Chocolate, pasta or sausage are some of the worst foods for people with diabetes, because in addition to being rich in simple carbohydrates that increase blood sugar, they do not contain other nutrients that help regulate the amount of glucose in the blood.
In diabetics, the consumption of these foods can be serious because glucose, which is the main source of energy that cells need to work, is not absorbed and continues to accumulate in the blood because insulin is not effective or is not present in sufficient quantity and It is responsible for capturing glucose, placing it inside the cells.
Although they are more dangerous for those with diabetes, these foods can also be avoided by everyone, as this can reduce the risk of developing diabetes and other chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases, over time.
Below we present a list of the 5 worst types of foods for people with diabetes, as well as healthier swaps:
1. Sweets
Such as candy, chocolate, pudding or mousse contain a large amount of sugar, being a good source of quick energy for most people, but in the case of diabetes, as this energy does not reach the cells and is only accumulated in the blood, they can develop complications.
Healthy Exchange: Choose fruits with peel and pomace as dessert or diet sweets in small quantities, at most twice a week.
2. Simple carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates such as rice, pasta and potatoes are converted into sugar in the blood and therefore the same thing happens as when eating sweets, without any whole source at the same time.
Healthy Exchange: Always opt for brown rice and pasta because they are beneficial because they have less sugar and consequently, a lower glycemic index.
3. Processed meats
Such as bacon, salami, sausage, sausage and mortadella, which are made with red meat and food additives, which contain chemicals that are toxic to the body, favoring the onset of diabetes. Sodium nitrate and nitrosamines are the two main substances present in these foods that cause damage to the pancreas, which over time stops working properly.
The habitual consumption of processed meat, especially ham, also leads to increased inflammation in the body and increased oxidative stress, which are factors that also predispose to the disease.
Healthy Exchange: Choose a slice of unsalted white cheese.
4. Packaged snacks
Cookies and packaged snacks such as chips, doritos and fandangos contain food additives and sodium that are also not recommended for those with diabetes because they increase the risk of hypertension. In diabetics there is a change in the blood vessels that facilitates the accumulation of fatty plaques inside them, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and when consuming this type of food, this risk increases even further.
Healthy Exchange: Opt for home-prepared snacks of baked sweet potato chips.
5. Alcoholic drinks
Beer and caipirinha are also bad choices because beer dehydrates and increases the concentration of sugar in the blood and caipirinha, in addition to being made with a sugar cane derivative, also contains more sugar, making it totally not recommended in case of diabetes.
Healthy Exchange: Opt for 1 glass of red wine eventually, because it contains resveratrol which benefits the cardiovascular system.
In diabetics, the consumption of these foods can be serious because glucose, which is the main source of energy that cells need to work, is not absorbed and continues to accumulate in the blood because insulin is not effective or is not present in sufficient quantity and It is responsible for capturing glucose, placing it inside the cells.
Why diabetics need to eat well
Diabetics need to eat well, avoiding everything that can be transformed into sugar in the blood because they don’t have enough insulin to put all the glucose (blood sugar) into their cells and that’s why they need to be so careful about what they eat. , because practically anything can turn into sugar in the blood and it will accumulate, lacking energy for the cells to work.
Therefore, to control diabetes and ensure that all glucose reaches the cells, it is necessary:
- Decrease the amount of sugar reaching the blood and
- Ensuring that existing insulin is actually efficient in its job of getting sugar into cells.
This can be achieved through correct nutrition and the use of medications such as insulin, in case of type 1 diabetes, or metformin, in case of type 2 diabetes, for example.
But there is no point in eating poorly thinking that the medicines will be enough to guarantee the entry of glucose into the cells because this is a daily adjustment and the amount of insulin needed to take the sugar that an apple brings to the blood is not the same as the amount needed to take the sugar that a brigadeiro provided.
