Do’s and Don’ts of Blood Sugar Management

6 Healthy Eating Rules Any Diabetic Can Live By 

You’ve heard it from a young age “you are what you eat!” “eat your greens” and other sayings along those lines. While eating a healthy diet is the first essential step towards a healthier lifestyle, it’s even more important for people with diabetes. Food can affect your blood sugar in an instant, so you have to be incredibly careful about what you put in your body.

If you’re still eating tons of refined carbohydrates and unhealthy saturated fats, stop now! If you dive for that donut you see gleaming in all its sugar-laden glory from the display case, then you are going about it all wrong.

Even just a few small changes in your diet can have a monumental effect on your life and the way you manage your diabetes. We’re going to look at some foods that are on an immediate blacklist, these foods are horrible for your body and raise your glucose levels, not to mention that they’re just plain gross! But, there is a flip-side. We’re also listing some foods that don’t affect your blood sugar and are great choices to improve your health and happiness.

Don’t eat – Pasta. 

If you haven’t already cut pasta out of your diet, do it now! This ridiculously unhealthy food is filled with empty carbs, loads of hidden sugar and no nutrition whatsoever. There are lots of other options besides refined flour pasta: brown rice noodles, spaghetti squash, bean threads and kelp noodles to name a few.

Do eat – Leafy greens. 

Greens are such a huge part of any healthy lifestyle and great news for a person who lives with diabetes; they don’t affect your blood sugar at all. They’re the powerhouse vegetable of the food world. They are filled with tons of vitamins and minerals that promote a healthy lifestyle and provide high energy throughout the day.

Don’t eat – Sweets. 

Okay, this one is a no-brainer, and it covers an exceedingly broad category of food that we all have a weakness for. Try to resist the temptation! Sweets of any kind wreak havoc on your blood sugar, this includes ice cream, cakes, puddings, cookies, pastries, and candy. Processed sugar is your worst enemy here, avoid it at all costs. Turn instead to natural sweeteners like dates, figs and raw honey. You will be surprised at how “real” they really taste.

Do eat – Avocados. 

These little green gold mines are just fantastic for your health. They are filled with healthy fatty acids Omega 3 and 6 and a multitude of essential vitamins and minerals. Avocados are so delicious, soft, and easy to prepare. Eat them plain as a snack, chop some up to top off your salad or even blend them into a smoothie.

Don’t eat – Fast-food

Once again, hopefully, you’ve already cut fast-food out of your diet. This greasy fare is as bad as it gets. Fast-food is chock full of unhealthy fats, deep fried in gross oils, and jam-packed with additives, sugar, and horrible chemicals. Fast-food is an addictive drug that is designed to keep you coming back for more. If you really love french fries, make your own at home using coconut oil. Once you try these, you will never eat a fast-food fry again… promise!

Do eat – Coconut

By now you’re probably aware of the tropical superfood coconut. Whether you’re eating the meat or unrefined organic oil, you are getting tons of health benefits from this powerhouse nut. Ditch other unhealthy oils and if you’re cooking or baking, turn straight to the coconut oil. Coconut doesn’t mess with your blood sugar at all and you can eat it worry-free. You can even eat the coconut meat plain for all the same benefits.

Once you get the hang of what is real food and the impostors, you will be better able to keep your blood sugar in check.

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