Home Topics Foods for High Blood Sugar
Topic guide
What to Eat When Blood Sugar Is High
When blood sugar is running high — an HbA1c above 8.5% or fasting readings over 180 mg/dL — the same foods need smaller portions and the margin for error narrows. These foods keep a safe rating even at that level, making them the more forgiving choices while you work with your care team to regain control.
Introduction Matching Foods Why This Matters Related Topics & Categories
Introduction
When blood sugar is running high — an HbA1c above 8.5% or fasting readings over 180 mg/dL — the same foods need smaller portions and the margin for error narrows. These foods keep a safe rating even at that level, making them the more forgiving choices while you work with your care team to regain control.
Matching Foods
266 foods currently match this topic, sorted to help you scan quickly.
Food Category Carbs / 100 g Safety Portion (well-controlled)
Marshmallow Flavored Pepsi, Marshmallow (Peeps) Beverages 11.7 g Lower impact about 60 g Orange Fruits 11.8 g Lower impact about 373 g Ice cream no added sugar Sweets & Sweeteners 12 g Lower impact about 70 g Pine nuts Sweets & Sweeteners 13.1 g Lower impact about 15 g Pineapple Fruits 13.1 g Lower impact about 500 g DENNY'S, chicken nuggets, star shaped, from kid's menu Meat, Poultry & Fish 13.6 g Lower impact about 67 g Green Apple Fruits 13.8 g Lower impact about 376 g Grapes, muscadine, raw Fruits 13.9 g Lower impact about 6 g Walnuts Sweets & Sweeteners 14 g Lower impact about 30 g Guava Fruits 14.3 g Lower impact about 300 g WENDY'S, chicken nuggets Meat, Poultry & Fish 14.3 g Lower impact about 68 g Kiwi Fruits 14.7 g Lower impact about 300 g Chicken tenders, breaded, frozen, prepared Meat, Poultry & Fish 14.9 g Lower impact about 21 g Coconut flesh Fruits 15 g Lower impact about 50 g Hummus, commercial Legumes 15 g Lower impact about 15 g Coconut (fresh flesh) Fruits 15.2 g Lower impact about 300 g Pear Fruits 15.2 g Lower impact about 362 g Sour cream, fat free Eggs, Milk & Dairy 15.6 g Lower impact about 12 g Peanuts Sweets & Sweeteners 16 g Lower impact about 30 g Tahini packet Sweets & Sweeteners 17 g Lower impact about 30 g Fast foods, chicken tenders Meat, Poultry & Fish 17.3 g Lower impact about 30 g Almond bread slice Sweets & Sweeteners 18 g Lower impact about 40 g Holiday Milk Chocolate Bar (Hershey's) Sweets & Sweeteners 18 g Lower impact about 30 g Protein supplement, milk based, muscle milk, powder Eggs, Milk & Dairy 18.5 g Lower impact about 11 g Fava Beans (fresh, boiled) Legumes 18.7 g Lower impact about 250 g Peanut butter smooth Sweets & Sweeteners 20 g Lower impact about 20 g Stuffed vine leaves (rice) Grains & Starches 20 g Lower impact about 20 g Hummus, home prepared Legumes 20.1 g Lower impact about 15 g Peanut butter crunchy Sweets & Sweeteners 21 g Lower impact about 20 g Milk shakes, thick chocolate Sweets & Sweeteners 21.2 g Lower impact about 28 g Peanut butter, reduced sodium Legumes 21.8 g Lower impact about 16 g Almonds Sweets & Sweeteners 22 g Lower impact about 30 g Sauce, steak, tomato based Meat, Poultry & Fish 22 g Lower impact about 34 g Passion fruit Fruits 23 g Lower impact about 36 g Sesame seeds Sweets & Sweeteners 23 g Lower impact about 15 g Pickle relish, hot dog Meat, Poultry & Fish 23.4 g Lower impact about 15 g Heinz, Tomato Ketchup, Hot & Spicy (Original Chili Co., Inc.) Grains & Starches 23.5 g Lower impact about 17 g Tomato Ketchup, Hot & Spicy (Heinz) Grains & Starches 23.5 g Lower impact about 17 g Desiccated coconut Sweets & Sweeteners 24 g Lower impact about 7 g Ketchup sachet Sweets & Sweeteners 25 g Lower impact about 10 g Orange peel, raw Fruits 25 g Lower impact about 6 g Cake, cheesecake, commercially prepared Sweets & Sweeteners 25.5 g Lower impact about 28 g Boiled Chickpeas Legumes 27.4 g Lower impact about 200 g Potato pancakes Grains & Starches 27.8 g Lower impact about 22 g Pistachio Sweets & Sweeteners 28 g Lower impact about 30 g Bacon bits, meatless Meat, Poultry & Fish 28.6 g Lower impact about 7 g Flax seeds Sweets & Sweeteners 29 g Lower impact about 10 g Heinz Tomato Ketchup Grains & Starches 29.4 g Lower impact about 17 g Tomato Ketchup (Heinz) Grains & Starches 29.4 g Lower impact about 17 g BBQ sauce Sweets & Sweeteners 30 g Lower impact about 20 g
Want help turning numbers like these into a dosing decision? Flona estimates carbs and supports your insulin decisions every day.
Why This Matters
After a meal, carbohydrate is broken down to glucose and absorbed into the blood; insulin then helps move it into cells. Foods that release glucose slowly produce a smaller, steadier rise. HbA1c reflects your average blood sugar over roughly the past three months. It is the anchor for the three control levels used throughout this site.
Turn food decisions into confident ones with Flona
Flona is your daily companion for insulin decisions — basal, rapid-acting, mixed or meal-based — and for estimating carbs at a glance. It is guidance to support you day to day, not a replacement for advice from your physician or diabetes care team.
Medical disclaimer: This article is for general education and is not medical advice. Ratings and portions are estimates derived from nutritional composition, not measurements of your own glucose response; individual responses vary. If you take insulin, confirm carbohydrate amounts against a nutrition label before dosing. Always follow the guidance of your own physician or diabetes care team.
How these ratings are produced: our safety estimate is derived from each food's nutritional composition — carbohydrate content, fibre, food category and physical form (liquid or solid) — combined with established diabetes nutrition principles and a realistic serving size. They are estimates for planning, not measurements of your own response and not a prescription. Individual responses vary considerably, so always follow your own clinician's advice.
Get the Flona appYour daily companion for carbs & insulin
Get the app
