What are the Best and Worst Foods to Balance Blood Sugar?

Controlling blood sugar is a balancing act and what you eat plays a major role. Some foods help keep your blood sugar steady, while others send it soaring. Naomi Wedel, registered dietitian with UnityPoint Health, breaks down which foods help and hinder your blood sugar control, so you know what to eat to feel your best.

What Causes High Blood Sugar Without Diabetes?

If you don’t have diabetes but are concerned about high blood sugar, also known as hyperglycemia, Wedel says a temporary spike in blood sugar can happen after a large meal, especially if it’s high in carbohydrates. However, a healthy pancreas typically produces enough insulin to regulate blood sugar levels and bring them back to normal. You may feel sluggish, tired or sleepy.

In pre-diabetes, the pancreas might not function as well, leading to higher blood sugar levels after eating. If left untreated, this can progress to type 2 diabetes, where the pancreas struggles to produce enough insulin or the body becomes resistant to it.

High Blood Sugar Symptoms

Too much sugar in a person with diabetes presents in various ways, depending on the severity. While mildly elevated blood sugar levels may not cause noticeable symptoms, as they rise, you may feel tired, thirsty or need to urinate more often. High blood sugar symptoms include:

• Blurred vision
• Fatigue
• Frequent urination
• Increased hunger
• Increased thirst

“Feeling tired is a telltale sign of high blood sugar. However, it’s a symptom that’s easily mistaken for other issues, like getting older and overdoing it or stress,” Wedel says.

Needing to pee more frequently is another sign of high blood sugar. This happens because your body is trying to get rid of the extra sugar in your body, leaving you feeling parched and causing dry skin.

You might also experience increased hunger. When blood sugar is elevated, your body struggles to properly use glucose for energy. This triggers hunger pangs as your body looks for more fuel. Additionally, high blood sugar affects hormone levels, leading to hunger and overeating.

In severe cases of high blood sugar, a person with diabetes might feel confused, weak, have blurred vision, nausea or vomiting or even lose consciousness. In these instances, it’s a good idea to call your doctor or consider going straight to the emergency room.

Foods to Avoid with Type 2 Diabetes

Wedel advises avoiding processed foods if you have high blood sugar. They contain high amounts of added sugars, unhealthy fats and sodium, which all contribute to weight gain and insulin resistance — two components of developing type 2 diabetes. Processed foods usually don’t contain essential nutrients or enough fiber, either, which are crucial for slowing the digestion of carbohydrates and release of glucose. Examples of the worst foods for diabetics include:

• Fast food
• Packaged snacks, such as chips or cookies
• Sugary drinks, like juice, soda or energy drinks
• Some ultra-processed meats, like sausages, hot dogs and deli meats

You should also pay attention to the amount of food you’re eating, because even if your meals are nutritious, eating too much food can raise your blood sugar quickly.

When it comes to managing blood sugar, how much food you eat is important, but so is the way you consume it.

For instance, while both apples and apple juice come from the same fruit, they have different effects on blood sugar levels. Eating a whole apple requires chewing, which slows down the digestion process and leads to a gradual release of sugar into the bloodstream. By contrast, drinking apple juice can spike blood sugar quickly, because it’s already in liquid form.

Similarly, whole grains like oatmeal or brown rice are digested more slowly than refined grains like white bread or white rice. This slower digestion leads to a steadier release of sugar into the bloodstream, preventing blood sugar spikes.

Monitoring Your Blood Sugar After Eating

If you have diabetes, check your blood sugar before eating and about two hours after your meal. A safe blood sugar range before a meal is 80 to 130. After eating, your blood sugar should be below 180.

“Ideally, you want to aim for a difference of about 50 points between pre-meal and post-meal readings. For example, if your fasting blood sugar is 100 mg/dL, a post-meal reading of around 150 mg/dL means you’re doing a good job of keeping your levels controlled,” Wedel says.

However, if your fasting blood sugar is already elevated, a smaller increase after a meal is likely OK. The key is to consistently monitor your levels and work with your doctor and registered dietitian to develop a personalized nutrition and medication plan.

The best thing to do is check your blood sugar levels at different times throughout the day, so you’re aware of your baseline at any point.

Natural Ways to Lower Blood Sugar

Nutrition, exercise and medication are the three most important factors for keeping blood sugar levels in a safe range. However, these additional natural approaches can majorly help with balancing blood sugar, too.

• Eat Your Veggies: If your blood sugar is elevated before a meal, choose foods that won't raise it higher. Non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, cucumbers and bell peppers are great choices because of their low glycemic index.
• Eat More Protein: Protein-rich foods like lean meats, fish, beans and eggs also help stabilize blood sugar levels and slow digestion.
• Exercise: Exercise is a good way to lower blood sugar. If you’re just starting a new exercise routine, though, your blood sugar may initially increase. This is because the body can perceive physical activity as stress, leading to a release of stress hormones, like cortisol. However, when you work out regularly, especially strength train, your muscles use glucose for repair and growth, leading to lower blood sugar levels.
• Get Quality Sleep: Wedel says the best way to naturally lower your blood sugar is to get quality sleep. “It’s an important part of overall glucose management,” she says. “There are a lot of studies that indicate if you’re not sleeping adequately, then the stress to your body is higher and your blood sugar goes up.”
• Manage Stress: When you’re stressed out, you adopt unhealthy coping mechanisms like overeating or choosing sugary, high-carb snacks. Your sleep and exercise routines can be disrupted, as well. Chronic stress can also cause insulin resistance, leading to higher blood sugar levels and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Diabetic Grocery List

If you want to stock your pantry with blood sugar-friendly foods, some of these dietitian-approved items will help you make healthier choices at the grocery store.

Breakfast Foods for Diabetics to Manage Blood Sugar Levels

Blood sugar levels are usually the highest when you wake up. This is called the “dawn phenomenon.” It’s due to the release of hormones like cortisol, which increase blood sugar levels in the morning. To manage morning spikes, pick breakfast foods low in sugar and high in protein and fiber such as:

• Greek yogurt with berries and chia or flax seeds
• Eggs
• Steel cut oats

What Fruits Can a Person with Diabetes Eat?

No fruits are off limits to people with diabetes, but dry fruit tends to be the worst type of fruit for people with diabetes to eat. While dried fruits are a convenient snack, they're packed with sugar. The drying process removes the water from the fruit, leaving behind a concentrated form of sugar. In fact, a small handful of dried fruit can contain as much sugar as a larger serving of fresh fruit. The next time you grab some raisins on your way out the door, just be mindful of your portion size.

Fruits low in sugar and high in fiber include:

• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Strawberries

Wedel says, “We only need about two to three servings of fruit a day. A good way to eyeball your portion sizes is to compare your serving to the size of a tennis ball.”

Low Carb Foods for People with Diabetes

The following foods are great low-carb food options for people with diabetes:

• Non-starchy vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, zucchini and bell peppers
• Fruit: strawberries, raspberries and blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• Lean proteins: chicken, fish, beans, lentils and tofu
• Healthy fats: olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds
• Whole grains: whole-grain bread, brown rice and quinoa

While carbohydrates are necessary for a balanced diet, eating too many leads to blood sugar spikes. Aim for a moderate intake, around 30-45 grams of carbohydrates per meal. However, things like gender, age, activity level and your overall health may increase or decrease that number.

“A 60-year-old verses a 25-year-old has a different carbohydrate requirement. The same is true for someone who has an active job versus someone who sits all day long. We usually recommend meeting with a dietitian to calculate your individualized amount,” Wedel says.

When to Talk to Your Doctor about Blood Sugar

Managing blood sugar levels is important for overall health, especially for people with diabetes. While focusing on blood sugar control is essential, it's equally important to address other risk factors for heart disease and cancer. By adopting a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet, regular physical activity and taking necessary prescription medications, individuals can significantly reduce their risk of developing chronic conditions.

If you need help managing your blood sugar, talk to your doctor or schedule a visit with a dietitian.

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