90% of diabetes cases could end if you STOP these foods

2. The Breakfast Betrayal: Cereals and Yogurts

Your breakfast might be setting you up for failure before your day has even begun. Let’s start with yogurt. Plain Greek yogurt can be an excellent source of protein. But the fruit-flavored and sugar-sweetened yogurts you see lining the dairy aisle are a different story. I’ve seen some with six spoonfuls of sugar in a single serving! Always check the label for added sugars.

Then there’s cereal. The vast majority of cereals marketed to you and your children are nothing more than dessert in a box. Some large bowls can contain the equivalent of eight tablespoons of pure sugar. They are incredibly high on the glycemic index, giving you an instant blood sugar rush that will inevitably be followed by a crash, leaving you tired and craving more sugar. The industry blamed dietary fat for years, but it was this massive influx of sugar that was truly clogging arteries and making people lazy and sick. Even cereals marketed as “healthy,” like granola or whole-grain flakes, are often packed with sugar, destroying any nutritional benefits they might have. If you want a healthy cereal, think of non-instant oatmeal or steel-cut oats.

3. Liquid Sugar: The Drinks That Sabotage Your Health

One of the fastest ways to spike your blood sugar is by drinking it. Your body absorbs liquid sugar almost instantly, offering no fiber to slow the process down. This category is full of culprits. Sports drinks, for example, can contain six tablespoons of sugar in a single bottle. Unless you’re a professional athlete running a marathon, you do not need them. Stick to water.

Fancy coffee drinks are another major offender. A trip to Starbucks can be a guilty pleasure, but some of those frappuccinos and flavored lattes contain over 1,000 calories and a shocking amount of sugar. You’re often better off eating a bowl of ice cream. And then there’s soda. A meta-analysis in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that all sweetened drinks—soda, sports drinks, and fake fruit juices—make you significantly more likely to die of atherosclerosis and have a high risk of diabetes and heart disease. Simply cutting these out can change your life immediately.

What about fruit juice? Here we need to be specific. Packaged, processed fruit juice from concentrate is just like soda. However, studies show that blending 100% real, whole fruit into a smoothie at home does not have the same negative effect, as you retain the fiber. As for diet soda, while it’s better than sugary soda, the artificial sweeteners can still trigger cravings for sweetness. A better choice is carbonated water; I love adding a splash of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of lemon juice.

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