Diabetes Diet: Can Diabetics Eat Fruits? Know Tips To Choose The Right Fruits

Diabetes diet: Some fruits can be consumed by diabetics without a second thought

Diabetes diet is a difficult topic to understand. You need to very careful about what to eat and what not to. Wrong elements in your diet can increase your blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels can increase the complications of diabetes and make it difficult to control the condition. Before choosing the element of your diabetes diet you need to examine the effect of the food consumed on your blood sugar levels. Some careful changes in your diet can help you control blood sugar levels. Controlled blood sugar levels can help you manage diabetes effectively. There is a huge confusion among diabetes patients whether fruits are good for their blood sugar levels or not. Most fruits are sweet but are they safe for diabetics?

Diabetes diet: Can diabetics eat fruits?

Fruits are loaded with nutrients and beneficial for health. Fruits are rich in sugar and carbs, therefore most diabetics believe that fruits are not good for their blood sugar levels. The truth is most fruits have low or medium glycaemic index which does not increase blood sugar levels. But due to the presence of sugar and carbs, you need to check for the right quantity. You must ask your doctor to guide you through the right quantity. Fruits are also loaded with fibre and essential nutrients which can be a great substitute for sweets and desserts.

Senior Dietician Rutu Rishikesh Dhodapkar suggests, "There are certain fruits which can be consumed by diabetics. Fruits which are high in fibre can be consumed by diabetics without a second thought. "

Diabetes: Citric fruits can be consumed by a diabetic patient
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Things to keep in mind

1. Buy fresh and seasonal fruits and try to avoid frozen and canned fruits as much as possible
2. Do not cut and store fruits as this practice may reduce the nutritional value of the fruits
3. You can study the glycaemic index of various fruits before buying them and choose the ones with a low glycaemic index
4. Do not consume packed fruits juice because packed fruit juices usually contain added sugar and less or no nutritional value
5. Do not over consume fruits; make sure that you consult your doctor about the quantity before adding fruits to your diabetes diet
6. Buy fruits which are little raw because the more ripe the fruit is, the higher is the glycaemic index

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Can a diabetic consume fruit juice?

Dt. Rutu explains, "Fruits juice is not a good choice because to make one glass of fruits juice, you require at least 10 to 12 fruits which mean more sugar. The juice does not contain fiber as well. So fruit juice may increase the blood sugar levels. A diabetic patient can eat one fruit instead of juice."

Diabetes: Eat fruits high in fibre if you have diabetes
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Best fruits for diabetes

Some of the best fruits which you can add to your diabetes diet include- blueberry, pear, cherry, grapes, peach, plum, grapefruit, orange and guava.

"A diabetic can have watermelon but the portion size should be monitored. 100 grams of the fruits is enough. Papaya is also good for diabetics as it is high in fiber. A medium-sized apple can also be consumed. Orange is another great choice as it contains vitamin C and fibre," Rutu added.

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(Rutu Rishikesh Dhodapkar is a Senior Dietician at Max Multi Speciality Hospital, Greater Noida)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.