Diabetes mellitus was unknown in ancient times. Instead, people died from many types of infectious diseases. In more recent years, as infectious diseases started to drop, more people started to suffer from chronic disease. Nowadays, type 2 diabetes is a significant source of morbidity, and it is often featured in a very high number of death certificates as a secondary diagnosis. That is because type 2 diabetes has many different complications ranging from cardiovascular to immune and metabolic disease.
But the reason why diabetes was not common in the early history of humankind is that we have never eaten the way we do in modern times. The occidental diet is full of unhealthy choices; it is everywhere and tastes amazing. No wonder why our children are now getting more type 2 diabetes than ever.
That’s why in this article we will walk you through the major foods and food groups that cause type 2 diabetes and food-related habits that will also increase your risk of suffering this terrible disease.
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Food choices that increase your risk
Diabetes is an imbalance of sugar in the blood, but as you will see in the following list, the potential triggers of type 2 diabetes are varied. They include high-sugar foods and many others, as you can see next:
Sweets
There’s no surprise around the fact that sweets are a potential trigger of diabetes. But why is that? Sweets are made from refined sugars, which are carbohydrates. They are available in nature, and they are that for our metabolism, but not as simple sugars. Industries break down complex carbohydrates and create a concentrate of refined sugar that is very tasty but not equally healthy.
Inside our organism, refined sugars are swiftly absorbed by the organism. Instead of being a good thing, this faster absorption rate is not normal, and disrupts our entire metabolism. They cause an instantaneous increase in sugar that is met with an insulin peak that wears down and damages the pancreatic tissue in the long run.
Baked goods
Similar to sweets, most baked goods are made with refined flour, and it contains simple sugar instead of complex carbohydrates. They are absorbed into your bloodstream and cause the same insulin peak we described above.
When sustained over a long period and repeated over and over again, these insulin peaks contribute to wear down our natural reserve of insulin. The beta cells of the pancreas are responsible for synthesizing insulin, but excess production of insulin leads to insulin resistance and impaired beta-cell function, causing type 2 diabetes.
Pasta
You might be surprised to know that pasta is a potential contributor to diabetes, and it is. While it is possible to consume whole-wheat pasta, it is not what people is used to and not a widespread practice at all. Studies have shown that pasta spikes your blood sugar level, induces weight gain, and it is often served with fat-based seasoning.
That is why pasta is not a good idea for anyone with type 2 diabetes, and it should not be consumed every day if you want to avoid this disease.
Soda
One of the leading contributors to diabetes is soda, and you would be amazed to realize how much sugar you’re having in every single can. According to research, people who drink as little as 12 ounces of soda every day have an 18% higher chance to suffer from type 2 diabetes in a 16 years period. Other studies report a 25% increase in risk of type 2 diabetes, but whatever the number is, the reality is that soda might be tasty but it is not a healthy choice at all.
And if you thought that drinking diet soda normalizes your risk, think twice. Even diet soda is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes compared to the average. It is even more concerning if you are overweight or obese, which is usually the group that consumes these beverages more often.
Fruit juices with added sugar
We also need to talk about fruit juices and apparently healthy beverages from the market store. If you compare the sugar content in a can of soda and some “healthier” fruit juices, you will realize it’s pretty much the same thing. That is why it is so important to look at the label of the products you consume before buying.
Worst still, processed fruit juices with added sugars are often given as a supposedly healthier choice for your children. But there’s no point in avoiding soda if you’re using these as a substitute. Instead, make your own juice at home and try to replace sugar for stevia and other safe sweeteners.
Margarine
The list of foods that cause diabetes does not only include carbohydrates. Trans fats and saturated fats in margarine are also included. Margarine is often used as a substitute for butter, but it is made from vegetable oils instead of dairy. In the process of making margarine, fats are hydrogenated and transformed into trans fats, a type of unsaturated fatty acid that increases shelf life and improves the taste.
However, trans fats are not common in nature, and our bodies can’t handle them appropriately. Thus, they lead to hypercholesterolemia and increase our systemic inflammation. At the end of the metabolic chain, margarine contributes to increasing the risk of diabetes.
Fatty meats
Similarly, eating frequently eating fatty meals and being in close contact with saturated fats is associated with higher rates of inflammation and a propensity to overweight and obesity. These health conditions contribute to the development of insulin resistance, which leads to pancreatic dysfunction, as mentioned above.
Processed meat
It is better to stay away from bacon, sausages, salami, and other processed meats because they increase the risk of diabetes by 19% and the cardiovascular risk by 42% according to studies. These do not only have saturated fats but also industrial additives that you should better avoid.
Red meat
Even red meat should not be consumed extensively if you want to prevent diabetes. Consuming red meat is associated with a higher rate of systemic inflammation, and that’s why it is not recommended in inflammatory disease. It turns out that systemic inflammation plays an important part in the development of diabetes. It is a vicious cycle that starts with inflammation, causes insulin resistance, and promotes obesity, which further increases systemic inflammation.
That’s why it is often difficult to escape this vicious cycle once it’s already started, but it is possible by making appropriate dietary modifications.
Food-related habits that cause diabetes
Even though there are foods that contribute to increasing the risk of diabetes, the higher risk comes from bad habits and unhealthy lifestyles. The most important food-related habits you should avoid to prevent diabetes are as follows:
Emotional eating
It features binge eating, a type of behavior that favors insulin peaks and sugar imbalances in the blood. Emotional eating is often associated with overweight, obesity, diabetes, and significant psychiatric problems such as anxiety and depression.
Eating late
Eating very late at night and near your bedtime might increase your risk of diabetes, especially if you eat carbohydrate-packed foods at this hour. Thus, it is recommended to eat around 3 hours before your bedtime in order to normalize your diabetes risk.
Unhealthy meal preparation
You might be choosing healthy ingredients, but they become unhealthy or lose their properties when you don’t use the most appropriate preparation technique. So, stop using vegetable oils in the preparation of your meals and limit oil consumption as a salad seasoning, using olive oil instead.
Waking up for a midnight snack
This practice might be related to emotional eating or binge eating, or it might be a bad habit you need to combat. But eating a midnight snack regularly has the same effect as eating late. It will increase your blood sugar and insulin levels and contribute to diabetes risk. That’s especially the case if you choose unhealthy snacks such as crackers and sweets.
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We have grown accustomed to the majority of the practices and foods described above, and sometimes it is difficult to make long-lasting changes. But if you’re willing to care for your health, it would be a great idea to go to a certified nutritionist who can give you a nutritious diet according to your age, goals, and current health issues.
After eating appropriately and learning how to avoid bad habits, you will have more energy than before and feel a lot better. It won’t be difficult to maintain those changes once you see the health benefits you’re missing by living a healthier life.