Diabetes is a disease where your body cannot make efficient use of sugar or glucose found in food, usually due to not enough insulin. Insulin is an important hormone produced by the pancreas, which regulates blood sugar metabolism. People with diabetes may have high blood sugar levels due to defective insulin action. Diabetes can be life-threatening, if left untreated and can cause heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage and leg and foot deterioration that result in amputation. Certain foods contribute to the risk of developing diabetes.
White Bread
White bread is rich in complex carbohydrate that your body easily converts into glucose, which can lead to a large total change in your blood sugar, according to University of Maryland Medical Center. Thus, white bread is considered a high-glycemic food, which seems particularly bad for diabetes. To avoid increasing the risk of developing diabetes, minimize refined starches such as white bread. This diet particularly applies to people who are at risk of developing diabetes or have a family history of diabetes.
Potato
Potato is starchy food loaded with plant-based sugar. Regular intake of potato increases blood sugar, which puts you at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to Haverford College. Potatoes contain large amounts of rapidly digested starch that your body readily converts into glucose, the form of sugar in your body, and pumps this sugar into the bloodstream. Thus, potatoes are important contributors of dietary glycemic index and load.
White Rice
Concerns are also raised about the potential harmful effects of white rice on the risk of type 2 diabetes. University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension reports that five or more servings of white rice per week can positively increase insulin resistance and risk of type 2 diabetes. White rice is among the main sources of complex carbohydrate. Sugar is the main building block of carbohydrates, thus your body rapidly processes carbohydrates into glucose, the form of sugar in the blood. As a consequence, the rush of sugar into your bloodstream increases.
