Keeping your blood sugar levels balanced is the most effective way to prevent diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
So it makes sense that you’ll want to avoid processed grains, which have a high glycemic index. The higher the glycemic index in a food, the higher its effect on your blood sugar.
Instead of eating pasta, swap it out for zucchini. You can also refrigerate your pasta or rice to lower its glycemic index.
In a previous article we talked about how you can use apple cider vinegar to help lower the glycemic impact of the foods you eat.
5. Salty Foods
The majority of people love eating potato chips. But for your health’s sake, you’ll want to avoid these types of snacks.
The main issue with foods high in sodium is that it can restrict blood flow, which aggravates numbness, a symptom of peripheral neuropathy.
Potato flakes, wafers, cold cuts, salty junk foods, and processed fast foods in general are all high in sodium and should be avoided.
Too much salt in your body can cause your blood vessels to constrict, thus reducing blood flow and causing your nerves to tingle, burn, or go numb.
Always try to choose lean meats and vegetables over processed meats, cold cuts, fast food, and other foods high in sodium.
6. Sugar
While it is widely accepted that added sugar has adverse health effects, this is particularly true regarding peripheral neuropathy.
Eating foods that have a lot of sugar can spike your blood sugar levels and cause inflammation, which can damage your nerves and the blood vessels that feed your nerves.
Eating too much sugar too often can speed up the onset of diabetic neuropathy in people with diabetes.
If you wish to prevent diabetes and diabetic neuropathy from happening in the first place, you must take steps to stop eating sweets.
And keep in mind that even if you substitute your sweets for fruits, the natural sugars found in fruits is still sugar, so you’ll still need to make sure to consume in moderation.
