A 36-year-old teacher dies from diabetes, which doctors attribute to foods she eats every day.

Other unsuspected culprits

The unpleasant food surprises don’t stop there. Many of the products we find in our cupboards deserve a critical look:

• White bread  : Lacking fiber, it acts as a quick fuel for blood sugar.  It’s like filling a tank with poor-quality fuel: fast but bad over time.
• French fries  : Between the frying oil and the carbohydrate load, they’re the perfect enemy of a healthy metabolism.  Eating fries regularly is a bit like crossing an obstacle course blindly.
• Industrial tomato sauces  : Behind their tangy taste, they often hide mountains of added sugar.  Just one spoonful can be enough to disrupt your blood sugar levels.
• Canned soups  : Like some ready-made meals, they often contain invisible ingredients like sugary syrup or excess salt.  A comforting false friend!
• White rice  : A common food, but it acts like a sugar bomb once digested.  It’s better to choose alternatives like brown rice, quinoa, or bulgur.

How to protect yourself effectively?

Faced with these revelations, daily vigilance is essential. Here are some simple steps to limit the risks:

• Favor light cooking methods  : steaming, grilling or cooking in foil rather than frying or cooking in fat.
• Focus on whole grains  : brown rice, quinoa, bulgur or barley.
• Read labels carefully  : added sugar, glucose-fructose syrup, hydrogenated fats are all warning signs.
• Listen to your body  : unusual fatigue, intense thirst, digestive problems should put you on alert.

One last piece of advice

Just like  Ms. Luong , we may believe that our habits are harmless. However, daily vigilance is essential to maintain our health.  Prevention is better than cure: your diet is your first line of defense!