Is It Important For People With Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes To Be Careful About How Much Fruit You Eat
Yes. For all people, and for all people with diabetes, fruit can affect your blood sugar level. That doesnt mean that you shouldnt eat fruit at all fruit still includes important nutrients that your body needs, some of which can lower your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic conditions.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
It’s time to upgrade your cooking oil. Extra virgin olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats, which studies show can actually help lower levels of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol. This is particularly important since diabetics have a higher risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke. And get this: Snyder says losing just 7 percent of your body weight can result in significant health benefits for diabetics. Luckily for you, EVOO is rich in oleic acid, which a Journal of Lipid Research study found helps reduce lipogenesis, or fat formation.
What Fruits Are Good For Diabetics
If youre wondering what fruits are good for diabetics, its pretty much the same list as non-diabetics: eat the rainbow. Different colors of fruits and vegetables have different vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. To get all the good stuff, look for a ROYGBIV of fruits from red strawberries to deep purple blackberries .
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The Best Fruit For People With Diabetes
If youre going to pick one type to eat, he says berries tend to raise blood sugar less than fruits like grapes or melon. Dried fruit, on the other hand, is really risky, Ginn-Meadow says.
The study found that in 2012, eating suboptimal levels of 10 foods or nutrients too much of some and not enough of others was associated with more than 45% of deaths due to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. 10 foods associated with nearly half of CMD deaths
We have compiled 12 best power foods to eat with diabetes. Lets say you want to amp up your nutrition and swap out certain unhealthy foods that you eat for more healthy choices. These are our top 12 picks: 1. Non-starchy vegetables. Our top choices for non-starchy vegetables are asparagus, red peppers, purple onions and broccoli.
The Best Foods To Prevent Diabetes Dont Have To Taste Bad! You have a choice if you know that you have prediabetes or high risk for diabetes. The first option is to do nothing and almost certainly develop diabetes within years. The other option is to do something, and dramatically lower your risk for diabetes.
Top 10 Worst Foods For Diabetes Candy Not only do high-sugar foods like candy, cookies, syrup, and soda lack nutritional value, but these low-quality carbohydrates also cause a dramatic spike in blood sugar levels and can contribute to weight gain, both of which can worsen diabetes complications.
What About Gestational Diabetes
People with gestational diabetes can work out a meal plan with their healthcare professional.
A meal plan may involve counting the amount of carbohydrates a person eats to make sure they are getting enough energy and keeping their blood sugar under control.
The National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development advise that people with gestational diabetes eat three medium-sized meals per day, with two to four snacks in-between meals.
People with gestational diabetes will benefit from a balanced diet of fiber, vegetables, fruit, protein, healthful fats, and legumes, including the foods listed above.
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Get Your Daily Servings
Dietary guidelines recommend five servings of fruits andvegetables every day. Thats true whether or not you have diabetes, Piercesays. Since fruits have more calories and sugar than veggies, try to strike abalance. She recommends breaking up your five servings into three veggieservings and two fruit servings.
Skip Sugary Foods Like Sweets And Soda
Foods that are made primarily of processed sugar, like many desserts, candy, and soda, are considered low-quality carbohydrates. Not only are these foods lacking in nutritional value, they can also cause a sharp spike in your blood sugar, says Kimberlain. They can also lead to weight problems. Refined carbohydrates raise blood sugar,” she explains. Your body then produces extra insulin to bring your blood sugar down. Insulin is a fat storage hormone. With more circulating insulin in your bloodstream, your body converts the carbohydrates to fat and stores them on your buttocks, thighs, abdomen, and hips.
Instead of sweets, reach for delicious fruits like apples, berries, pears, or oranges. These high-quality carbohydrates contain plenty of fiber to help slow down the absorption of glucose, so theyre a far better choice for blood-sugar control. Pair fruit with a high-protein food, such as peanut butter, for even better blood-sugar levels. One caveat: Even though fruit is healthy, it too raises blood sugar, warns Kimberlain. I always tell patients that timing is everything, she says. If you just had a meal two hours ago , and now you have a piece of fruit, you will only raise your blood sugar even more. Its better to give your body time to return to a normal range, or opt for a hard-boiled egg or a handful of nuts , she suggests.
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Type 2 Diabetes Food Breakdown
First and foremost, we recommend that the vast majority of your nutrients come from plants, due to the various risks associated with eating meat.
We also recommend removing artificial sweeteners and synthetic/processed products from your diet as much as possible, due to their proven association with chronic disease.
Finally, we recommend that you get 80+% of your calories from the carbohydrates found in whole-grains, fruits, and vegetables, with the remaining calories coming from healthy fats and proteins.
Sound restrictive? You might think, but countless plant based recipes might make you rethink your food groups.
What Is The Glycemic Index Of An Apple
The glycemic index measures how quickly a food causes a rise in your blood glucose level after being eaten. Foods with higher numbers have been found to increase those levels more quickly than foods with lower numbers on the glycemic index scale.
Apple has a low glycemic index ranging between 28 to 44 based on what apple it is. This means that, due to the high fiber content, your blood sugar levels will rise less quickly.
Any food with a glycemic index below 55 is considered a food with a low glycemic index.
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My Blood Sugars Rise Substantially When I Eat Fruit Should I Avoid It
The answer is, probably yes.
If you find your body reacts too much to fruit, making it difficult to keep blood sugar and A1c levels within range, then you are probably better off without it.
Being that there are so many other foods to choose from, living without fruit is entirely doable and still enjoyable.
Honey Agave Nectar And Maple Syrup
People with diabetes often try to minimize their intake of white table sugar, as well as treats like candy, cookies, and pie.
However, other forms of sugar can also cause blood sugar spikes. These include brown sugar and natural sugars such as honey, agave nectar, and maple syrup.
Although these sweeteners arent highly processed, they contain at least as many carbs as white sugar. In fact, most contain even more.
Below are the carb counts of a 1-tablespoon serving of popular sweeteners:
- white sugar: 12.6 grams (
- 40 )
In one study, people with prediabetes experienced similar increases in blood sugar, insulin, and inflammatory markers regardless of whether they consumed 1.7 ounces of white sugar or honey .
Your best strategy is to avoid all forms of sugar and use natural low carb sweeteners instead.
Summary
Honey, agave nectar, and maple syrup arent as processed as white table sugar, but they may have similar effects on blood sugar, insulin, and inflammatory markers.
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How Much Fruit You Should Eat
“The secrets to success for patients with diabetes are to pick fruits which are low in sugar content and control the portion size that is ingested,” Kolterman says.
Portion control is important when eating fruit, according to the American Diabetes Association . While it can vary depending on the size and type of fruit, in general, a single portion of fruit one piece of whole fruit or a 1/2 cup of sliced fruit contains roughly 15 grams of carbohydrates, which is considered one carb serving.
Most adults with diabetes should eat 3 to 4 carb servings per meal and 1 carb serving per snack, though you should check with your doctor to develop an individualized eating plan. The ADA recommends “exchanging” carbohydrates from dairy or grains if you’re going to eat a piece of fruit. This ensures that you’re still limiting your carbohydrate intake.
Overall, speaking with your doctor or a registered dietitian can help you craft an eating plan including fruit to meet your specific needs.
Limit Packaged Snacks And Baked Goods
Aside from all the sugar, junky white flour, sodium, and preservatives they contain, packaged snacks and baked goods like chips, pretzels, crackers, cookies, doughnuts, and snack cakes often have unhealthy trans fats. Trans fats increase your bad cholesterol, lower your good cholesterol, and raise your risk of heart disease. They’re also even more dangerous than saturated fats, especially for people who have type 2 diabetes, who are already at increased risk of heart disease, explains Kimberlain. In fact, theres no amount of trans fats that you can safely include in your diet, especially if you have type 2 diabetes, she notes.
The good news is that trans fats are now listed right below the amount of saturated fats on food labels, making it easier to steer clear of them. Look for labels that list 0 grams trans fat, but keep in mind that according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration , products with less than 0.5 g can claim 0 g, so they may not be trans-fat free. Check the ingredients list as well to make sure the product doesnt contain any partially hydrogenated oils, a major source of trans fats. Seek out healthy fats in salmon and other fatty fish, as well as in nuts, seeds, avocado, and olive and canola oils.
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Best Vegetables And Fruits For Type 2 Diabetes
Choosing the right fruits to eat when you have diabetes can help to lower your blood sugar and keep it stable. See what to put on the menu when planning your diabetic diet.
Type 2 diabetes diet doesnt mean you have to give up all the things you really love to eat, you can still enjoy a wide range of foods and in some cases, it even helps reverse type 2 diabetes. Creating a diet for type 2 diabetes is a balancing act. It carries a variety of healthy carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
The ultimate way is to choose the right combination of foods that will help to keep your blood sugar level in your target range and avoid big swings. So, we are giving you some tips to eat the best vegetables and fruits for type 2 diabetes.
Other Healthy Strategies For Eating Fruit
What else can you do to make sure you eat healthy fruit?
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Portion size is key! Set out the amount of fruit that you want to eat, and then stick to that portion this will help you avoid eating too much fruit and experiencing a blood sugar spike. Its also helpful to spread multiple servings of fruit out over the course of the day, rather than eating a lot of fruit at once.
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Choose fresh fruit whenever possible. Canned fruit, dried fruit, and sometimes frozen fruit often have added sugars . Processed fruit also generally contains added sugar.
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Try to avoid fruit juice. Fruit juice contains all of the sugar of fruit without the fiber to help your body process it. This means that juice can cause your blood sugar to spike quickly. If you are drinking fruit juice, drink a very small portion and consider adding water to it make sure you get 100% fruit juice so that no extra sugars are added to sweeten the drink. Note: this is why juice can be used to quickly raise your blood sugar if you are experiencing hypoglycemia.
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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.
Fruits Diabetics Should Avoid
Often one of the first food groups to be culled is fruit, since fruit is generally sweet, many people believe they should be avoided at all costs! Luckily, this isnt the case, there are actually a great number of fruits that not only provide valuable nutrients, but also have little impact on blood sugar levels.
Of course, some fruits are better than others when it comes to diabetes management. Furthermore, careful attention must be paid to both the glycaemic index and the glycaemic load of different fruits.
Foods with a low glycaemic index are regarded to have a positive impact on blood glucose levels since they do not spike blood sugar levels as greatly as higher GI carbohydrates blood sugar in a significant manner. Generally, foods with a GI value of 55 or less are known as low glycaemic and foods with a GI value of 70 or more are regarded as high glycaemic index.
Types of fruits diabetics should avoid are those with these higher GI levels.
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Are Fruit Juices Healthy For Diabetics
One study shows that thousands of people who consumed fruit juices for several years were at more risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who did not consume fruit juices. You should always remember to choose whole fruits over fruit juices as the fibers in juices are lost, so sugar level increases and it can cause a spike in your blood sugar levels.
The fibers present in whole fruit slow down the digestion process that helps in keeping the blood sugar level stable. And whole fruits will also satiate your hunger due to the presence of fibers. In the case of juices, you can drink a lot of fruit juice and still feel hungry, which is not a good thing for a diabetic.
You may think that a little raise in your blood sugar will not do any harm. But a diabetic has to keep their blood sugar level stable because frequent blood sugar spikes are the risk factors for diabetes complications.
If these blood sugar spikes occur often, you may develop conditions like narrowing of blood vessels, poor blood pressure, or even heart diseases. Therefore its best to take care of your health from the beginning. You should also exercise regularly to keep your diabetes in control.
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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Know Which Foods Should Be Staples In Your Diabetes Diet
Kathy Honick, RN, CDCES, a diabetes educator at Mercy Diabetes and Nutrition Center in Washington, Missouri, provides additional details about what you should keep in your pantry and refrigerator:
- Fruits and vegetables are usually good choices, but enjoy fruit in moderation. Your healthcare team can tell you what in moderation means for you.
- Nonstarchy vegetables are a good choice. These include spinach, carrots, broccoli, and green beans.
- Eat whole-grain foods, such as brown rice, whole-wheat bread, and whole-wheat pasta.
- Include legumes like lentils, kidney, or pinto beans in your meal plans.
- Choose fish over meat two to three times a week.
- For meat, choose lean pork or beef, or chicken or turkey with the skin removed.
- Dairy is important, but go for nonfat versions, even for ice cream.