What Kinds of Bread Can a Diabetic Eat?

Diabetics should avoid white bread and anything else made with white flour because it can raise their blood sugar levels quickly. White flour and glucose, or pure sugar, are used to rank foods according to how fast they raise blood glucose. When a diabetic eats white bread, it is just like eating sugar.

Whole Grains Are Best

Finding the glycemic index of foods containing carbohydrates is a good way to control your diet and blood sugar level. Bread that is 100 percent stone-ground whole-wheat or pumpernickel is best because of its low glycemic level. Diabetics should be very careful to choose only bread that is 100 percent whole-wheat. If the label says, "Wheat Bread," the bread could contain a high content of white flour. It is best to avoid oat bread and other breads as well because they often contain white flour, which should always be treated like pure sugar when you have diabetes.

Although some other breads and foods that are a lot like bread may look darker, this does not mean that they are whole-wheat products. Some bagels look like they are stone-ground whole-wheat, but they could actually be made with mostly white flour. Crackers may also look like they have wheat in them, and they might be partially made from whole wheat. This does not make them safe for diabetics to eat, however, because they will likely cause a spike in their glucose levels. Whole-wheat bread, rye, and pita breads that are not made from 100 percent stone-ground whole-wheat or pumpernickel are considered by the American Diabetes Association to be medium GI foods.

Other Foods to Avoid

There are many other bread products full of carbohydrates that cause spikes in blood sugar. They have a high glycemic index and include mashed
potatoes, corn flakes, instant oatmeal, puffed rice, bran flakes, and white rice. Baked potatoes, pumpkin, rice cakes, noodles, pasta, popcorn, saltine crackers, macaroni and cheese, and most processed snack foods have a high GI that will raise blood sugar levels. Safe diabetic foods can include bagels, crackers, pitas and sandwich wraps made from stone-ground whole wheat. Diabetics should carefully read all labels to be sure that they are eating only bread made from the type of wheat that is safe for them to eat.

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