Fruit and Diabetes? Yay or Nay
Bad Advice About Fruit
Last week a provider told one of my clients not to eat fruit because it makes your blood sugar go up. A lot of foods can make blood sugar go up, but that was the only advice given. No explanation, just told my client not to eat fruit.
Before I continue, let me just say that I know each provider is doing their best to help their patients. This person probably thought they were being helpful.
My client told the provider how much she enjoys fruit, and she only has 1-2 fruit servings a day. AND my client, with diabetes type 2, has a daily average BG of 102mg/dl (which equates to an A1c in the 5’s).
Seems like this advice was a little of course for this particular patient. Maybe her CGM logs could have been reviewed and it could have been suggested she eat fruit before or after her workouts to minimize the impact.
Confusion Around Food in General
There is so much confusion around food in general. You get on the internet or social media and everyone (qualified and not) is giving advice.
So here’s some legit information about fruit.
If you have diabetes, it’s important to be mindful of your fruit intake as fruits do contain natural sugar that can affect your blood sugar level. Throwing a bunch of fruit in a smoothie and sucking it down is likely to spike your blood sugar, especially if you have added milk/yogurt/juice or even a protein powder.
Being selective about WHEN you eat fruit (or carbohydrates in general) and paying attention to the fiber content, along with adding fat, all impacts how your body will process it.
This goes for ANY food that grows from the ground or that you pick from a tree, because all of these foods are considered carbohydrates. Many of my clients have trouble with fruit first thing in the morning. This is because insulin resistance คาสิโนออนไลน์ UFABET ฝากถอนรวดเร็ว เริ่มต้นเล่นง่าย is a little higher first thing after waking up. Cortisol increases within the first 30 minutes of waking up which also causes blood sugar to naturally increase.
However, fruit is also an important part of a healthy diet as it contains fiber, vitamins, and minerals. So don’t completely avoid it.
5 Tips When Incorporating Fruit:
1. Choose low-glycemic fruits: Fruits that have a low glycemic index (GI) release sugar into the bloodstream slowly, which can help prevent spikes in blood sugar levels. Examples of low-GI fruits include berries, cherries, apples, pears, oranges, and grapefruit. You can also make any fruit lower glycemic by following tip #2 & 3.
2. Watch your portions: Even though fruit is healthy, it’s still important to control your portions. Eating too much fruit at once can cause a rapid increase in blood sugar levels. A general guideline is to aim for one serving of fruit per meal, which is about 15 grams of carbohydrates.
3. Pair fruit with fat: Combining fruit with a source of fat can help slow down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. For example, you can pair an apple with a handful of almonds or peanut butter. Or maybe if you love some tropical fruits that are a little higher on the glycemic index, eat them before or after you have done some exercise, in addition to adding a fat source.
4. Avoid fruit juices and dried fruits: Fruit juices and dried fruits are often high in sugar and can cause a rapid increase in blood sugar levels. It’s best to avoid them or have much smaller amounts. Eat fruit closest to it’s natural form.
5. Fruit contains polyphenols. Polyphenols are a compound that help protect against heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and they help with digestion. This is probably one of the biggest reasons to KEEP fruit in your diet. Not to mention, fruit is also a great source of fiber. Fiber is important for your gut microbiome and good bacteria.