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Foods to Avoid With Diabetes (Especially When Blood Sugar Is High)
These foods are rated unsafe at the poorly-controlled level — they tend to drive a rapid, pronounced rise in glucose. That does not always mean "never", but they call for real caution, smaller portions or a better-controlled starting point. Where the source flags a food as not recommended in any amount, we say so plainly.
Introduction Matching Foods Why This Matters Related Topics & Categories
Introduction
These foods are rated unsafe at the poorly-controlled level — they tend to drive a rapid, pronounced rise in glucose. That does not always mean "never", but they call for real caution, smaller portions or a better-controlled starting point. Where the source flags a food as not recommended in any amount, we say so plainly.
Matching Foods
857 foods currently match this topic, sorted to help you scan quickly.
Food Category Carbs / 100 g Safety Portion (well-controlled)
Crunchy Cinnamon Granola Bar (Nature Valley) Sweets & Sweeteners 69.1 g Needs care about 35 g Crunchy Coconut Granola Bar (Nature Valley) Sweets & Sweeteners 64.3 g Needs care about 37 g Crunchy Maple Granola Bar (Nature Valley) Sweets & Sweeteners 69.1 g Needs care about 35 g Custard Sweets & Sweeteners 17.9 g Needs care about 134 g Danish pastry Sweets & Sweeteners 46 g Use caution about 52 g Dark Chocolate (85%) Sweets & Sweeteners 22 g Lower impact about 99 g Dark chocolate bar Sweets & Sweeteners 46 g Lower impact about 50 g Date molasses Sweets & Sweeteners 74 g Lower impact about 20 g Dates (dried) Fruits 75 g Lower impact about 30 g DENNY'S, french fries Grains & Starches 35.2 g Use caution about 71 g DENNY'S, mozzarella cheese sticks Eggs, Milk & Dairy 27.2 g Use caution about 110 g DENNY'S, spaghetti and meatballs Meat, Poultry & Fish 15.5 g Use caution about 194 g Digiorno, Pizza, Three Meat (Nestle USA Inc.) Grains & Starches 26.2 g Needs care about 115 g DISCONTINUED_LEAN CUISINE Frozen Meal Pasta Primavera Grains & Starches 12.3 g Needs care about 244 g Donut Sweets & Sweeteners 52 g Needs care about 46 g Doritos nacho (original) Sweets & Sweeteners 63 g Lower impact about 30 g Dried apricots Fruits 63 g Lower impact about 35 g Dried cranberries (sweetened) Fruits 83 g Lower impact about 30 g Dried figs Fruits 64 g Lower impact about 30 g Dried mulberries Fruits 70 g Lower impact about 30 g Dunkin' Glazed Donut Flavored Pancake Syrup Breakfast Topping, . (Mrs. Butterworth's) Sweets & Sweeteners 65.5 g Needs care about 37 g Dunkin' Glazed Donut Flavored Pancake Syrup Breakfast Topping, 24 fl. oz. (Mrs. Butterworth's) Sweets & Sweeteners 65.5 g Needs care about 37 g Egg sandwich (small, toast) Grains & Starches 17.6 g Needs care about 170 g Egyptian (Short-Grain) Rice Grains & Starches 28.2 g Use caution about 99 g Egyptian Basbousa no syrup Sweets & Sweeteners 45 g Use caution about 53 g Egyptian Basbousa with syrup Sweets & Sweeteners 53.8 g Use caution about 45 g Egyptian Fatta (meat) (with meat) Meat, Poultry & Fish 39.6 g Use caution about 76 g Egyptian Koshari Legumes 22.8 g Use caution about 175 g Egyptian msaltat Grains & Starches 45 g Use caution about 56 g Egyptian msaltat (small piece) Sweets & Sweeteners 45 g Use caution about 53 g Egyptian short-grain rice cooked (side) Grains & Starches 28 g Use caution about 107 g Egyptian Taameya (no bread) Legumes 19 g Lower impact about 180 g Energy Drink (Monster) Beverages 11.7 g Needs care about 160 g Energy Drink (small) Beverages — Lower impact about 60 g Energy Drink, 4 Count (Red Bull) Beverages 11.3 g Use caution about 166 g Energy Drink, 6 Count (Red Bull) Beverages 11.2 g Needs care about 167 g Energy Drinks Beverages — Lower impact about 204 g Energy Drinks (light/sugar-free) Beverages — Lower impact about 350 g Falafel (air-fried) Legumes 31 g Lower impact about 137 g Falafel (deep-fried) Legumes 31.8 g Lower impact about 133 g Falafel sandwich (medium, sammoun bread) Legumes 36.4 g Use caution about 69 g Falafel sandwich (small, arabic bread) Legumes 33.3 g Use caution about 75 g Falafel wrap (gluten-free) Legumes 30.4 g Use caution about 132 g Fast foods, bagel, with breakfast steak, egg, cheese, and condiments Grains & Starches 23 g Use caution about 130 g Fast foods, bagel, with egg, sausage patty, cheese, and condiments Grains & Starches 22.6 g Needs care about 133 g Fast foods, burrito, with beans and beef Meat, Poultry & Fish 19.5 g Needs care about 154 g Fast foods, burrito, with beans, cheese, and beef Meat, Poultry & Fish 23.4 g Use caution about 128 g Fast foods, cheeseburger; single, patty; plain Meat, Poultry & Fish 24.1 g Needs care about 124 g Fast foods, english muffin, with cheese and sausage Grains & Starches 25.3 g Lower impact about 108 g Fast foods, english muffin, with egg, cheese, and canadian bacon Grains & Starches 21.7 g Lower impact about 126 g
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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.
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