Top 10 Worst Foods For Type 2 Diabetes (2024)

If you can work on removing, or at least minimizing these top 10 worst foods from your type 2 diabetes diet, you will find that great things will happen—you’ll lower A1c, lose weight and be able to reduce medications, too!

1. Soda

Soda, also known as sugar sweetened beverages, has been a topic of debate for some time now. Researchers and health experts alike questioning: do they contribute to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic problems?

The answer is a clear YES.

Sodas contain copious amounts of sugar and fructose. Studies show that fructose/sugar is one of the main drivers of type 2 diabetes and it’s horrible complications.

The World Health Organization recommends that added sugar be limited to just 6 teaspoons per day, or 25 g.

A typical soda such as Coca Cola contains 39 g of pure sugar/fructose in a 12 fl oz. / 354 ml can. So just one can of co*ke is immediately pushing you way over the recommended sugar intake!

Researchers have found that sodas are linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition that affects around 30% of US adults. NAFLD is thought to be directly linked to type 2 diabetes. When we get more fat storing up in the liver, this promotes insulin resistance, high cholesterol, more fat storage in other areas of the body, which means weight gain and various other issues.

Sodas increase risk of type 2 diabetes and diabetic complications (in this study and this study), and they increase insulin resistance (study).

Hypertension or high blood pressure is another metabolic problem that is linked to drinking soda, this includes both sugar-filled sodas and artificially sweetened ones – meaning those diet sodas are really no better.

That may come as a shock, but researchers have found that diet sodas promote weight gain, not weight loss as might be expected. Other studies show diet sodas are linked to higher risk of diabetes. And studies in rats show artificial sweeteners interrupt glucose balance, promoting diabetes.

So regardless of whether it’s a plain old sugary soda, or a diet soda sweetened with aspartame or some other form of artificial sweetener, when it comes to taking control of your diabetes, this is one food/beverage you absolutely want to avoid.

2. Sugar

One of the main reasons soda contributes to weight gain and risk of diabetes is the high sugar and fructose content. As we pointed out above, the World Health Organization recommends that added sugar be limited to just 6 teaspoons per day, or 25 g.

This is not a lot of sugar and is more difficult to achieve than you might imagine.

Why?

Because sugar is hidden in literally every single packaged and processed food we find lining our supermarket shelves. Check out the following 40+ names for sugar.

Even things we don’t think would contain sugar, often do. And this is a problem because many times people don’t even know they are consuming so much sugar.

What type of products do we find sugar in?

• Many sauces and condiments
• Breakfast cereals
• Many crackers
• Microwave meals
• Ice creams & popsicles
• Cakes & cookies
• Pies and pastries
• Candy bars
• Pizza
• Jams & jellies
• Chocolate
• Milk & yogurt
• Dried fruit
• Breaded or battered foods
• Corn chips and crisps

Sure, we know things like chocolate contain sugar but as you can see by the list, savory foods like crackers and microwave meals also contain high amounts of sugar.

You need to start becoming a food label detective and follow a whole foods low carb diet like the one we encourage here at Diabetes Meal Plans.

The main point is: cutting out sugar can drastically change your life (and your numbers)!

3. Fatty Deep Fried foods

When a person eats an unhealthy typical Western diet, it usually contains too many deep fried fatty foods. And unfortunately, these have been linked to increased risk of diabetes.

While eating healthy fats like avocado or olive oil are considered good for our health. Bad fats such as the kind created from deep frying, promotes insulin resistance, weight gain, inflammation, and other unpleasant things.

And unfortunately, deep fried foods are often fried in cheap vegetable oils, which increase inflammation in diabetes.

One of the main reasons they are “bad” is that the oils become oxidized, and studies show oxidized oils contribute to higher levels of LDL cholesterol and heart disease.

Fatty deep fried foods also make higher levels of advanced glycated endproducts (AGE) – substances in the body that are promoted by high heat cooking. Deep frying is one of the highest heats we can cook at. In diabetes, higher levels of AGE contribute to increased oxidative damage and more inflammation.

There are plenty more reasons why you should avoid deep fried fatty foods, but hopefully that’s enough to convince you to avoid them.

4. Bread

While you may know that cutting out sodas, sugar, and deep fried fatty foods is a good idea, now we start getting into some of the more common foods that we all tend to love – bread being one of them.

We’ve all become pretty reliant on bread as a staple in our diet. It’s an easy grab for breakfast – make a piece of toast. And for lunch it just makes sense to make a sandwich – it’s what we’ve always done, after all.

But is bread really a healthy nutritious option for people with diabetes?

The answer is no, not really – unless you eat low carb breads.

Bread is high in carbohydrates so eating it, makes it difficult for most people to manage blood sugar well.

For instance, 1 slice of white bread contains 15 g carbs. While that’s not huge, it contains virtually no fiber 0.7 g and has been stripped of many nutrients. Often they add nutrients to bread to increase it’s nutritional value, because compared to a vegetable, bread has very low nutrient quality.

Whole wheat bread is a bit better containing 12.7 g of carbs and 2.7 g fiber. That’s still a lot of carbs, especially since we tend to eat bread in pairs, so instantly you’re pushing your carbs up to 25.4 g, from the bread alone!

The point is: if you’re trying to lower blood sugar and A1C, cutting carbs is essential. And in general, bread is not a food that fits comfortably into that picture.

Of course, not all breads are made alike. You can find some low carb breads but they are fairly expensive.

The other option is to make your own bread, which is very easy to do. Inside our members site we have over 30 low carb breads recipes, with cooking classes.

5. Flour

What are breads made of? Flour.

Take a look at our flour chart here.

As you can see, in half cup of flour, most of them are high in carbs and they are also quite high in glycemic index.

If you want to lower blood sugar and A1c, it’s best to stick to lower carb flours like flaxseed, almond, coconut, and chickpea flours.

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6. Pasta

Another high carb food, pasta is one of those things that we all have a love for. But because we do, it is very easy to overeat.

One serve of pasta is just half a cup, when you look at it on a plate compared to a general serve we’ve become accustomed to eating, it’s not that much right?

It’s VERY easy to overeat pasta, so it’s really best avoided or you could soon see your blood sugar soaring.

But, that doesn’t mean living without pasta-like meals – there are plenty of low carb pasta options, which we include in our weekly meal plans regularly.

7. Potatoes

Why is it that all the foods you love are not diabetic friendly?

Yep, at first it can seem a bit disappointing. But it’s not the end of the world because there are lots of other options – even for potatoes!

Again, potatoes are just one of those foods that’s too high in carbs for proper blood sugar control. Just one medium boiled potato contains 33 g carbs, which can quickly send you over the edge.

8. Rice

You might be noticing a theme here… that all the foods we’ve mentioned so far, apart from the deep fried foods, are high in carbohydrates.

And that’s a key, key point: If you want to lower blood sugar and A1C and avoid diabetic complications, the best way to do that is to lower your carbohydrate intake.

Carbohydrates are the nutrient that influences blood sugar and A1c the most.

While some people can handle a little bit of brown rice, it is still high in carbs (at 23 g per 1/2 cup), so if you want the best possible outcomes, it’s best avoided.

You might notice one other thing about many of these foods: they often form the ‘base’ of our meals. It’s true. We have become accustomed to rice, potatoes, flour products, and pasta as ‘fillers’ and ‘staples,’ but there are far better things to eat.

And, there are options that are just as great – options that won’t send your blood sugar haywire!

Michelle says: “I learned that eating healthy isn’t painful, time consuming, drudgery. It can be fun AND taste good.Wish the doctor’s office would have shown YOUR way of doing it when I was first diagnosed. I probably would not have stuck my head in the sand so long! Glad I found you!” (VIP Member)

9. Bagels

Just like bread, bagels are a beloved staple in many diets, especially as a hearty option for breakfast or a quick snack. They’re often seen as a satisfying, convenient food choice. But when it comes to managing diabetes, are bagels a wise choice?

Unfortunately, when you’re aiming to control your blood sugar and A1C levels, bagels present a significant challenge.

The primary issue with bagels is their high carbohydrate content. A typical plain bagel can contain as much as 47 to 50 grams of carbohydrates, which is equivalent to, or even more than, three slices of bread!

This is crazy high carb content and will cause a rapid blood sugar spike, making it a difficult food for people with diabetes to incorporate into their diet.

Additionally, bagels usually have very little dietary fiber. Fiber is crucial for slowing down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, but a standard bagel might only offer about 2 grams of fiber. This lack of fiber exacerbates the problem, leading to even quicker rises in blood sugar.

Another thing is bagels, especially those made from refined white flour, are low in essential nutrients. They lack the vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial compounds that are found in whole, unprocessed foods. This makes them a less nutritious option compared to foods that are naturally low in carbohydrates and high in fiber.

Of course, there are variations. Whole grain bagels will contain slightly more fiber and nutrients than their white flour counterparts, but they are still high in carbohydrates. Similarly to bread, there are low-carb bagel options available in the market, although these are often more expensive and less accessible.

While bagels are undoubtedly tasty and convenient, their high carbohydrate content and low nutritional value make them one of the very worst foods for people with diabetes.

10. Low quality vegetable oils

We touched on the topic of oils when we covered deep fried foods above.

It’s always been promoted that we should eat vegetable oils – polyunsaturated fats – because they are better for our health.

However, there are 2 types of polyunsaturated fats, omega-6 and omega-3. Unfortunately they have both been lumped under the same category, but they are not the same.

It’s the omega-3s that are healthy. And for sure, we need to eat more omega-3s because they are anti-inflammatory.

Omega-3s can be found in salmon, tuna, sardines, chia seeds, and walnuts.

But the omega-6 fats, well, they are pro-inflammatory.

And in recent years, researchers have discovered that omega-6 fatty acids promote inflammation and heart disease. As a person with diabetes, you need to calm down inflammation in your bodies cells, not promote it!

Omega-6 fats to avoid include:

• Margarine
• Rice bran oil
• Corn oil
• Vegetable oil
• Safflower oil
• Sunflower oil (except organic)
• Grapeseed oil
• Soybean oil
• Peanut oil

Try switching the low quality oils out for olive oil instead. It’s a far better option!

So there you have it, the top 10 worst foods for type 2 diabetes.

If you can avoid these foods and eat lower carb alternatives instead, you’ll be well on your way to lowering your blood sugar and A1C, perhaps even reversing your diabetes – like many of our members are achieving.

Do you struggle with one of these foods more than another? Have you cut out these foods and noticed a difference?

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