If you have diabetes, the kind of food you eat matters a lot. The condition can lead to severe heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, and other complications. A proper diet is one of the several ways you can use to control the extent of diabetes. The wrong items may tamper with the effect of medications and exacerbate symptoms. In this article, we’ve listed some of the common foods that people with diabetes must avoid.

• White bread, white rice, and white pasta

These are refined carbohydrates that are among the worst foods for people with diabetes. Eating these foods can cause a spike in blood sugar levels in people with both, type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Plus, refined carbs lack essential fibers, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are necessary for your heart health. So, it is vital to replace them with whole grains such as brown or wild rice, oats, barley, whole-grain breads, and fiber-rich cereals.

• Flavored yogurt

Though a cup of plain yogurt is perfectly safe and healthy, any flavored variant is not. The problem with the latter is that it is often loaded with carbs and sugar. In fact, over 60% of calories in a cup of yogurt come from a single ingredient — sugar. This can lead to higher blood sugar and insulin levels, which is dangerous for people with diabetes. So, it’s wiser for people with the condition to opt for plain, whole milk yogurt. Plain yogurt can also improve appetite, control weight, and boost gut health.

• Dried fruits

When a fruit is dried, its water content is lost. As a result, all the nutrients in the fruit become concentrated, including sugar. Although healthy, snacking on raisins, dried figs, or dried apricots is not recommended when you have diabetes. The habit will easily increase your blood sugar levels. However, consuming dried fruits in small portions may not cause any problem. It is best that you stick to low-sugar fruits like a small-sized apple or fresh berries.

• Fried foods

Fried foods such as french fries, fried chicken, and potato chips have a bad reputation when it comes to various health conditions, including diabetes. These foods are full of oils that add too many calories to your diet. Plus, they are usually coated with breadcrumbs or cornflour, which further increases the number of calories. Studies have shown that deep-frying foods produce many toxic compounds that may promote inflammation and worsen the condition.

• Fruits like bananas and melons

Although fruits are full of vitamins and fiber and must be a part of everyone’s diet, some fruits are naturally high in sugar, which makes them unsuitable for people with diabetes. This includes fruits such as bananas, melons, peaches, and nectarine. Consuming any of these fruits may increase blood sugar levels more than other options; however, this may not be true for all diabetes patients. It is advisable to consult a doctor and a nutritionist to gauge what works best for you.