If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you’ve probably heard a lot of conflicting advice about the best way to eat. And it certainly doesn’t help when your family, acquaintances, and even social media bombard you with their own tips and warnings.
The doctors, nutritionists, and educators who treat diabetes have heard it all — and they can help you debunk the top diabetes nutrition myths and parse fact from fiction.
1. Sugar-Free Foods Don’t Spike Blood Sugar
“Sugar-free foods may not have added sugars, but they may still have other forms of carbohydrates that may increase blood sugar,” says Deena Adimoolam, MD, a New York City–based spokesperson for the Endocrine Society.
2. A Gluten-Free Diet Is Healthier
“Many gluten-free foods have carbohydrates and can still raise blood sugar,” says Dr. Adimoolam.
3. You Need a Special Diet
“While diet plays an important role in diabetes management, there isn’t one eating pattern for diabetes management,” says Toby Smithson, RDN, CDCES, a certified diabetes care and education specialist in South Carolina and the senior manager of nutrition and wellness at the American Diabetes Association. “There are several eating pattern options to fit with people’s individual needs.”
Your diet should fit your lifestyle, not the other way around. “The eating plan should consider cultural backgrounds, personal preferences, other health conditions they may have, and elements like costs of food, living situations, and access to healthy foods,” says Smithson.
4. Fruit Is Bad for You
Smithson says it’s a common myth that people with diabetes shouldn’t eat fruit because it has too much sugar. In truth, fruit is a source of quality carbohydrates that’s also rich in vitamins and other nutrients, she says.
Smithson advises choosing fruits that are higher in fiber, like raspberries, blackberries, pears, or kiwi. Adimoolam says people with diabetes can incorporate fruit into their diet and soften blood sugar spikes by pairing it with a healthy fat or protein source.
5. You Have to Cut Carbs
“It’s true that foods high in carbohydrates have the biggest impact on blood glucose (blood sugar) compared with foods high in protein and fat,” says Smithson. “[But] carbs offer an important fuel source for your body and brain. Also, many quality carbs [serve as] a source of fiber, which is helpful with gut health and blunts rises in blood glucose post-meal.”
Adimoolam says people with diabetes also need to understand how certain carbohydrates impact their blood sugar. “Learn how to balance simple and complex carbohydrates to avoid blood sugar spikes,” she adds.
6. Sugar Is the Most Important Ingredient to Consider
“Sugar is a carbohydrate component,” says Smithson. “It’s more accurate to say people with diabetes need to manage their intake of total grams of carbohydrates.” So when you’re perusing nutrition labels at the grocery store, look at total carbohydrates (or net carbs) as well as sugar content.
“I recommend that my patients with diabetes learn where sugars are in their diet, how these various sugars impact their blood sugar, and how to pair sugar with other foods to stabilize blood sugar better,” says Adimoolam.
7. Brown Sugar and Honey Don’t Raise Blood Sugar
“Brown sugar will still spike your blood sugar,” says Adimoolam. “A teaspoon of brown sugar has a similar carbohydrate amount to white sugar.”
Be equally cautious with supposedly healthier sugars such as maple syrup, coconut sugar, and agave syrup. These alternatives may seem more natural or healthy than refined white sugar, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re any better for blood sugar management.
8. Intermittent Fasting Is Always Great for People With Diabetes
“Intermittent fasting may help some people with diabetes with blood sugar control, but it isn’t for everyone,” says Adimoolam. “If [one’s] average carb intake throughout the day doesn’t change with intermittent fasting, then it may not help with glucose control.”
9. ‘Diabetes-Friendly’ Foods Are Healthier
“[Foods labeled ‘diabetes friendly’] may not always be healthy and may still have carbohydrates,” says Adimoolam. “Many of these items are processed with many additives.”
The Takeaway
- Foods labeled “sugar-free,” “gluten-free,” or “diabetes-friendly” can still cause blood sugar spikes because they often contain high amounts of other carbohydrates.
- Carbs aren’t all off-limits: whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruit provide essential nutrients and fiber that can improve your long-term diabetes health.
- Refined sugar alternatives like honey, brown sugar, and agave syrup are still forms of sugar that contain similar carbohydrate counts to white sugar, thereby impacting blood glucose levels in a similar way.
- There’s no single diabetes diet, and while trends like intermittent fasting or Mediterranean eating can help provide structure or inspiration, your meal plans should be customized based on your culture, preferences, budget, and health goals.
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