Can Diabetes Patients Eat Sweet Fruits?

Medical Video: Top 10 Fruits for Diabetes Patients

Patients who suffer from type 2 diabetes certainly understand that they must control and reduce eating foods that contain sugar, even though sugar is naturally present in these foods. So, can diabetics eat fruits, including fruit that tastes sweet?

Maybe this is quite the opposite of what you have heard, however, fruits are actually very important to be consumed by diabetics.

Fruit is good, fruit juice should not be

Research published in 2013 by British Medical Journal researching the effects of diabetes and fruit consumption on more than 190,000 people. In the study, scientists compared the effects of eating fruits (especially fruit) blueberries, grapes, and apples) with diabetes. The result, it turns out eating these fruits can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

However, interestingly, drinking fruit juice increases the risk of developing diabetes. Why is that? In fruit and fruit juice, of course, contains sugar. However, one fruit is only equivalent to about 120 grams of fruit juice. If you drink about 350 grams of fruit juice, you can actually consume too much sugar. On the other hand, eating fruit has more benefits for diabetics.

Sweet fruit does contain sugar, but ...

Having type 2 diabetes means you have to count the carbohydrates you consume. Like vegetables and wheat, fruit also contains carbohydrates that you might need. If you have diabetes, choosing the right fruit to consume is to count the carbohydrates needed.

Fruit is an excellent source of antioxidants. Antioxidants are very important because they can help avoid cell damage. In diabetics, antioxidants can help reduce inflammation caused by oxidation stress. Oxidation pressure may contribute to complications from diabetes. To get enough antioxidants, consume the types of fruits that have bright colors.

Unlike fruit that has been juiced, fruits contain a lot of fiber. This can make people who eat it feel full. In addition, fiber is not an easily digestible component, so you can feel full without your blood sugar rising. Incorporating fiber-rich foods into your diet makes you also control your blood sugar. To get enough fiber, eat the fruit you eat with the skin.

How much is the maximum portion of fruit for diabetics?

Patients with diabetes usually need to get 45 grams of carbohydrates at each meal time. Well, that does not mean you are encouraged to fill all 45 grams of carbohydrates with fruit alone. It is important to balance fruit with protein and other healthy foods that also contain carbohydrates. The key is to count the carbohydrates you consume, spread the time to consume them in a day, so that your blood sugar is also controlled.

A small piece of fruit usually contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates. So, if you want to exchange it for fruit juice, consume about a third of the glass of fruit juice, or half a glass at the maximum. Also make sure that you don't add more sugar to your juice. If you want to drink a glass of fruit juice, you can work around this by mixing vegetables into your juice, so you can still consume a glass of fruit juice without excess carbohydrates.

It's okay if you want to eat canned fruit, as long as you make sure there is no extra sugar in the product. You can consume about half a glass of canned fruit. Dried fruit can also be a good alternative, because dried fruit also contains fiber and antioxidants. However, keep in mind that in 2 tablespoons of dried fruit contains 15 grams of carbohydrates. So, be careful when measuring the amount of dried fruit you will eat.

Fruits are good for diabetics