Type 2 diabetes is a serious, chronic condition that occurs due to heightened blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes afflicts over 400 million people worldwide, and rates are, unfortunately, on the rise. Symptoms include everything from blurred vision to tingling or numbness in the hands or feet to tiredness and increased thirst or hunger to patches of dark skin forming in the creases of or your neck, armpit, or groin to itching and yeast infections.
Luckily, Type 2 diabetes is controllable, and you can start at breakfast! Limiting your consumption of these five common breakfast foods will reduce your susceptibility to diabetes:
1. Sugary juices
Since high blood sugar levels trigger diabetes, following a diabetic diet means reducing your sugar intake. Although fruit juices often appear natural and, therefore, healthy, they are usually very high in sugar. Fruit naturally contains a simple sugar called fructose, but many juices have added sugars as well. This means that juice can easily be as unhealthy as soft drinks, which are notoriously packed with sugar. A single serving of grape juice, for instance, has 36 grams of sugar, which is more sugar than anyone should eat in a day, according to the World Health Organization.
2. Cinnamon rolls
Cinnamon rolls can make a delicious breakfast treat, but, unfortunately, they are precisely the type of food that you should avoid if you are diabetic or prediabetic. This is because cinnamon rolls and other baked goods are full of carbs, and consuming carbs, more than any other food, causes your blood sugar to spike. As someone with Type 2 diabetes, your body is not capable of properly handling sudden rises in blood sugar levels, and, over time, these high levels may lead to deadly health conditions like heart and kidney disease.
3. Bagels
Much like cinnamon rolls, bagels are full of starches, which are a type of carbohydrate. While they may not be as sweet as other baked goods, bagels are still highly processed and contain little fiber. This means that they are dangerous for diabetics since, without fiber, there is nothing to slow the process of absorbing sugar into your bloodstream.
4. Sweet cereals
Ideally, as a diabetic, you would stick as closely to a sugar free diet as you can. One easy way to cut out added sugar in your diet is to eliminate a go-to breakfast choice: sweet cereals. So if you suffer from Type 2 diabetes, it is time to trade in sugary cereals like Coco Pops, Frosted Flakes, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Lucky Charms for alternatives like Cheerios, Cornflakes, Shredded Wheat, and Grape Nuts.
5. Fruit-flavored yogurt
Fruit-flavored yogurt is another breakfast option that appears deceptively healthy. In reality, fruit-flavored yogurt, like fruit juice, usually contains lots of added sugar. Manufacturers originally started adding sugar to yogurt and other foods in order to improve the taste of their products. As a result, over the years, we have become accustomed to sugar levels far beyond anything found in the natural world. Diabetics suffer the consequences of this dietary shift more than anyone else, and, in order to reduce the impact, must consciously combat the inclusion of added sugar in their diets.
