Yes, People with Diabetes May Eat Fruit

Eating Healthy, specifically plenty of fruits and veggies helps to reduce the risk of many diseases, including Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, and some Cancers.

Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals that help you feel healthy and energized but it is important to keep Blood Sugar levels as stable as possible when you have Diabetes.

But which fruits can a person with Diabetes eat?

People who eat fruit as part of an overall healthy diet generally have a reduced risk of chronic diseases as fruits are important sources of many Nutrients, including: Potassium, Fiber, Vitamin C and Folate (Folic Acid). However, most fruits contain sugar and the simple act of avoiding or minimizing foods that cause big Blood Sugar spikes is essential.

The following itemizes the suggested fruits to eat or avoid if you are diagnosed with Diabetes. It also examines the impact of each fruit on Blood Sugar levels.

Yes, people with Diabetes may eat fruit.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) advises that as long as a person is not allergic to a particular fruit, he is fine to eat that fruit. In fact, a study published in 2014 in the British Medical Journal found that a higher fruit intake actually lowered the risk of Type-2 Diabetes.

The preparation of fruit, however, is what affects Blood Sugar. Fresh or frozen fruits are better than processed fruits straight from a can or jar, such as applesauce and canned fruit as these use added sugar as preservative.

As a general rule, people with Diabetes should eat processed foods sparingly or avoid them entirely. The human body absorbs processed fruits more rapidly, leading to higher Blood Sugar levels. Processed fruits also reduce and/or remove levels of certain key nutrients, including vitamins and fiber.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) recommends that people with Diabetes should avoid fruit juices or canned fruits with added sugar.

High sugar content is also found in most fruit based blended drinks like smoothies. The consumption of these lead to a quicker absorption of glucose resulting in higher spikes in Blood Sugar.

What is the Glycemic Index?

A Diabetic person’s way of selecting safe and suitable fruits and other high-carbohydrate foods is to check the Glycemic Index (GI).

The Glycemic Index (GI) is a relative ranking of carbohydrates within foods according to how they affect Blood Glucose levels. GI is a rating of foods on a scale from 1 to 100. Food items with a low GI value (55 or less) are more slowly digested, absorbed and metabolised and cause a lower and slower rise in Blood Glucose levels and, therefore insulin levels.

High GI foods are absorbed faster than medium or low GI foods.

The Glycemic Load (GL) is an extension of the GI, taking into account the quantity of carbohydrates as well. The GL is obtained by multiplying the GI value by the carbohydrate content of the food. This provides us with a more accurate picture of the overall effect that the food will have on Blood Sugar levels. Low-GI and low-GL foods are better for helping control Blood Sugar levels.

You’d be surprised to learn that many fruits have a low Glycemic Index. Fruits such as apples, strawberries, apricots, peaches, plums, pears and kiwi all have a low Glycemic Index. People digest starchy vegetables all the time, such as potatoes and rice, more rapidly, and these have a higher GI index. The longer a carbohydrate-rich food is cooked, the higher the GI value.

As reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), below is a list of fruits divided by GI index:

Low GI and GL fruits (GI of under 55 and a GL under 10)

• Apples
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Berries
• Cherries
• Grapefruit
• Grapes
• Kiwi fruit
• Nectarines
• Orange
• Peaches
• Pears
• Plums
• Strawberries

Medium-GI fruits (GI of 56 to 69)

• Honeydew melon
• Figs
• Papayas
• Pineapples

High-GI fruits (GI higher than 70 are high-GI and a GL greater than 20 is high GL)

*While these are safe to eat with Diabetes, it is important to eat larger quantities of lower-GI fruits instead of the two mentioned below.

• Dates (high GL) -can be used as a low glycemic sugar substitute for Diabetics and for Prediabetics who hope to keep their Blood Sugar in check
• Watermelon - typically has a GI of 72 but a GL of 2 per 100 gram serving. Though the GL of watermelon is low, be sure to balance any meals containing watermelon with low-GI foods to minimize any potential Blood Sugar spikes.

It’s a Date with Dates!

Dates are an excellent sugar substitute and have changed the lives of many!

Try your hand at making your own simple sweetener made from dates!

1. Soak your dates in hot water (nearly boiling) for 20 mins.
2. When the skin is very loose and the meat inside kind of mushy, dump all the dates into a food processor and add in a little bit of the water they were soaking in, in a 1:1 ratio.
3. After a minute or so of processing, they’re nice and pureed and ready to use instead of white or brown sugar!

In terms of which fruits are the best for people with Diabetes, consider the following:

✱    Grapes      ✱        Apples ✱        Berries

✱    Citrus fruits         ✱        Pineapple       ✱        Mango

✱    Papaya     ✱        Cantaloupe    ✱        Apricots

 

Summary:

Colorful, flavorful fruits of all varieties have a healthy place in your Diabetes diet. Just remember to count your carbs and eat fruit in moderation. Choose whole fruits instead of fruit juices because they're better for you, taste great, and fill you up faster and longer, with fewer total carbs!