Foods and drinks to avoid with diabetes

A diabetes diet plan can include most foods, but people may need smaller portions. That said, certain foods from each food group may be better than others.

Diabetes interferes with the ability to process blood sugar, also known as blood glucose.

Currently, nearly 11%Trusted Source of people in the United States have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. And 35% of adults in the country have prediabetes, according to the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Having a healthy, balanced diet can help many people manage diabetes symptoms and reduce the risk of complications. A person may wonder what foods to avoid with diabetes.

Different foods provide each of the main macronutrients that give us energy: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. There are more and less healthy types of each of these foods.

Below, we explore which foods a person who has, or has a risk of, diabetes may want to limit or avoid. We also offer some suggestions for crafting a healthy diabetes diet plan.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are an important source of energy. This macronutrient also has the most influence on a person’s blood sugar, or blood glucose.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that people with diabetes get about halfTrusted Source of their daily calories from carbohydrates. Having the same amount of carbohydrates in each meal can help keep blood sugar levels stable.

What is most important, however, is eating the right kind of carbohydrates.

Carbs to avoid

There are three main types of carbohydrates in food: starch, sugar, and fiber. Starches and sugars pose the biggest problems for people with diabetes because the body breaks these down into glucose.

Refined carbs

Refined carbs, or refined starches, are broken down through processing before they reach our plates. As a result of this processing, the body quickly absorbs the carbs and converts them into glucose. This increases blood sugar, and it means that a person may feel hungry again soon after a meal.

For people with diabetes or a risk of the condition, some examples of carb sources to limit includeTrusted Source white rice and anything made with white flour only, such as:

• white bread
• white pasta
• some cereals
• some crackers
• many baked goods

Monitoring the total carbohydrate intake per meal can help a person keep their glucose levels in the target range.

Learn how to count carbohydrates for diabetes.

Sugars

Sugary foods mostly contain sugar and low-quality carbohydrates. They often have little or no nutritional value and can cause sharp spikes in blood glucose. Sugar can also contribute to weight gain and the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Foods that are often high in sugar include baked goods, such as doughnuts, croissants, cakes, and cookies, as well as pizza dough. Some other sources of sugar include:

• many sauces and condiments
• agave nectar and other sweeteners
• maple syrup and other syrups
• candy bars
• premade fruit-flavored yogurts

Many premade items in grocery stores contain added sugar, and this may not be obvious on their ingredients labels. Nutrition labels may referTrusted Source to added sugar as fruit juice concentrate, molasses, honey, syrup, fructose, or dextrose, for example.

For this reason, it is a good idea to avoid packaged or processed foods with unfamiliar ingredients and to select items that are as whole and unprocessed as possible.

People with diabetes should take care when consuming dried fruit and premade juices or fruit salad, as these often contain added sugar.

Artificial sweeteners are low in calories, but researchTrusted Source shows that they still have a negative effect on blood sugar by increasing insulin resistance. More studies are needed to determine the extent of this effect.

Carbs to eat

People with diabetes should focus on eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, which contain essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Whole grains and fiber

The body does not absorb all the carbs from whole grains. And those that it does absorb enter the bloodstream more slowly than processed carbs. For this reason, carbs from whole grains are less likely to cause blood sugar levels to spike. They lead to the person feeling fuller for longer.

Whole grains contain fiber. Although fiber is technically a carbohydrate, it does not break down into glucose in the body and does not add calories. Fiber is a healthy carb.

The 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for AmericansTrusted Source recommend planning healthy meals by visualizing what takes up space on the plate. Whole grains, for example, should take up half of the plate.

They also recommend that, from 2 years of age, people get at least 14 grams (g)Trusted Source of fiber per every 1,000 calories. People over the age of 51 need at least 28 g of fiber per 1,000 calories.

Examples of whole grains include:

• brown or wild rice
• barley
• quinoa
• oatmeal
• amaranth
• millet