Facts on Foods That Diabetics Should Avoid

1. The Danger of Sugar

For a non-diabetic, consuming too much or too little sugar is naturally regulated by the pancreas, which releases insulin. The diabetic--with either Type 1 ("juvenile") or Type 2 ("adult onset") diabetes--has compromised insulin functioning, which places greater responsibility on him or her to regulate dietary intake. Consume a snack, meal or beverage with too much simple sugar content, and the endocrine system goes haywire.

2. Processed foods tend to be the worst choices

In general, processed foods lack the things that nature provides to slow the absorption of sugar. Remove the apple skin from an apple to get apple juice. Take away the germ and bran from wheat, and you have refined grains used in white bread. Extract the fructose syrup from whole corn, and you end up with HFCS, the high-fructose corn syrup found in thousands of products sold on grocery shelves, including everything form ketchup to colas to sweet cereals.

3. Read the label on processed foods

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and diabetes researchers have found that a single meal plan for diabetics is unworkable and unlikely to succeed. Instead, diabetics are advised to discern which foods will work best by reading the "nutrition facts" label on all packaged foods when making a purchase. The key points to look for are sugars/carbohydrate RDA values, ingredients themselves (if a sugar is listed early, it constitutes a higher percent of the overall content), and servings sizes. This latter consideration can be cross referenced with exchange lists commonly provided by doctors. Be vigilant in observing the servings sizes (e.g., 4 vs. 8 oz. servings).

4. Consider weight management or loss as a goal

If there is a conundrum of our times, it is how people can lose weight, and most (not all) diabetics are overweight. But a common characteristic of all diets that work is that overall caloric intake is restricted with a new regimen. And to good effect: It is not unusual for newly diagnosed diabetics to lose weight and experience improved insulin sensitivity as a result. A lower-calorie diet need not mean a sense of deprivation: Incorporating a healthy and moderate balance of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lower-fat proteins make a new meal regimen more enjoyable.

5. The occasional slip does not spell total failure

Everyone talks about "falling off the wagon" when trying to manage a diet. But trainer Kim Lyons of television's "The Biggest Loser" told Prevention magazine that late-night binging and sabotage by friends and family quite often are the culprits. The show's medical adviser, Michael Dansinger, M.D., says that "one binge is unlikely to have any significant effect on body weight [but] 700 calories every Saturday would be responsible for 10 pounds of extra weight in the long-term." As for friends and family, Lyons urges you to enroll them in your goal, to somehow make it exciting for them.