The Best Fruits for Diabetics Offer Lower Sugar and Lower Carbs…
Those who have both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are avid counters of their carbohydrates and because they are one of the main nutrients found in food and drinks, they play an important role in meals. Carbohydrates include sugar, starches and fiber and can effect the blood glucose which is extremely important if you are a diabetic. When it comes to the best fruits for diabetics, we want to look for those that have lower sugar and carb counts than their sugar-ier, carb-ier counterparts.
So What Are the Best Fruits for Diabetics?
If you have ever heard that diabetics shouldn’t eat fruits, it’s not true. Although, there are some fruits that have a high sugar content, it doesn’t mean that fruits in general should be avoided. The Mayo Clinic suggests that one serving of fruit should contain around 15 grams of carbohydrates and the size of this serving can depend on the fruit. If you choose a fruit with lower carbohydrate levels, then you can eat more of it. If you choose fruit with higher carbohydrate levels, then you should eat less quantity.
Here is a list of fruits for diabetics to eat according to the mayo clinic and their serving sizes:
- 1/2 medium apple
- 1/2 medium banana
- 1 cup blackberries
- 3/4 cup blueberries
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1 1/4 cup whole strawberries
- 1 cup cubed cantaloupe
- 1 cup honeydew melon
Other types of best fruits for diabetics can include oranges, cherries, kiwi and grapes.
You’ve Gotta Try a Papaya!
New research shows that Papaya is a great fruit that can help combat diabetes and provides many health benefits. Papaya is a fruit that is high in fiber and water content helping those with diabetes to avoid constipation and have a healthy a digestive tract. Papaya has many health benefits apart from what it can do to help diabetes. Studies show that people with type 2 diabetes who follow a high fiber diet improved their blood glucose, insulin and lipid levels. The same goes for people with type 1 diabetes, studies show that if they consume a diet high in fiber their blood glucose levels lowered.
The Worst Fruits for Diabetics 🙁
As mentioned before, it’s important for diabetics to count their carbohydrates when it comes to their eating habits. If you are a fanatic of fruit, there are good and bad options in regards to what you should choose to eat. If someone that you really like if high in carbohydrates then you know, you should eat less of it than a fruit that is low in carbohydrates. When it comes to the worst fruits for diabetics, we cannot rule out dried fruit. When a fruit is dried, it raises the concentrations of the nutrients ultimately raising both the sugar and carbohydrate levels making it a bad option for a snack.
The same thing goes for drinking fruit or eating it in a yogurt. Plain yogurt is a great option but when you add fruit flavors it not only raises the sugar levels and the carbohydrates. Don’t forget frozen yogurt, it can sometimes have the same amount of sugar as regular ice cream, with or without fruit. Drinking fruit, such as in a fruit juice should be avoided. Eating fruit is always better than drinking it unless it is a juice that you make yourself at home with no additives. Fruit juice is loaded with fructose which severely affects insulin and is one of the worst fruit options for diabetics.
Final Thought
Make sure that you, especially if you are a diabetic, are eating a balanced diet. Fruit is not the enemy but high levels of sugar, fructose and carbohydrates are. Make sure that you are eating from the list of fruits for diabetics to eat and avoiding the various types of worst fruits fro diabetics. Eating well and staying hydrated will help you feeling good and staying healthy.
Sources:
http://www.eatingwell.com/article/290369/the-best-and-worst-fruits-to-eat-if-you-have-diabetes/
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/diet-eating-physical-activity
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/expert-answers/diabetes/faq-20057835
http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/can-papaya-reduce-risk-of-diabetes/