Carbohydrates cause your blood sugar levels to increase. Foods that tend to be lower in carbohydrates are protein rich. If you don't have diabetes your body should be able to quickly react to foods that cause spikes in your blood sugar and bring it back to normal range. If you have diabetes and don't administer adequate amounts of insulin these foods will cause your blood to quickly rise to unhealthy levels; leading to dangerously high blood-glucose levels and nerve, kidney and heart damage, reports MayoClinic.com.
White Grains
White foods can send your blood sugar spiking. White foods include white pasta, white bread, white rice, white flour and white crackers. These foods are broken down quickly and used by your body in the same way sugar is; therefore, when you eat these foods your blood sugar can quickly spike up and then it will dip back down.
These foods will leave you with a spike in energy levels and then a reduction in energy shortly after because they do not provide you with the nutrients to sustain your energy levels. To avoid these blood sugar spikes you can replace these white foods with their whole grain alternatives such as brown rice, whole wheat flour, whole wheat pasta or oats.
Sugar
Foods that contain a significant amount of sugar will cause your blood sugar levels to go up because the sudden influx in sugar will cause your blood sugar to spike. These foods include candy, desserts, sugar soda and juices. Different names for sugar products include brown sugar, beet sugar, raw sugar, turbinado, maple syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, agave nectar and sugar cane syrup, notes the American Diabetes Association. The American Diabetes Association reports that these are often called fast-acting carbohydrates.
For a person who is diabetic, these foods can be eaten quickly to help bring up a blood sugar level that has gotten too low. Hard candy can be easily carried with a person who is diabetic and eaten if their blood sugar level drops below 70. Also, sugary sodas and juices are quickly absorbed by the body to send a low blood sugar level back up. It is important not to eat too much because that will cause the blood sugar of a person with diabetes to rise too high.
Fruit
Fruit contains sugars that are quickly absorbed by your body, which can cause an increase in blood sugar. The difference with fruit is that the sugar levels are much lower than candy or sweets and fruits also contain fiber. The fiber in fruit actually helps your body control your blood sugar levels, notes MayoClinic.com. Fiber cannot be broken down into sugars like carbohydrates can.
Therefore, while fruits have higher sugar content they also contain fiber which counteracts some of the increases in blood sugar levels. Therefore, fruit will help you maintain a sustained energy level and ward off fatigue. In addition, fruit may be a healthy alternative to candies or sweets for people with diabetes who experience slight dips in blood sugar.
