Diabetes makes eating healthy complicated. While everyone knows that sweets, pop, and white bread are bad for diabetes management, many don’t realize that many healthy foods are also dangerous for diabetics. Fruits and vegetables are supposed to be good for us. Unfortunately, sugary fruits and starchy vegetables can endanger diabetes patients and make it nearly impossible to manage their condition. Holistic medicine seeks to treat ailments by addressing the roots of an issue. This means handling food extremely carefully for diabetics so their bodies can heal from past damage and manage blood sugar.
Tropical Fruit
We like to think of the produce aisle as a safe haven for any kind of diet. Unfortunately, the truth is a little more complicated. While diabetes doesn’t rule out any and all fruits from a healthy diet, it does cut out favorites like bananas, pineapples, mangoes, and even most citrus. All fruits have sugar. This means diabetics should eat fruit only in moderation. Tropical fruits, however, contain higher concentrations of sugar that can spike blood sugar and lead to dangerous complications.
Fruit Flavored Yogurt
Although fruit yogurts usually come from low or nonfat milk, they have plenty of artificial sweeteners to add that fruity taste. While whole milk isn’t usually the best choice for a diabetic, unflavored whole milk yogurt is a much better choice than flavored alternatives. Fruit flavored yogurts may be low in fat, but they get the majority of their calories through sugar, which is the most dangerous food for a diabetic.
Dried Fruit
Most people view dried fruit as the perfect snack. However, for diabetics, this isn’t the case, because they have to be cautious of anything with sugar. While most fresh fruit is safe in moderation, dried fruit contains a more concentrated dose of sugar. This can cause a sudden spike in your blood sugar levels. Dried fruit tastes like candy because it effectively is candy.
Fruit Juice
You’re probably noticing a theme here. Fruit juice gives most consumers a burst of necessary vitamins and minerals. However, the high concentration of sugars and carbohydrates can cause big problems for diabetics. Fruit balances sugar with fiber and other nutrients. Unfortunately, juicing takes away many of the fruit’s benefits while concentrating the sugars. Even natural, fresh, unsweetened fruit juice can have as much or more sugar than an equal serving of soda pop. While it’s possible for most regular dieters to balance these calories with the rest of their daily consumption, the blast of sugar doesn’t pair well with diabetes.
Diabetes forces patients to adopt healthier diets. A diabetic’s diet looks very different from many regular diets, though. Diabetics have to be even more careful with their food choices, and many of those choices involve sugar. As a diabetic, leave even the healthy sugars, like those found in fruit, off your plate. Holistic medicine shows that the simple answer isn’t always the best one. While diabetics still need the nutrients found in fruit, they have to be choosier. When in doubt, look for fresh fruit from non-tropical climates.
