Certain foods tend to promote diabetes. Some others aggravate it, if the disease has already developed. These foods are white sugar, fats, meat and meat products, white flour, and excessive use of salt, tea and coffee. The harmful effects of these foods are many and should be carefully noted.

There has been an enormous increase in the consumption of white sugar the world over. In tandem the sharp rise in the consumption of sugar, there has been an alarming increase in the incidence of diabetes. There is mounting evidence from any medical source that white sugar is extremely injurious to health. The heat and chemical process employed in sugar refining separate the mineral elements, protein and other substances from the sap, leaving nothing but pure sugar crystals bereft of minerals and the life-sustaining vitamins. A high incidence of diabetes occurs in persons eating too much sugar.

White sugar has many disadvantages. It irritates the stomach and is difficult to digest. It is known as vitamin thief, high intake of white sugar can rob the body of vitamins available to it from other foods. Excessive use of white sugar leads to digestive system disorders and the development of diabetes. It is also associated with obesity.

Dr. A.M. Cohen of Israel has identified excess consumption of white sugar as a contributory cause of diabetes along with hereditary predisposition. White sugar particularly increases the need for insulin.

The critical aspect for people with diabetes is to keep an eye on their total carbohydrate intake rather than merely on the amount of sugar they consume. People with diabetes can and do eat sugar. In the body, sugar gets converted into glucose, and do other foods like a tomato sandwich, or a piece of cake, or a piece of bread, or a helping of potatoes. The rule with sugar is moderation. A moderate amount is safe, and this should be in substitution for other carbohydrates, and not in addition.