“Eliminate or Limit These Popular Foods to Reduce Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes”

Poor diet can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, in which there is a high level of sugar in the blood. Consuming a large amount of unhealthy foods can also lead to insulin resistance.

When this happens, your body is no longer able to respond to the increased levels of insulin, which leads to an increase in glucose levels in the blood. To avoid risking diabetes, here are two very popular foods that you should eliminate or limit your diet.

Red and processed meat

These include sausage, bacon, and ham found in pizza, sandwiches, and hot dogs, which are widely consumed.

According to health experts, there are a number of compounds in meat, such as nitrates and saturated fats, that are harmful to your body and can contribute to diabetes.

Meat and the risk of diabetes

All of these compounds found in processed meat have been associated with several health issues such as oxidative stress, inflammation, or direct cell damage. A combination of these can lead to the development of insulin resistance, which causes diabetes.

Refined and fried foods

Aside from red and processed meat, the second biggest risky food group is refined and fried foods, mostly packaged and processed foods.

List of foods in this category

Refined foods to limit or avoid from your diet include cakes, cookies, pastries, sugary cereals, and sugar-sweetened beverages. These foods contain most of the healthy fiber and micronutrients removed. Moreover, they also contain harmful synthetic chemicals through added flavorings, preservatives, sweeteners, and emulsifiers.

Refined/fried foods and the risk of diabetes

Some of these added compounds found in many of these “delicious” superfoods harm gut bacteria that play an important role in hunger signaling, glucose regulation, and insulin sensitivity. Consuming too much of these foods can increase your risk of developing diabetes.

What should I eat?

To stay fit and healthy and reduce your risk of developing diabetes, you need to follow a healthy, balanced diet. Eat plenty of fruits and non-starchy vegetables like bell peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, and spinach. It can be challenging, but you need to develop a healthy lifestyle in which you choose home-cooked meals. On the fast food side, other healthy foods include lean proteins such as fish, chicken, turkey, tofu, eggs and yogurt, and whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice and oatmeal.

Source: timesofindia.com