7 Things Diabetics Should Know About Fruits

Fruits cannot be a part of a diabetic diet or is it just a myth? If you’re a sweet tooth and love fruits, you would know the struggles of keeping fruits at bay. The main reasons to monitor them are fructose, sucrose, and glucose. But we all know they’re enriched with vital micronutrients that anyone should include in their diet.

This article will outline some of the information you need to be aware of before tucking into the sweet treat so you won’t get confused.

Glycemic index

Just like we count calories and carbohydrates in food, the glycemic index can be seen as one of the measurement processes to check which food will elevate your blood sugar level to what extent. 

Try to eat Low GI fruits to avoid increasing your blood sugar levels. You can choose pears, oranges, grapefruit, apples, strawberries, and peaches, to name a few. Although diabetics can consume fruits in moderation, the key to identifying the best fruit is to closely monitor your blood glucose levels and assess how the fruits affect you. Now you know which fruits to include in your diabetic friendly diet.

Carbs

If you have diabetes, you may already be familiar with the term "low-carb diet." Don’t consider avoiding all fruits because of this. Despite the fact that fruits contain a lot of sugary carbs, they still shouldn't be the reason to keep the goodness off your plate.

You can find some fruits having a reasonable amount of net carbs to be part of your diet. Due to higher water content and high fibre presence, they’ll have fewer net carbs. Some of the fruits include - watermelon, berries, avocados, and peaches, among others. You can still eat some fruits while following a low carb diet that's diabetic as well.

Fibre

Fibres are present in almost every fruit. When you find high fibre in fruit, you can consume it without concern, as high fibre is equivalent to slow digestion and lesser sugar spike. 

It can help you keep your weight in check by letting you feel fuller for longer. Apples, strawberries, avocados, bananas, raspberries, and other fruits with high fibre content are just a few examples.

Portion size

Only watching the carb or fibre content isn’t enough to maintain your sugar level because portion size plays a vital role. You can get the effects of a high GI dish in one sitting if you eat a bowl of low GI fruits. The same is true of the other metrics; just because something is good for you doesn't mean you should overdo it.

Other things to look out for

• Are you consuming fresh fruits or dried ones? Always keep fresh fruit as your priority if you’re heading towards dried fruits. Maintain the carb and portion size. You should strictly avoid processed or canned fruits.
• Say no to those pesky sugar-loaded fruit juices. Some of you may think it’s healthy, but fruit juices are high GI drinks, devoid of fibre. Definitely not worth it!
• If you’re eating over 1-2 fruits per day, try to distribute the servings throughout the day to avoid any risk of a sugar spike.
• Fruits are easy to digest. Prefer to eat fruits on an empty stomach and avoid pairing them with meals.

The bottom line

Fruits provide different types of vitamins, minerals, and fibre, which are crucial to maintaining a healthy body. Unless your doctor and nutritionist have advised you to keep your distance from this nourishment of sweetness, you should indulge in them, in moderation. 

Even if you’re maintaining a low GI, low-calorie diet, you should keep in mind that nutrition is the key. Because one portion of a sugar-loaded chocolate bar can reach the same GI as a bowl of fruit. The key here is to be mindful of what you put into your body and you’re good to go!

References:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17992183/