Fruit, Delicious and Nutritious but OK for the Diabetic Menu?
Sep 7th, 2010 by sandalwood
Like many diabetics, I love fruit, and yet I am hesitant to eat a peach or pear or whatever fruits are in season because I have that nagging feeling that my blood sugar levels are going to be raised by doing so, and they are not that close to normal at the best of times.
A good example of what leads me to wonder about fruit, and this my fellow diabetics will understand, is the case of a couple of blood sugar tests I took this morning and yesterday morning after having almost the same breakfast both days but with the addition of a serving of fruit in today’s breakfast. Starting with my overnight fasting reading in the morning on both days of under 121 mg/dL (6.7 mmol/L), followed by a healthy serving of cooked oatmeal with soymilk added, my reading yesterday two hours later was 146 mg/dL (8.1 mmol/L), not bad for me, but today after adding fresh fruit to my oatmeal the reading two hours later was 221 mg/dL (12.3 mmol/L), far too high.
So what should I do? It is often said that we are all different, so for myself it may just be a case of me being more sensitive than some others – or is it just my imagination, in spite of the conflicting readings? And I will have to repeat those breakfast comparisons for the next few days to get a better idea. But what do the diabetes “authorities” say about fruit and the diabetic?
The benefits of fruit as part of the diabetic menu
The American Diabetes Association in their published material, clearly approves of the inclusion of fruits in the diabetic menu and emphasizes the benefits they bring because they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, in the same way as are the vegetables that we are also urged to eat more of.
Fruit and the Glycemic Index
Most fruits are rated as being low glycemic index foods because of their fiber content, and most diabetics are aware of the need to avoid high glycemic foods as much as possible, the sugary pies, cakes, biscuits, chocolates, candies, and such. A glycemic index rating of 55 and less is considered as being low and most fruits are in that range. Check this link for more about the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load.
Of 25 individual fruits I checked on, some of them listed below, 14 have an index value of less than 54 and 9 of them have a moderate rating between 55 to 70. Watermelon rates slightly higher at 72 and dried dates are high glycemic at 103.
But even though low index foods are a large part of the diabetic diet, moderation in the amount of food being eaten is important, and there are other factors to consider in devising a healthy and nutritious diabetic menu plan.
Carbohydrates and fruit
A “serving” of carbohydrate foods is usually considered to be about 15 grams and as a rough estimate, there are about 15 grams of carbohydrates in a small piece of fruit, such as a half of a medium sized apple, or in a half cup of canned or frozen fruit or in three-quarters to one cup of berries.
Checking the blood sugar levels
The best way to know how fruits, or any foods for that matter, affect a person’s blood sugar levels is to check by taking a meter reading before eating and then again in one or two hours after eating. For me, and for many diabetics, a meter reading will still show higher than normal blood sugar levels existing after two hours, so to really know the affects of fruits or other foods it is necessary to take further periodic tests until it can be seen that the elevated blood sugar levels have, in the main, dissipated.
Some examples of low glycemic index fruits
The following short list of fruits are rated as being medium on the glycemic index with a ranking of 54 or less, sizes and quantities may differ from one reference fruit to another.
They are listed here, with their GI ratings, only to show some of the fruits, out of the many commonly available, that could be made part of a healthy diabetic diet, perhaps as snacks or dessert items after the main meals. Advice from a dietitian or other health care provider can provide guidance in the choice of fruits and all other food items that are appropriate to include in a diabetic menu. Check this link for a general discussion on Diabetic Menu Planning.
Apple 38 ♦ Apricots (dried) 30 ♦ Banana 52 ♦ Cherries 22 ♦ Grapefruit 25 ♦ Grapes 46 ♦ Kiwi, 52 ♦ Mango 51 ♦ Navel Orange 42 ♦ Peach (large) 42 ♦ Pear 38 ♦ Plum 39 ♦ Prunes 29 ♦ Strawberries 40
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