What fruits should diabetics avoid?

Fruit often gets a bad reputation in the diabetic world, with many thinking that it is completely banned. Although fruits are a source of carbohydrates.

Fruit often gets a bad rap in the diabetes world, and many think it’s completely banned. While fruits are a source of carbohydrates — the nutrient responsible for influencing blood sugar levels — their carbohydrates come from natural sugar and can be incorporated into a healthy meal plan. However, like all carbohydrates, they must be consumed strategically for the person with diabetes. Some fruits have a greater impact on blood sugar than others due to their higher glycemic index.

Fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants

Both the American Diabetes Association and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommend that people with diabetes eat a varied diet that includes foods from all food groups, including fruits 134. Most fruits are a good source of fiber, which actually helps regulate blood sugar and is necessary for healthy digestion. The fiber in fruit may even help lower cholesterol, high levels of which are often associated with diabetes. In addition, fruits contain many vitamins, minerals and antioxidants necessary for good general health and disease prevention.

Both the American Diabetes Association and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommend that people with diabetes eat a variety of foods from all food groups, including fruits.

Most fruits are a good source of fiber, which actually helps control blood sugar levels and is necessary for healthy digestion.

Myth: if you have diabetes, it is better not to eat fruit

It is often said that it is better not to eat fruit at all if you have diabetes, but that is a myth. In addition to sugars, fruit also contains important vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and dietary fiber. Those nutrients are also important if you have diabetes. The slow carbohydrates in fruit are also healthier than the fast carbohydrates in soft drinks, candy and biscuits. Foods with slow carbohydrates often contain a lot of fiber that ensures fewer spikes in your blood sugar level and makes you feel full for longer. That’s why it’s always better to snack on an apple than a cookie. But eat fruit in moderation and get the vitamins mainly from vegetables.

The top 9 fruits with the least sugars

The amount of sugars in fruit varies considerably. What is the best food to eat to reduce sugar intake? We compared the sugars in 9 types of fruit per 100 grams. The top 9:

• Strawberries (5.1 grams of sugar)
• Orange (7.7 grams of sugar)
• Mandarin (8.2 grams of sugar)
• Pear (9.5 grams of sugar)
• Red apple (10.2 grams of sugar)
• Kiwi (10.3 grams of sugar)
• Cherries (11.5 grams of sugar)
• Mango (13.9 grams of sugar
• Banana (15.5 grams of sugar)

According to the Diabetes Fund, it is not necessary to avoid bananas, which contain a lot of sugars. As long as you eat fruit in moderation and vary it as much as possible.

Glycemic index (GI)

The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how quickly carbohydrates are digested in the gut and absorbed into the blood as glucose.

Products with a high GI include baked potatoes, bread, cornflakes and popcorn. Pasta, legumes and fruit are low GI products. The GI of a product can vary. For example, the GI of a product changes due to the way it is prepared.

A low GI diet seems to reduce the risk of chronic disease

Click to Watch this simple video on: How to Cure/ Manage Diabetes Without Drugs

Glycemic Index and Fruit

While there is little disagreement about the benefits of fruit in a healthy diet, many find that fruits with a higher glycemic index raise blood sugars more. The glycemic index, or GI, is a numerical system that measures the effect of a food on blood sugar compared to pure glucose, whose reference point is 100. Foods valued at 55 or less are considered low GI; those with a value of 56 to 69 are averaged; and 70 or more are high. High GI fruits include melons, pineapple and very ripe bananas, with the vast majority falling into the low and medium categories. Juices have a higher GI due to the liquid’s ability to be absorbed into the bloodstream faster and lack of fiber.

While there is little disagreement about the benefits of fruit in a healthy diet, many find that fruits with a higher glycemic index raise blood sugars more.

Description

The glycemic index (GI) provides an estimate of the rate at which blood sugar levels rise after a person has eaten carbohydrates. Carbohydrates that are broken down quickly during digestion and release their glucose quickly into the bloodstream have a high glycemic index, while carbohydrates that break down slowly and release their glucose into the blood gradually have a low glycemic index.

If 2 products are eaten that contain the same amount of carbohydrates, one product can get more glucose into the blood faster than the other. The so-called glycemic response differs. That is why it is also referred to as ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ carbohydrates.

Determine Glycemic Index

The GI of a product is determined as follows: The rise in blood sugar after eating 50 grams of carbohydrates of a product (A) is compared with the rise in blood sugar after eating white bread or glucose (B) by the same person. The rise in blood sugar is monitored for 2 hours. Then the measurements of A and B are compared with each other. The ratio between these 2 measurements determines the GI value ((A/B)*100). The GI of glucose is 100.

In foods with a high GI, the GI is around 70 or higher. A low GI is a GI of less than 55.

The GI of any product can be determined, but how high that value is depends on many factors, such as:

• the method of preparation: the GI of boiled potatoes is 78, but that of French fries and baked potatoes is about 85.
• how long a product is cooked or baked.
• at what temperature it is prepared.
• in fruit how far it is ripened.
• the rate at which a person’s stomach empties.
• the speed of bowel movement.

In addition, people eat combinations of foods and these do not only contain carbohydrates, but also, for example, fat. This also affects the GI. The GI of a meal can therefore turn out differently than that of individual products. In order to make an estimate, a weighted average is taken of the GI of all products that make up the meal.

Classification of products by glycemic index

In general, foods are classified into the following categories:

• Low glycemic index (less than 55): includes legumes, pasta, dairy, certain fruits such as apples and oranges.
• Moderate glycemic index (between 55 and 70): including couscous, muesli, certain fruits such as mango and pineapple.
• High glycemic index (over 70): including potatoes, white, brown and whole wheat bread, processed grain products, rice.

This classification is based on Australian and North American data. The composition of wholemeal bread in these countries differs from the Dutch one. Because the composition is different, the GI can differ, but that has never been well researched.

Glycemic load

Because the GI is based on averages for exposure to 50 grams of a certain food, it is difficult to apply this measure in practice. That is why use can also be made of the glycemic load (GL), in English ‘glycemic load’.

The glycemic load takes into account both the amount of carbohydrates in a product and how much a person eats of a product. The GL can be calculated as follows: GL=(amount of carbohydrate in a serving * GI)/100. A high glycemic load is greater than or equal to 20; a low GL is less than or equal to 10.

Carbohydrate (g/100g), GI, Portion (grams), GL

The GL can also be estimated for a meal or complete diet by multiplying the average of the GI of all parts of the meal by the total amount of carbohydrates in the meal/food.

White wheat bread 48, 75, 35, 13

Whole wheat bread 39, 74, 35, 10

Banana 20, 51, 120, 12

Apple 13, 36, 120, 6

Potato boiled 17, 78, 200, 27

Potato fried 20, 85, 200, 34

Sources: GI: International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2002. Atkinson et al, Diabetes Care, 2008. Carbohydrate values: NEVO 2011.

As can be seen in the table for wholemeal bread, a product can have a high GI but a low GL. This is the case if the amount of carbohydrates per serving of the product is small. Products with a low GI always have a low GL.

GI and GL values ​​on the internet

On websites you can find tables with GI and GL values. These values ​​can also differ, because scientists do not fully agree on how the calculations and definitions should be used.

Health effects of glycemic index

Preventing Diseases

The concept of glycemic index has been studied in relation to the prevention of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Certain associations have been found, but much is still unclear about the precise role of the glycemic index in disease prevention. The glycemic index and glycemic load of a food are not only determined by the amount and type of carbohydrates in a food, they also depend on, for example, the amount of fiber in a food. The effects of the glycemic index could be explained by the effects of, for example, fiber and whole grain products. It is therefore still unclear what exactly can be attributed to the glycemic index. Moreover, applying the glycemic index in a food is complex, because many more factors than the GI of a food ultimately determine the glycemic burden of a meal.

Scientific studies show that people who eat a diet with a lower glycemic index lose weight slightly. This effect is minimal. It also seems that eating products with a lower glycemic index or weight reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. In women, it also lowers the risk of certain cardiovascular diseases. This effect was not found in men. It has been found in both men and women that LDL cholesterol is slightly lowered when they consume foods with a lower GI in combination with a high fiber intake. However, if the amount of fiber remains the same, this effect does not occur.

Should you eat fruit in moderation if you have diabetes?

“Candy wisely, eat an apple,” goes the famous proverb. Fruit is healthy and most of us should eat it more. But does that also apply if you have diabetes? And is it better to eat an orange, pear or banana or leave the fruit on the fruit bowl?

Because fruit is healthy, it is often thought that you can eat it unlimited. If you have diabetes, it’s just different. Just like in bread and pasta, there are also carbohydrates (sugars) in fruit. A lot even. Our body does not distinguish between fruit sugars or the sugars in a biscuit. Once in the blood, all sugars raise your blood sugar level, including those from a smoothie, fresh juice or an apple. That is why it is smart to pay attention to how much fruit you eat.

While the GI can be a useful tool in meal planning, most experts still agree that the amount of carbohydrates is equally, if not more, important than the type. For example, a person may choose an apple over a banana because of its low GI. However, in today’s mega-serving world, a large apple can easily contain three or four servings of carbohydrates. A serving of carbohydrates, fruit or otherwise, equals 15 grams. For a whole fruit, such as an apple or peach, this is about the size of a tennis ball. For frozen or canned fruit in water, the serving is ½ cup. Other common serving sizes include ¾ to 1 cup for berries or cantaloupe, 2 tablespoons for dried fruit, and 1/3 to ½ cup for 100 percent fruit juice.

While the GI can be a useful tool in meal planning, most experts still agree that the amount of carbohydrates is equally, if not more, important than the type.

However, in today’s mega-serving world, a large apple can easily contain three or four servings of carbohydrates.

Treatment for type 1 and 2 diabetes

A reduction in the glycemic index and/or glycemic load in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes may be helpful in treatment. This is especially true in people with elevated blood glucose levels, but more research is needed on this.

It comes down to

The American Diabetes Association recommends using the GI as a method of “refining” a meal plan after understanding the basics of carbohydrate counting, because many other factors influence the glycemic effect of a particular fruit. a snack raises blood sugar more quickly than when eaten in the context of a protein-rich meal. However, as a general rule, choosing low- and medium-GI fruits and limiting juices and high-GI fruits can help control blood sugar levels for many diabetics.

Nutritional advice

Due to the unclear role of the glycemic index and the glycemic burden in relation to chronic diseases, there are no clear dietary recommendations yet. Whole wheat bread, for example, has a high glycemic index, but has proven health benefits, such as a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Do you want to pay attention to the glycemic index, for example because you have diabetes? Then do this together with a dietitian.

The Diabetes-Free Secret

Now you know which types of fruit you should avoid as a diabetic and the reasons why. Nutrition plays a huge role in the prevention and cure of type 2 diabetes.

It has recently been discovered that it is possible to reverse type 2 diabetes. You can find everything you need in the supermarket.

You turn it around with one powerful method. It’s what I call “The Diabetes-Free Secret.” About this secret We have written several pages that will change your life forever. You will learn in it:

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• Why You Got Type 2 Diabetes
• What mechanism can you use to reverse diabetes
• The best tips to be diabetes-free in a few weeks

Greetings,

John Scott

P.s: which fruit do you eat with type 2 diabetes? Which fruits do you try to avoid as much as possible? Leave a comment below.

Originally published at https://khalories.com on September 7, 2021.