Type 2 diabetes only presents a problem when blood sugar levels get out of control.
If you have type 2 diabetes, the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar, insulin, is impaired.
This means that you have to find alternative means to moderate your blood sugar level.
Diet is the key, but there are some healthy foods that may have hidden risks.
Overeating certain fruits can cause spikes in blood sugar. To understand how, you must first understand what triggers high blood sugar.
The amount of carbohydrates you eat has the greatest effect on your blood glucose (sugar) levels after you eat.
At first glance, fruit has a much more modest impact on blood sugar than other items.
A serving of fruit, such as a medium apple, typically contains around 15 to 20g of carbohydrates, a chocolate muffin has 55g of carbohydrates, and a regular 500ml soft drink has 54g of carbohydrates.
However, as Diabetes UK explains, «many people eat fruit infrequently, but tend to eat larger portions when they do eat it.»
This makes it «easy to overindulge in nuts, grapes and tropical fruits,» the health agency warns.
He adds: «If you consider that a serving of dried fruit is only one tablespoon and contains 20g of total sugar carbohydrates, you can see how easily this happens.»
How to identify the worst allies
To help you identify the best and worst foods for controlling blood sugar levels, you should look at the glycemic index (GI).
The GI is a classification system for foods that contain carbohydrates. It shows how quickly each food affects your blood sugar (glucose) level when that food is eaten alone.
Carbohydrates that are quickly broken down by the body and cause a rapid rise in blood glucose have a high GI.
High GI foods include:
- Sugar and sugary foods
- sugary soft drinks
- White bread
- Potatoes
- White rice
Low or medium GI foods break down more slowly and cause a gradual rise in blood sugar levels over time.
They include some fruits and vegetables, legumes, and whole foods, such as porridge.
Some low GI foods, such as whole foods, fruits, vegetables, beans, and lentils, are foods that we should eat as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
However, as the NHS points out, using the glycemic index to decide whether foods or food combinations are healthy can be misleading.
The health body explains: «High GI foods are not necessarily unhealthy and not all low GI foods are healthy.»
For example, watermelon and parsnips are high GI foods, while chocolate cake has a lower GI value.
Type 2 diabetes: symptoms to detect
Many people have type 2 diabetes without realizing it. This is because the symptoms do not necessarily make you feel bad.
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:
- urinating more than usual, especially at night
- feel thirsty all the time
- feeling very tired
- lose weight without trying
- Itching around your penis or vagina, or repeated thrush
- Cuts or wounds that take longer to heal
- Blurry vision.