Foods Diabetics Should Probably Stay Away From

Jam and Jelly

If you've ever made your own jam or jelly, you know that you cook fruit with a lot of sugar. You may probably guess that this isn't good news for people with diabetes. Since these foods are mostly sugar, you should stay away from jams and jellies at all costs. If you don't, your blood sugar levels could go up a lot, and you might even become insulin resistant.

And while diabetics might like no-sugar jellies and jams, most of the time, brands just use fructose instead of sugar. This is still not good for people with diabetes.

Alcohol

Alcohol is a big part of life nowadays, and there's no doubt that alcohol and diabetes don't get along very well. People with diabetes can drink tiny amounts, but it's very important to keep an eye on your blood sugar levels as you drink. In fact, even consuming a little bit might make your blood sugar levels go up. It's considerably more harmful to drink too much.

If you drink too much, your blood sugar level will drop dangerously low, which can even kill you. For this reason, it's better to stick with the "less is more" motif.

Vegetable Oil

People with diabetes need to be careful about the oil they use to prepare their food. That's because some oils are bad for diabetics and have a lot more fat than they should be eating. Soybean oil is the worst of the vegetable oils. It can make a diabetic's body weight go up by 25%. So, it's advisable to stay away from it.

You should also be careful when you buy oils from the store. If you see that an oil has been "partially hydrogenated," you should put it back on the shelf.

Saltines

You might think that saltines are some of the healthiest crackers out there. After all, they don't taste very fancy. But it looks like looks (and taste) can be misleading, since saltines aren't good for people with diabetes. This is mostly because they are manufactured with enriched flour, which the body turns into sugar. This is not what a diabetic wants in their food, of course.

Saltines also include oils in them that can make you gain weight. So, it's recommended to stay away from these crackers and choose a healthy option instead.

Frozen Meals

When you get home from work and don't feel like cooking, frozen meals can be a lifesaver. You may have an entire supper in front of you in just a few minutes if you place these things in the oven or microwave. But frozen dinners aren't really healthy, and they're particularly not healthy for someone with diabetes.

To keep this frozen dish fresh, a lot of sugar, preservatives, and salt are added to it. All of these substances might cause blood sugar levels to rise. If you have diabetes, you need to keep these levels in check, so try to stay away from them.

Gluten-Free Food

In the last few years, supermarket stores have gotten a lot more gluten-free foods. This is fantastic news for people who are allergic or intolerant to gluten, but it has made it increasingly tougher for people with diabetes who are gluten-free to get food. That's because gluten-free foods usually have a lot of carbs in them to make up for the lack of gluten. This means that people with diabetes need to be extra careful and keep an eye on how many carbs they eat.

This doesn't imply you can't eat gluten-free meals at all. You only need to be aware of how much you can eat without it influencing your blood sugar too much.