High Glycemic Foods List and "Bad" Foods for Diabetics

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People with type 2 diabetes as well as those who are borderline diabetic should try to limit their total carbohydrate intake. Diabetics, pre-diabetics, and women with gestational diabetes should avoid eating too many foods that raise the blood sugar, known as high glycemic foods. This list of foods "bad" for diabetics is meant to identify both foods with a high glycemic index and foods that don't necessarily fall under the heading of starches or "carbs" but that should be limited if one has diabetes or is at risk for the disease.

A List of Foods to Stay Away From With Type 2 Diabetes – Mostly

Use this list of foods "bad" for diabetics as a set of guidelines rather than rules. It's less a question of what foods are allowed or disallowed if one is diabetic than how the foods are eaten. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, it's not only what is eaten, but also how much and when.

The following tips will help patients eat healthfully:

• Eliminating carbohydrates from the diet is not recommended for people with pre-diabetes, gestational, or type 2 diabetes. A moderate carb intake is necessary to maintain good health. Low-glycemic foods are best, but a modest amount of nutritious higher glycemic foods is fine.
• When the high-carbohydrate food is eaten with a protein food, it will have less of an effect on blood glucose levels than if eaten separately.
• Small serving sizes are advised, since they have a less dramatic effect on blood sugar levels.
• Diabetic patients should regulate how many carbohydrate grams they eat in total throughout the day. The daily number of carbs advised in the diet will depend on the patient's individual situation; pregnant women with gestational diabetes may need a different carbohydrate balance than a man or woman with type 2 diabetes on insulin therapy. Check with the patient's doctor for a portions list and meal plan.
• Many doctors advise diabetic patients to choose whole grain foods, such as brown rice or whole wheat bread, over grains that have been refined, such as white rice or white flour.

Foods With a High Glycemic Index (GI)

Diabetics and borderline diabetics should limit their intake of starches, which are almost always high glycemic foods. These include noodles, pasta, bread, rice, corn, potatoes, tortillas, pita bread, biscuits, scones, pie crusts, pizza, ice cream, sugary soft drinks, fruit juices, and desserts.

Though it's impossible to list here all the foods that are high glycemic, the foods to limit, if not actually stay away from, include those products made with:

• grains, both whole and refined, including wheat, rice, corn, buckwheat, spelt, rye, and kamut
• starch, including potato starch and cornstarch
• beans and legumes with a medium glycemic index, like kidney beans, pinto beans, cowpeas, and green peas. (The protein and fiber of legumes make them good foods for diabetics, but the ones with a higher GI should be eaten only in moderate amounts.)
• potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams
• dried fruit plus sweet fresh fruits such as watermelon, dates, figs, blueberries, grapes, mangoes, pears, and pineapple
• refined and natural sweeteners, including white sugar, brown sugar, sucanat sugar, evaporated cane juice, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, barley malt syrup, and agave nectar.

Avoid Foods With Saturated Fats and Trans Fats

As people who are at risk for heart attack and stroke, diabetics are advised by the American Diabetes Association to limit fat intake and dietary cholesterol. Avoid eating large quantities of foods with unhealthy fats, especially:

• saturated fat, which means dairy products containing milk fat, including cream, butter, cheese and 2% or whole milk, plus lard, tallow, chicken skin, and meat, plus palm and coconut oils
• trans fat, which includes foods made with partially hydrogenated oils, such as margarine, shortening, and some fried foods
• cholesterol, including egg yolks, liver, fatty milk products, and meat.

Replace the unhealthy fats with:

• foods using fats high in omega-3 fatty acids
• monounsaturated fats
• polyunsaturated fat.

Other "Bad" Foods and Beverages Not to Eat and Drink With Diabetes

Other products that may be problematic for diabetics include caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and alcohol. "May be" is the key term, as the recommendations are not always straightforward, and there may be medical controversy. The patient's physician should be consulted about which foods they should not eat with diabetes. In general:

• Alcoholic drinks such as wine, beer, and liquor should be avoided by diabetics if their diabetes is not controlled, they have suffered diabetic nerve damage, or they have high blood pressure.
• Coffee is controversial. Some experts suggest that caffeine can help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes in younger and middle aged women, while others say that caffeine intake is harmful to the health of diabetics.
• Some doctors advise the use of artificial sweeteners such as sucralose (Splenda), acesulfame K, and sspartame, while others claim relying on artificial sweeteners can still cause rises in blood glucose levels when they are associated with high glycemic foods.

Foods Bad for Type 2 Diabetic Patients

The "bad" foods for diabetics are those that either raise the blood sugar level or that harm the health of somebody with type 2 diabetes, who is already at risk for certain diseases and conditions. People with a borderline condition like pre-diabetes, gestational diabetes, or full-fledged type 2 should reduce the amount of high-glycemic foods, while taking special care to eat carbohydrates only in the recommended quantities, meal sizes, and proportion to other foods. Do not take this article as medical advice, but always ask a doctor about the appropriate diet plan, including what foods to avoid as well as what foods to merely limit.