The daily diet for diabetic patients requires careful consideration. If one inadvertently consumes foods that should be avoided, it can cause blood sugar, which has been好不容易 (with great difficulty) controlled, to surge, and in severe cases, it can even be life-threatening. Let's take a look at the dietary taboos for diabetes and see which foods diabetics should not eat.
【Popcorn】
Also known as fried rice, popcorn is a starchy food. Secondly, popcorn is considered drying and heating, which can damage the yin. For diabetics with a yin-deficient and fire-flourishing constitution, it is absolutely forbidden to eat. As stated in "Sui Xi Ju Yin Shi Pu" ("Dietary Manual for Following Daily Life"): "Although fried rice is fragrant, its nature is drying and it assists fire; it should be avoided by those with a cold middle-jiao or diarrhea." Popcorn has the same nature as fried rice, so it should also be avoided.
【Glutinous Rice】
Diabetics should not eat too much of it because their metabolism of sugar is abnormal. They should avoid polysaccharide foods. Rice is hydrolyzed into glucose in the body, especially glutinous rice products, which have an even higher sugar content. Therefore, it should be avoided.
【Scorched Rice】
This refers to the scorched rice left from cooking. It not only contains a lot of sugar but is also prone to being fragrant, drying, and heating, so diabetics should avoid it.
【Sweet Potato】
Commonly known as yam or红薯 (hongshu). Its nature is neutral and its flavor is sweet. It contains a large amount of sugar, mainly maltose and glucose. Therefore, it should be avoided by diabetics.
【Taro】
Commonly known as yam. Yang Fu's "Wu Zhi Zhi" ("Record of Strange Things") says: "Taro is similar to taro root, and southerners specialize in eating it as a substitute for rice and grain." Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty also believed that its "effects are the same as those of Chinese yam." It contains a large amount of carbohydrates, so diabetics should avoid it.
【Venison】
Its nature is warm and its flavor is sweet. It is not suitable for anyone with a yin-deficient and fire-flourishing constitution. "Sui Xi Ju Yin Shi Pu" once said: "Eating too much can trigger chronic illnesses and cause diabetes." Most diabetics have a constitution of yin deficiency and internal heat. Venison belongs to the deer family, and its nature is warm and heating, so it should be avoided.
【Pear】
Its nature is cool and its flavor is sweet and slightly sour. Although Chinese medicine says pears can "quench thirst," this refers to thirst from fluid damage due to febrile diseases, or thirst after drinking alcohol or in summer heat, not the thirst of diabetes. Because pears contain rich sugar, including glucose, fructose, and sucrose. Therefore, those with diabetes and elevated blood sugar should avoid them.
【Peach】
Also known as honey peach. Its nature is warm and heating. In the "Bie Lu" (" Miscellaneous Records"), there is a record: "Eating too much makes one have heat." The "Dian Nan Ben Cao Tu Shuo" ("Illustrated Materia Medica of Yunnan") also believes that "eating too much moves the spleen, assists heat, and causes sores and carbuncles." This is especially true for diabetics, especially those with elevated blood sugar accompanied by sores and carbuncles, who should particularly avoid it. Peaches also contain a large amount of sugar, including glucose, fructose, sucrose, and xylose, with a carbohydrate content as high as 7%. Therefore, diabetics must not eat them.
【Orange】
Its nature is cool and its flavor is sweet and sour. Although Chinese medicine believes it can promote fluid generation, moisten the lungs, quench thirst, and moisten dryness, "Ri Hua Zi Ben Cao" also says it "quenches thirst," but this "quenching thirst" only refers to thirst from febrile diseases, thirst from summer heat, or thirst after drinking alcohol, and cannot be applied to the thirst of diabetes. Because oranges also contain rich sugar, including glucose, fructose, and sucrose, eating too much can easily lead to elevated blood sugar and worsen the condition of diabetes, so it must be avoided.
【Persimmon】
Its nature is cold and its flavor is sweet and astringent. Because persimmons contain a high amount of sugar. According to analysis, every 100 grams of ripe persimmon can contain 5-20 grams of sugar, including glucose, sucrose, and fructose. Therefore, diabetics should avoid them. Dried persimmons also have a high sugar content and are also not suitable for diabetics.
【Jujube】
Also known as red dates. Its nature is warm and its flavor is sweet. Although it has the effect of replenishing qi and blood, it is also rich in sugar. According to analysis, the sugar content in fresh dates can reach 26%-36%, while the sugar content in dried dates can be as high as over 60%. Therefore, diabetics must not eat too much.
【Lychee】
Its nature is warm and its flavor is sweet and sour. On one hand, lychees are warm and heating in nature, which can easily assist heat and fire, worsening the internal heat condition of diabetics. On the other hand, lychees contain a large amount of glucose, fructose, and sucrose, with a glucose content as high as 66%. Therefore, all diabetics should avoid them.
【Banana】
Its nature is cold and its flavor is sweet. The sugar content in its pulp is %, accounting for over 90% of the sugar in dried bananas. Therefore, diabetics must absolutely avoid them. Some people have found that when diabetics eat bananas, their urinary sugar can be relatively lowered, and it is beneficial to the recovery of water and salt metabolism, believing this may be related to the high potassium and low sodium in bananas. This is recorded for reference. However, since the sugar content is relatively high, it is still advisable for diabetics to avoid eating them.
【Coconut Water】
Its nature is cool and its flavor is sweet, with effects of clearing heat, relieving summer heat, promoting fluid generation, and quenching thirst. It is suitable for those with vexation and thirst from summer heat or fever and thirst. However, for those with diabetes-related thirst, it should be forbidden. Because coconut water contains glucose, fructose, and sucrose.
【Cherry】
Not only does it contain more sugar, but its nature is also warm, heating, sweet, and astringent, which can easily lead to more severe internal heat. As said in "Yin Shi Xu Zhi" ("What to Know About Diet"): "Its flavor is sweet and astringent, its nature is heating, and eating too much assists deficiency-heat." "Sui Xi Ju Yin Shi Pu" also believes: "Cherries are sweet and heating, warming the middle burner; they should not be eaten in large quantities and are contraindicated for all diseases." Diabetics must not eat too many.
【Longan Pulp】
On one hand, because longan pulp is warm and heating in nature, it can easily assist heat and fire, worsening the condition of yin deficiency and fire flourishing in diabetics. On the other hand, it is rich in sugar, especially with a glucose content as high as 25%, and also contains 0.2% sucrose. Therefore, diabetics must not eat too much.
【Grape】
Its nature is neutral and its flavor is sweet and sour. Chinese medicine believes that eating too many grapes can easily generate internal heat, so those with thirst should avoid them. Because grapes contain a lot of sugar, mainly glucose, which is easily absorbed directly by the body. Especially for raisins, they only contain 17% water, so their sugar content is relatively higher. All diabetics should avoid them.
【Fig】
Its nature is neutral and its flavor is sweet, and it also has the effects of stimulating the appetite, aiding digestion, and increasing appetite. Figs are very rich in sugar. According to analysis, the sugar content in fresh figs can reach 20%-28%, and in dried figs it is even higher, about 60%-70% sugar content, and it is mostly glucose and fructose, which is easily absorbed and utilized by the body. Therefore, people with diabetes must absolutely avoid them.