So Does Eating Fruits Really Cause Type 2 Diabetes
A simple no and please read along to know why. Diabetes is a complex disease and just eating fruits would not completely break down the metabolism to the point the body cannot heal itself . A normal healthy person will NOT develop type 2 diabetes just because they consume fruits on a daily basis.
However, it is never healthy to eat too much of any type of food, so keep in mind that portion control is key.
Labels On The Back Of Packaging
It’s important to look for the “of which sugars” figure on nutrition labels, which is part of the carbohydrate information.
While this does not tell you the amount of free sugars, it’s a useful way of comparing labels and can help you choose foods that are lower in sugar overall.
Look for the “Carbohydrates of which sugars” figure on the nutrition label.
Products are considered to either be high or low in sugar if they fall above or below the following thresholds:
- high: more than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g
- low: 5g or less of total sugars per 100g
If the amount of sugars per 100g is between these figures, that’s regarded as a medium level.
The “of which sugars” figure describes the total amount of sugars from all sources free sugars, plus those from milk, and those present in fruit and vegetables.
For example, plain yoghurt may contain as much as 8g per serving, but none of these are free sugars, as they all come from milk.
The same applies to an individual portion of fruit. An apple might contain around 11g of total sugar, depending on the size of the fruit selected, the variety and the stage of ripeness.
But sugar in fruit is not considered free sugars unless the fruit is juiced or puréed.
This means food containing fruit or milk will be a healthier choice than one containing lots of free sugars, even if the 2 products contain the same total amount of sugar.
You can tell if the food contains lots of added sugars by checking the ingredients list.
What Are The Best Choices
The best choices of fruit are any that are fresh, frozen or canned without added sugars.
- If choosing canned fruit, look for words like “packed in its own juices,” “unsweetened” or “no added sugar.”
- Dried fruit and 100% fruit juice are also nutritious choices, but the portion sizes are small so they may not be as filling as other choices.
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What Is Gestational Diabetes
A raised blood sugar level above the normal values while you are pregnant is called gestational diabetes. It just means you did not have a raised blood glucose level before being pregnant and the condition was diagnosed after the pregnancy. This usually goes away after the pregnancy is over but in very few cases, it might lead to a life long Type 2 Diabetes.
It usually develops after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Normally gestational diabetes is quite symptomless except for the few typical symptoms of diabetes like an increased compulsion to urinate, increased thirst and uncontrollable hunger.
Pregnancy itself is tiring but this might just get you tired even more. There is no absolute cause for gestational diabetes but certain factors like prior history of another gestational diabetes, family history, being overweight or having high blood pressure are found to increase the chances of gestational diabetes according to studies.
For the diagnosis of gestational diabetes, a laboratory diagnostic test called OGTT or Oral Glucose Tolerance Test is done. This test is usually done in the 24th to 28th week of your pregnancy. In this test, you would be required to take a blood test in the early morning after 8-10 hours of fasting and then you will be given a glucose drink.
Why Do I Need To Be Careful About Fruit Juices And Smoothies
Weve mentioned fruit juice and smoothies and these are something that, ideally, need to be avoided or at least cut down on. This is because fruit juice and smoothies have most of the roughage removed or already broken down, so it is very easy to drink large quantities in a short space of time and ultimately this means extra calories and carbohydrate. Having less intact fibre means fruit juices and smoothies are not as beneficial to the body compared to whole fruits.
A serving 150ml provides about 15g carbs which counts towards free sugar, so you can see how easily it is to take in a lot of carbohydrate and free sugar without really noticing.
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The Sugar And Type 2 Diabetes Story: Not So Sweet
After the suspicion that sugar was the cause of diabetes, the scientific community pointed its finger at carbohydrates. That makes sense, notes Grieger, explaining that simple and complex carbohydrates are both metabolized as sugar, leading blood sugar levels to fluctuate.
Yet carbs are processed differently in the body based on their type: While simple carbs are digested and metabolized quickly, complex carbs take longer to go through this system, resulting in more stable blood sugar. It comes down to their chemical forms: A simple carbohydrate has a simpler chemical makeup, so it doesnt take as much for it to be digested, whereas the complex ones take a little longer, Grieger explains.
Sources of complex carbohydrates include whole-wheat bread and brown rice, legumes like black beans, and quinoa. These foods contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals that are appropriate for any eating plan, regardless of whether you have prediabetes, have diabetes, or are perfectly healthy. In fact, experts know including complex carbs in your daily diet can help you maintain a healthy weight, among other health benefits.
Eating Fruit To Reduce Diabetes Risk
A 2017 study, conducted with data from a Chinese biobank, found a significant association between eating fresh fruit and having a lower risk of diabetes. Participants with diabetes also tended to have a lower risk of developing cardiovascular problems if they ate more fresh fruit.
However, the studys authors did not determine a specific cause for their findings. It could be that people who regularly eat fresh fruit tend to have a more healthful diet overall.
Eating fresh fruit may not be enough on its own to reduce the risk of diabetes.
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Other Health Benefits Of Fruit
People with diabetes should have a balanced diet that provides enough energy and helps them maintain a healthy weight. Some fruits, such as watermelon, are high in sugar but can be part of a healthy diet in moderate amounts.
Opting for fruit can also prevent a person with a sweet tooth from reaching for candy and other foods with low nutritional value. Most fruits are high in nutrients and low in fat and sodium. Fruits also often contain nutrients that other foods do not.
Bananas contain potassium and tryptophan, an important amino acid. Citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits, are rich in vitamins A and C, which are powerful antioxidants.
To reach the recommended 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, aim to have fruits and vegetables throughout the day.
Here are a few ideas to help with menu planning:
Fruit Is Not Forbidden But Some Choices Are Better Than Others
Dr. Danielle Weiss is the founder of the Center for Hormonal Health and Well-Being, a personalized, proactive, patient-centered medical practice with a unique focus on integrative endocrinology. She enjoys giving lectures and writing articles for both the lay public and medical audiences.
If you have diabetes, chances are someone has mentioned that you should avoid eating fruit. In truth, whole, fresh fruit is packed full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. This makes fruits a nutrient-dense food group that can certainly be part of a healthy diabetes treatment plan.
People with diabetes should be cautious, though. Certain fruit choices may affect blood sugar levels more than others. This article will discuss how to make smart decisions about the fruits you eat.
Verywell / Ellen Lindner
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How Does Fruit Affect Blood Sugar
Because they have carbohydrates, fruits will raise your blood sugar. So itâs important to count the carbs you eat and balance them with medicine, diet, and lifestyle choices. If youâre having trouble keeping your blood sugar under control, let your doctor know right away.
One serving of fruit has 15 grams of carbs. But the serving size can be very different depending on the type of fruit. For example, you get 15 grams of carbs from:
- 1/2 medium apple or banana
- 1 cup blackberries or raspberries
- 3/4 cup blueberries
- 1 1/4 cup whole strawberries
- 1 cup cubed honeydew melon
- 1/8 cup raisins
Carbs arenât the only number to keep in mind. The glycemic index measures how a food affects your blood sugar. Foods that are low on the scale raise it slowly. Those high on the scale raise it quickly.
Eating mostly low-GI foods can help you keep control of your blood sugar. But they may not always be good for you. A candy bar and a cup of brown rice can have the same GI value. Be sure to keep nutrition in mind when choosing what to eat.
A large serving of a low-GI food will usually raise your blood sugar as much as a small amount of a high-GI food. So experts also use glycemic load , a measurement that involves portion size as well as the GI number, to give more details about these effects. For example, an orange has a GI of 52 but a glycemic load of 4.4, which is low. A candy bar with a GI of 55 may have a GL of 22.1, which is high.
Myth: Type 2 Diabetes Is Not A Serious Disease
Type 2 diabetes is a serious health problem with serious consequences. Data shows that diabetes causes more deaths per year than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Diabetes also increases your risk of health complications like heart attacks, strokes, vision problems, and kidney disease. However, the good news is that managing your diabetes can help you prevent or delay many of the complications associated with diabetes.2
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Myth: People With Diabetes Always Know When They Have Low Blood Sugar
Low blood sugar is a short-term complication that affects many people with type 2 diabetes. In most cases, a blood sugar level of 70 mg/dl or lower is considered hypoglycemia. Some people with diabetes who develop low blood sugar may not experience any symptoms. Typical symptoms include sweating, feeling anxious, pale skin, and an irregular or fast heartbeat. If left untreated, it can lead to confusion, visual problems, seizures, and loss of consciousness . It requires immediate treatment by quickly getting your blood sugar back to normal, either with high-sugar foods or drinks, or medicine.10
Myth: Pregnancy Is Not An Option If You Have Diabetes
If you have diabetes and want to have a baby, you should make sure your blood glucose is well controlled before you get pregnant to reduce risks of complications for you and your baby. Once you become pregnant, you should work closely with your diabetes specialist and your OBGYN to maintain blood glucose control. If you develop diabetes while you are pregnant, you have gestational diabetes.9
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Insulin Resistance And Sugar: Whats The Relationship
Insulin is a hormone that in people without diabetes ferries glucose, or blood sugar, to cells for energy or to be stored for later use. In people with diabetes, cells are resistant to insulin as a result of this insulin resistance, sugar accumulates in the blood. While eating sugar by itself does not cause insulin resistance, Grieger says, foods with sugar and fat can contribute to weight gain, thereby reducing insulin sensitivity in the body.
The problem with sweetened drinks is that, due to their liquid form, theyre among the fastest simple carbs to be digested in the body, causing blood sugar levels to spike even more than a simple carb in solid-food form would. Research supports this idea: A review published in November 2010 in the journal Diabetes Care suggested adding only one serving of a sweetened beverage to your diet may increase your risk for type 2 diabetes by 15 percent.
Choose Fruits With A Lower Glycemic Index
The American Diabetes Association suggests that you choose fruits that have a low glycemic index. The glycemic index, or GI, is used as a reference to measure how a carbohydrate-containing food raises blood glucose.
Foods are rated based on how they raise blood sugars compared to a reference food such as sugar or white bread. A food with a high GI will raise blood glucose more than that of a food with a medium or low GI.
Most fruits have a low to moderate GI, with the exception of pineapple and watermelon. That doesn’t mean you can never eat pineapple and watermelon, but if you notice that your blood sugar spikes after eating either, it’s best to avoid them in the future.
It’s also important to note that the GI of a food is different when eaten alone than it is when combined with other foods. For example, with a high GI fruit, such as watermelon, consider eating it with a low GI food, like low-fat cheese. That can help to balance out the effect on blood sugar levels.
Here are some examples of low, moderate, and high GI fruits:
- Low GI fruits : apples, pears, mango, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, grapefruit, pear, nectarine, orange
- Moderate GI fruits : cherries, mango, papaya, grapes
- High GI fruits : watermelon, pineapple
Note this information, while keeping in mind that everyone has their own trigger foods that spike blood sugars more than others. Additionally, the riper a fruit is, the more it affects your blood sugar.
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How Much Is A Portion
A portion of fruit is defined as approximately a ½ cup or the size of a small apple.
Vegetables are far more nutrient-dense than fruits when it comes to vitamins and minerals. And the classic nutrients that people use to defend high consumption of fruit are readily available in low-carbohydrate vegetables.
Potassium is easily found in avocados, chard, mushrooms and kale, vitamin C in raw broccoli, bell peppers and tomatoes, and antioxidants are abundant in all vegetables, but especially the green and leafy variety.
Relation Between Eating Too Much Fruit And Type 2 Diabetes
As you know, type 2 diabetes is a complex disease and is caused due to various factors. One important cause is the high levels of sugar which increase glucose in your blood. However, the relationship between the sugar from fruits and type 2 diabetes is a complex one. While a few researchers belief that too much of sugar can cause type 2 diabetes, a few others are of the view that the same may not be true completely.
Researchers belief that both simple, as well as complex carbohydrates,breakdown into sugar which in turn, changes the level of blood sugar in your body. Simple carbohydrates are the ones that metabolize quickly because they get digested quickly as opposed to the complex form of the carbohydrates. Hence, when you are someone who is suffering from pre diabetes or want to avoid getting diabetic, you should avoid eating different food items that have simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are naturally present in a number of food items that we eat on a day to day basis. This is where fruits come into the picture. The fructose present in fruits you eat is, in fact, a form of a simple carbohydrate which might expose you to a greater chance of contracting type 2 diabetes. When taken in more than the recommended quantity, you can not only contract diabetes but also expose yourself to higher risks of getting a heart attack, stroke, amongst other complicated conditions.
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How Can Something Natural Put You At Risk For Gd
During pregnancy, were told to avoid sugary soft drinks, limit caffeine intake, dont drink wine, watch total sugar intake the list of things we shouldnt do or that we need to do during pregnancy can feel ridiculous at times.
If we lay off the processed foods, how can consuming something as natural as fruit put us at risk for GD? After all, were told to consume whole foods and fruit is certainly a whole food.
Fruit provides us with fibre, some calories, and a variety of nutrients including vitamins and antioxidants. However, generations of modern farming have impacted the nutritional content of fruit, including the amount of fructose.
Much of the domesticised fruit we consume has been bred over years to be sweeter and more appealing. As a result fruit has higher levels of fructose. So, while fruit is a natural and whole food, much of what we consume may not actually be as nature intended.
Now this isnt necessarily all bad. Many of the agricultural advances have been beneficial, but this does help us understand how even whole foods could impact our health in negative ways.
Can You Eat Too Much Fruit
The simple answer is: “Yes, itâs possible to eat too much of any foodâincluding fruit,” says Malkani. The fruitarian diet is an eating plan that consists of a full 55 to 75 percent fruit. This type of eating has not been scientifically studied, but experts emphasize that eating this way can lead to malnutrition. Why? It lacks balance. The truth is, you can’t get all the nutrients the body needs just from fruit alone. This type of eating is also super restrictive, which can lead to forms of disordered eating.
Malkani confirms that this way of eating can lead to some very unpleasant repercussions. “Risks associated with excess fruit intake include stomach discomfort, diarrhea, bloating, heartburn, and potential nutrient deficiencies if excess fruit is replacing other important nutrients in the diet,” she says.
“Itâs possible to eat too much of any foodâincluding fruit, although excess fruit intake is rarely an issue for most people.” âMalina Malkani, RDN
Also, from an absorption standpoint, Shena Jaramillo, RD, notes that it’s important to remember that your body can only take in so much of the goodness of fruit in one sitting. “It’s great to get a variety of fruits daily, but once our bodies acquire the essential nutrients they need from it, there really is not a benefit to having more,” she says. Instead, focus on making your two cups of fruit as colorful as possible, then move onto your other favorite foods.
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