Here’s another installment of Foods to Avoid, this time for Diabetics. When one thinks about Diabetes, they often automatically think about sweets. Things like chocolates, candies, cakes and ice cream go out the door. In truth, there are several other food that contain a lot of sugars but don’t necessarily taste sweet.

White Rice – Rice might not be sweet but it is packed with sugar. How is this possible? Well, rice and other starchy foods like pasta and bread are loaded with carbohydrates. When carbs are broken down, they become glucose. Now, this is very bad for Diabetics. Choose brown rice, wheat bread and wheat pasta whenever possible.

Starchy Vegetables – Sure vegetables are part of a healthy diet, but for Diabetics starchy vegetables like potatoes, beets and beans should be eaten as little as possible. For the same reason as White Rice, starchy vegetables should be avoided.

Fruits – OK, so fruits are sweet but most people think that since fruits are healthful then it’s alright to feed them to diabetics. While this is true for some fruits, avoid those with higher sugar content. Examples are grapes, strawberries, bananas, peaches, plums, nectarines, oranges and grapefruit.

Packaged foods – Packaged foods are best avoided in general, even without the added complication of diabetes. Look at the labels and watch out for foods that have high-fructose corn syrup,  or anything ending in -ose. These sweeteners are used in most packaged food and are not good for diabetics.

The most important thing to remember when dining as a diabetic or preparing food for one is portion control. Lessen the portion of carbohydrates and sugars and replace it with more fiber.