for the thyroid to work properly. Molybdenum can help improve circulation, regulate cell growth, and protect blood vessels from injury. As long as you’re not drowning them with sugar or honey, steel-cut outs should be a much better choice than cereal.
Avoid: Iceberg Lettuce
Iceberg lettuce is easy to eat but has little nutritional value. In fact, iceberg lettuce is 95% water. Sure, this means it’s low in calories, but you could be getting more vitamins and minerals by switching it out with something else.
It’s not so much that iceberg lettuce is actively bad–it’s just that there are so many more nutritious options that are similar to it. Literally any other kind of green you pick–spinach, kale, arugula, etc.–will be more nutrient dense than iceberg lettuce but will still be similarly low calorie.
Instead, Eat: Dark Leafy Greens
Dark leafy greens are a much better option that could also jazz up the flavor or your salad or sandwich. Picking greens like spinach, romaine, and kale can give you extra nutrients and more bang for your buck. And since unprocessed greens are so low calorie, you don’t have to worry about your waistline when you eat them.
Spinach, for example, has tons of vitamin K for bone strength, vitamin A to boost the immune system, iron to promote healthy, oxygenated blood, and tons of fiber that can help keep you regular and absorb every vitamin and mineral in the food. Just remember, things can get unhealthy real quick if you’re making creamed spinach!
Avoid: May
We all love a good slather of mayo on our sandwich or in a dip, but it’s pretty bad for you. One tablespoon has 90 calories, and it’s high in fat. You could buy low-calorie and low-fat mayo, but you could also swap it out for something that’s even better.
For those trying to quit mayo, you don’t even necessarily need to go cold turkey at the beginning. Mixing a half serving of mayo with a low-calorie condiment (like mustard) is a step in the right direction. Ultimately though, you’re much better off just eliminating it entirely in the long run.
Instead, Eat: Low-Fat Greek Yogurt
Low-fat Greek yogurt is a great mayo replacement. It’s packed with nutrients that can make your sandwich or dip even healthier than before. It’s full of calcium for healthy and strong bones, potassium for your metabolism and muscles, protein to help repair your tissues, and B6 and B12 for a healthy nervous system and extra energy. Plus, it has good bacteria that can help your body digest foods.
But don’t forget–always read the nutrition labels! Greek yogurt that’s low fat and plain shouldn’t give you any problems, but there are plenty of unhealthy varieties to choose from at the grocery store. Watch out for full fat yogurts, as well as yogurt brands that add tons of extra sugar into their products.
Avoid: Mixed Nuts
Mixed nuts are a popular snack that’s super easy to grab when you’re hungry. However, the nuts inside can be high in fats and extremely high in salt. This can raise your blood pressure and exacerbate symptoms of diabetes.
If you can’t stand to part with your mixed nuts, there are some tips for making this snack a little healthier. You should always opt for unsalted varieties if you can find them. However, there’s no getting around the high fat and calorie content–that’s just how nuts are. So, always make sure to carefully measure your servings so you don’t overeat.