9 foods that your diabetic parents must avoid at all costs

During this pandemic, all of us have understood that having comorbidities can be fatal. Diabetes is one such condition that can give rise to other complications, even if you don’t have covid-19. Which is why it is important to keep diabetes under control, especially for our elderly parents. While medications are obviously an important piece of the puzzle, holistic approaches can make diabetes management easier. 

The food that your parents eat has a major impact on their health, especially if they have diabetes. While certain foods can help them control their blood sugar levels–others can cause an immediate spike. These are the ones they must stay away from. 

Here is a list of foods diabetics must avoid:

1. White bread
Your parents can have bread but just avoid the white kind. White bread is made from refined flour and has a high glycemic index that can directly lead to elevated blood sugar levels. Instead, try giving them multigrain or wholewheat bread.

2. Fried food
It is better to not give your diabetic parent any fried food, since they are high in simple carbs and fat–a toilsome combination for diabetics. Since fat takes a while to digest, it will not only raise your parent’s blood sugar but can also keep it high for a really long time.

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If your parents love fried foods, then you can consider buying an air fryer. This will allow your parents to indulge in fried foods without actually frying anything.

3. Sodas
Soda is high in sugar and soon after drinking, your parent’s system is hit by a massive sugar rush. This signals an insulin release in their body which poses a major problem. Diet sodas are not safe either. They contain artificial sugars, which are much sweeter than sugar and signal an insulin release too.

4. Artificial sweeteners
You might have thought that artificial sweeteners are a healthy alternative to sugar, but not so surprisingly. These fake sweeteners are not healthy to consume for people with diabetes. Experts believe that artificial sweeteners are about 180 to 200 times sweeter than normal sugar and trigger an insulin release.

5. Avoid packaged foods
Packaged foods contain sugar, preservatives, sodium, and also unhealthy trans fats. These unhealthy trans fats increase your parent’s bad cholesterol levels and lower good cholesterol levels. People who have type-2 diabetes are at higher risk of heart diseases too, hence your parents must avoid any amount of trans fat in their diet.

So before giving them anything, check on the label for trans fat and make sure the product doesn’t contain trans fat.

6. Orange juice
While orange is a fruit and a natural source of vitamin C and antioxidants, its juice is not so great for your diabetic parent. Orange juice is completely devoid of fibre and is loaded with sugar. This causes a spike in the blood sugar levels which you obviously don’t want. Eating a whole orange is much better for your diabetic parent then just gulping the juice.

7. Flavoured yogurts
You might think flavoured yogurts are a great source of probiotics, but they are not as healthy as you think. Most yogurts available in the market today contain artificial flavouring and are loaded with sugar. So it’s unsweetened and unflavoured curd for the win for diabetics.

8. Biscuits
Just like any other packaged foods, biscuits are too loaded with carbohydrates and sugar. Needless to say, they are not very great for your diabetic parent–until and unless you are looking at fibre-rich and sugar-free options.

9. Fruit jams and honey
Fruit jam is nothing but sugar. It doesn’t contain any nutrients. Even honey is a source of pure fructose that can spike up blood sugar levels.