The adage, health is wealth, can truly be understood when you get older. This is why it is very crucial for you to lead a healthy lifestyle. Making health-conscious choices has a lot to do with having healthy food options. You probably go for fruit juices instead of soda, low-fat products, and smoothies over milkshakes. But are they really healthy? These foods contribute to blood sugar spikes. Let’s explore the shocking truth about these so-called ‘healthy’ foods in this very important video.
What is Blood Sugar, and How It Matters?
Blood sugar is an important factor for your health. Once you consume food, the carbohydrates in it are broken down into glucose, which in turn gets released into your bloodstream. As a response, your pancreas produces insulin, which transports glucose to cells for energy. However, there are some specific foods that increase blood sugar, enabling your pancreas to work overtime.
Occasional sugar rise is okay, but the sugar spikes happen consistently, so it might lead to insulin resistance- a precursor to weight gain, Type 2 diabetes, and some other health issues. This is why you should check your blood sugar more often than not.
The ‘Healthy’ Fruit Juice is NOT Healthy
Contrary to popular belief, the so-called ‘healthy’ fruit juice is a deception because, as compared to actual fruit, its juice is quite unhealthy. The juice is stripped of all the fiber of the fruits, which contributes to blood sugar. In short, fruit juice is a sugar bomb in disguise. Whether it is pineapple juice, orange juice, apple juice, or any other fruit juice, it has high levels of fructose, a type of sugar that gets absorbed into the bloodstream fast.
Fruit juice spikes your blood sugar level faster than you think. To put things into perspective, there are 24 grams of sugar in 12 ounces of orange juice- which is equivalent to a can of soda. Hence, stay away from fruit juice if you don’t want your sugar level to go up.
The Sugar Trap of Smoothies: Blood Sugar
Smoothies are known as healthy, convenient, and popular snacks loaded with vegetables, fruits, and milk/yogurt. But is this ultimate food really healthy? NO. It has an excessive amount of natural and added sugar, which contributes to sugar spikes.
Smoothies have fruit without its natural fibers. On top of that, it contains maple syrup, honey, and other sweeteners, making smoothies a sugar-laden drink. As a result, when you consume smoothies, your body absorbs all the sugar from them quickly, disrupting your normal sugar levels.
The Danger of Low-Fat Products
For many years, low-fat products have been considered vital for good heart health and weight loss. However, recent studies have shown that low-fat products come with high sugar.
For instance, low-fat yogurt is a common healthy food choice, a single serving of which comes with 20 grams of sugar. Most of this sugar stays in the form of added sugars like high fructose corn syrup. This is why if you consume such low-fat products, your sugar levels are likely to go up, leading to various health issues.
Avoid These Hidden Blood Sugar Bombs
If you do not want your blood sugar level to rise, then you need to avoid the above-described foods, aka ‘blood sugar bombs.’ The sugar fluctuations after consuming these foods will take a toll on your body, leading to issues like metabolic syndrome, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and other issues.
If you are already suffering from diabetes, then the hidden sugar of these foods will spike your sugar levels even more, making the condition worse. Hence, avoid these blood sugar bombs.
Make Smarter Choices: The Remedies
Now you know what kinds of foods contribute to your sugar levels. Hence, avoid these foods and make better food choices to prevent blood sugar spikes.
Eat Whole Fruits – To Prevent Blood Sugar
Always go for whole fruits over fruit juices. Whole fruits contain fibers and other essential elements, which fruit juice does not.
Avoid Smoothie – To Prevent Blood Sugar
It is better for you to avoid smoothies or be mindful of them. You also have the option of balancing smoothies by putting in various fiber-rich ingredients like spinach, chai seeds, and flaxseeds. You should ensure a higher vegetable-to-fruit ratio and avoid any kind of sweetener at all.
Snack with Healthy Fats and Protein – To Prevent Blood Sugar
If you wish to have a snack, then you can eat some nuts with fruits instead of snaking on a granola bar. The healthy fat and protein will stabilize the blood sugar in your body.
Limit Pre-Packaged and Processed Foods – To Prevent Blood Sugar
Consuming pre-packaged and processed food is not as healthy for your body as you think. It would be better for you to limit such foods as much as possible.
Conclusion
There are so many so-called ‘healthy’ foods that you consume that are not healthy at all. Such foods contribute to blood sugar spikes. This is why you must either limit or avoid these foods to control your sugar level. Consuming these dangerous foods might result in serious health consequences for you. Hence, you must make smart choices with this food option to evade the blood sugar trap.
FAQs
What Level of Blood Sugar is Dangerous?
Ans: In most cases, a blood sugar level of 180 mg/dL or above after a meal is deemed as dangerous.
How to Lower Blood Sugar?
Ans: There are various things to lower blood sugar, such as consuming foods rich in protein or fiber, exercising, and drinking water.
Is It Important to Eat Healthy?
Ans: Yes. It is extremely important to eat healthy.
Should One Follow Nutrition Tips?
Ans: Following nutrition tips from an expert is beneficial and useful for everyone, and it helps with diabetes prevention.
