It is important for people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and those who are prone to developing the condition, to have their facts straight as far as food choices go.
So here are a few answers to some common, and often misunderstood questions about several foods you are advised to avoid: 1.
Diabetics should not eat pasta.
Pasta is carbs.
Too many carbs are bad for your blood sugar level and leads to weight gain.
But many diabetics love pasta.
So what do you do? Eliminate it from your life forever? No.
You simply work around the problem.
If you know plain, white pasta is bad for you then change it up.
Go with whole grain pasta.
That way, you can still have your pasta and eat it, too.
Just make sure the first ingredient listed on the label is whole wheat.
Warning though: manufacturers can be tricky sometimes and call foods "whole wheat" when they really aren't.
2.
Diabetics should not eat fruit.
Actually, the common statement is to not eat a lot of fruit.
Now that we've clarified that - they are both false.
Fruit is not the enemy.
Again, the idea of eating fruit is not necessarily the problem.
It all boils down to the source of the fruit.
That's not to say you can't overdo it with fruit - because you certainly can.
Sitting down with a gallon bucket of strawberries or oranges is nuts.
But eating a healthy amount of fruit as part of every meal is fine, as long as you plan ahead.
Include enough protein and fiber to offset the natural sugar fruit provides and you will be fine.
Just make sure your fruit is either frozen or fresh.
Canned fruit is extremely high in added sugar, on top of the natural sugar that it contains.
3.
Diabetics can have ice cream, as long as it is eaten in moderation.
This one is tricky because it is both true and false.
Let's explain.
Ice cream is full of sugar and fat, but could still occasionally be eaten in limited quantities if the person with Type 2 diabetes made plans in advance that he could keep - and actually stuck to them.
But this rarely happens.
Instead of possibly setting yourself up for failure in believing you can control your ice cream cravings, simply choose a less volatile option:

• light ice cream, or
• sugar-free.
  

Oh, and by the way, sherbet is to not healthier than ice cream due to supposedly being made of fruit - because there is very little actual fruit in sherbet! What is its main ingredient? Sugar.