A social media video has gone viral after a doctor warned that five foods we once thought were healthy actually aren’t, ‘at least from an insulin resistance perspective.’

In the video on TikTok that has had over 1.2 million views, Dr Midge, whose real name is Dr Mijin Brown, explained the foods we should avoid due to their ability to spike blood sugar.

A rapid rise in blood sugar levels could be caused by consuming foods with a high glycemic index.

This causes the pancreas to release more insulin, promoting cravings and overeating when it rapidly declines.

Insulin resistance can result if this cycle is repeated, meaning the body’s cells do not respond well to insulin and your muscles, fat and liver cannot easily take glucose from your blood.

Blood sugar levels can then become too high as the pancreas makes more insulin to help the glucose enter your cells.

This can eventually lead to type 2 diabetes, inflammation, plaque in the arteries as well as heart and joint issues

Dr Brown explained: “The reason all of these foods are not so healthy is because they have a huge glycemic impact after you eat them. The bigger the glycemic impact, the bigger the insulin impact, and that is not good, as this leads to insulin resistance.”

While showing an image of different health conditions, Dr Brown added: “Insulin resistance is the root cause of all of our lifestyle-related diseases that most of us are suffering from.”

Here are the five foods Dr Brown warns us about:

FRUIT JUICE

She says the first food she disapproves of ‘is obvious’. Explaining that some fruit juices have as much sugar in them as a can of soda.

She added: “Even the unsweetened variety can have as much as 26g of carbohydrates, which is about six teaspoons of sugar. All this, with very little fibre.”

FRUIT

Second, on her list of foods that appear healthy but aren’t was fruit itself. She claimed some fruit is worse than others, with mangoes, pineapples, bananas and grapes being very high in sugar and should be treated as a dessert.

Dr Brown said: “Fruit today, even veggies today, are nothing like they were a long time ago in nature.

“Most were small, fibrous and not too sweet. But fruit today is crazy. They’ve been engineered to be bigger, sweeter and less fibrous, all of which impact our blood sugar levels.”

Some fruits also contain lots of fibre, meaning they take longer to digest and the slow release of sugar prevents blood sugar spiking.

OAT MILK

This dairy alternative also made the list at number three.

Dr Brown warned that: “One cup of oat milk has 15g of carbohydrates, and we’re not talking about the ones with added sugar. 

“Not to mention that many of the store-bought brands are made with preservatives, thickeners and emulsifiers, none of which is good for our gut health or our overall health.” 

OATMEAL 

“Another controversial one that’s routinely recommended to diabetics as a healthy option,” is oatmeal, she said. 

Adding that: “One of the reasons they probably recommend it is as a source of fibre. One cup of oatmeal has about eight grams of fibre but 62 grams of carbohydrates.”

Dr Brown added: “It’s not worth it, guys,” instead recommending brands that don’t have added sugars and flavours.

It is important to remember though, that plain oatmeal is nutritionally rich and contains a soluble fibre called beta-glucan, which helps promote regular emptying of the bowels.

RICE CAKES

Last on her list to be careful of are rice cakes which are often thought to be a healthy snack.

She says that despite them being low in calories, two can have as much as 14 grams of carbs and very little fibre.

“The only way you’ll be satisfied with eating two of these is to eat more,” she said.

She further recommended adding more fat or protein in the form of avocado or nut butter which could lessen the glycemic impact.

By absorbing water, fibre can help to regulate the body’s use of sugars, bulking out stools and making them easier to pass. Too little fibre can result in conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and constipation.