Fruit good or bad for you

[jane1950]

As my blood test this time came back a little high my nurse and I discussed what food choices could be contributing to the raise. She did offer me a meter for educational purposes even as a type 2 and I said I would accept this offer if my result was not lower in 3 months time. I also asked her if I should cut down my fruit intake and she told me to avoid watermelon, not to eat too ripe fruit i.e banana because it's sugar content will be higher and to have a small one. To have maximum of maybe 3 pieces spread throughout the day. I love fruit and their are so many benefits I'd really hate to have to cut it out. So I am going to be more mindful of what fruit I choose and what size.

I was told by a nurse to eat a banana before going for long walks as it is a slow acting carbohydrate

 

[drakman]

The only fruit I have been told I MUST avoid is grapefruit as it contains a chemical that reacts with some medication I have to take, the sugar in fruit is not too bad but check if your body has sugar highs from it, generally though I was told the fibre and other vitamins in the fruit are more important to your body, the sugars are only an issue in juices with pulp removed, or overrefined smoothies, I know I drank fruit juice and smoothies for a while to be healthier and my diabetes got much worse, it took several months and increases in my medications to get it back under control, so fresh fruit is good but juiced in anyway is bad

 

[Ali H]

The only fruit I have been told I MUST avoid is grapefruit as it contains a chemical that reacts with some medication I have to take, the sugar in fruit is not too bad but check if your body has sugar highs from it, generally though I was told the fibre and other vitamins in the fruit are more important to your body, the sugars are only an issue in juices with pulp removed, or overrefined smoothies, I know I drank fruit juice and smoothies for a while to be healthier and my diabetes got much worse, it took several months and increases in my medications to get it back under control, so fresh fruit is good but juiced in anyway is bad

Usual advice really, eat and test, for some it is ok and for others not. 3 of us here are diabetic and all 3 go into mid teens from fruit. Only things I eat now are berries.

 

[poohtiggy]

I would suggest you take a reading before eating a banana then take one 2 hours later it' s the only proof of how your body accepts any food. I coast between 4's and 8 but a banana would push me up to 18 so I stick to Apple's, strawberries, raspberries and on an occasional cheat day will have a small orange which I miss so much. Your meter will tell you what you can safely eat

 

[Chri55y]

I was suprised to read in form the other day a person adviceing someone to lay off bannana grapes and melon, the first thing the nurse told me to give up was my daily grapefruit I know fruits have there own natural sugars but surely taken daily in moderation they are better for you as an alternative to snacking I mean what else is left do we just eat veg all day. The more I read the form the more of a mine field it is becoming it seems to me that the Diabetes has taken over my life with all the do,s and don't,s and the endless Med appointments off to a Diabetes review with nurse this afternoon, first time question and new to the form hi guy,s type 2 and at present overweight
Comments would be most welcome

If you follow a GI diet you'll find banana, grapes and melon are classes as high what diabetics are looking for are low GI foods

 

[mims57]

Hi @DannyMac,
Always remember that Carbohydrates are converted to sugar when you eat them.
If you want to lower your Blood sugar eat less carbs, this will help with weight loss as well.
a very good idea to get a meter and test to see what Carbs effect you the most, and to rather eat food that has little effect.
NHS are not likely to give you a meter as a type 2, but ask, otherwise purchase one.
We all hit this info overload when diagnosed, but ask, read articles, and you will find a way ahead, we all do
Good luck

I was diagnosed last June and given a meter straight away and was told to check all meals for the first three months. Even now if I eat something different I check and I can put in a repeat prescription for testing strips.

 

[alisonhe]

I low carb, am vegetarian, and just to keep things interesting, I am coeliac as well

When you low carb as a veggie, the rules change somewhat, I do use balsamic vinegar fruit and my carbs tend to come mainly from vegetables and the protein component , usually pulses , legumes and tofu . As a rule, my diet is a very healthy one, I rarely hypo and when I do its explainable. Much of the info on low carb is aimed towards omnivores, so you do have to like to cook, be creative and test more to discover your own threshold.

From the omnivore low carb information comes the idea that you can't eat certain things, but it's not necessarily true when you are vegetarian , and very personal to each person. I really can't say that my diet is limited, as I do make some good low carb meals with a lot of variety, and also include some adapted baked goods in to it.

A good resource is Celia Brooke's " Low Carb & Gluten Free Vegetarian " , though it says Gluten Free in the title, it's good for any vegetarian that is looking to lowering their carb intake because it automatically excludes wheat and other gluten containing grains.

Oh, and as a Type 1, who doesn't eat meat, your carb threshold for achieving a good HbA1c , less post prandial spikes and avoiding hypos whilst controlling your insulin doses is entirely personal. Some may need to go very low carb, others have a better tolerance at a different level. I would describe it as being " Low(er) Carb " , but still within the parameters of " Low Carb ", if that makes sense

You would, at least initially have to remember to test 2 hours post prandial to see what foods result in an unacceptable spike , but this lessens somewhat as you learn what works and what doesn't .

Signy

Edited to say- from what you describe , you probably are eating at a lower carb level already You probably wouldn't need to alter that much, just a tweak here and there , should you wish to give it a whirl

 

[alisonhe]

I probably do low carb to a certain extent but I have pasta (with a lot of fresh veg) once a week, I suppose I could just give my hubby the pasta and maybe quinoa for me or something - I will check out that book. Thanks so much for the response, it has given me some hope. I also make these health bars which I may have for lunch with a piece of fruit and some raw veg, they are made with mashed banana, nuts, seeds, and oats so maybe/probably quite high carb but very healthy and I love them. How do you find oats - are they something to be avoided?

 

[Blip22]

Oats are great bananna is terrible, if i eat a bananna my BG will go from say 4.4 up to 15 and then crash to below 4.4
Same with sugar, white rice, corn. What is good is chickpeas ,nuts, green veg ,whole grain bread, lentils, beans.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[jenrose]

someone posted this on my fb page, it really annoyed me

http://www.forksoverknives.com/is-it-possible-to-eat-too-much-fruit/

I know how fruit affects me because I have tested, also the studies were not stated what studies they were !!

 

[robertconroy]

No fresh fruits have a high glycemic load except dried fruit is the worst glycemic load all foods. Don't ask a doctor about nutrition, they have no training and they know nothing about nutrition.

 

[poohtiggy]

No fresh fruits have a high glycemic load except dried fruit is the worst glycemic load all foods. Don't ask a doctor about nutrition, they have no training and they know nothing about nutrition.

The only way to really know what you can safely eat is to test before you have the food and test again afterwards. Some people can tolerate foods that would spike other's, I can eat apples, strawberries, raspberries, melon and blueberries (but I don't like them) many on the forum cannot eat apples at all and bananas are the worse fruit for most people here. I used to eat every fruit and lots of it thinking it was doing me good

 

[MissPooh]

I thought all berries were good, but blueberries really spike me, I'm working my way through raspberries and blackberries see if they're any better - ohh to the meter Gawd lol

 

[robertconroy]

Bananna is about the highest glycemic load at 12.

 

[robertconroy]

Here is a list of glycemic load of fruits, notice dried fruits are the only high glycemic load fruit. http://adrenalfatiguesolution.com/fruits-lowest-glycemic-load/

 

[Wildrover]

Here is a list of glycemic load of fruits, notice dried fruits are the only high glycemic load fruit. http://adrenalfatiguesolution.com/fruits-lowest-glycemic-load/

Very informative Robert, nice for once to know that there is such a thing as GL

 

[Daphne917]

Here is a list of glycemic load of fruits, notice dried fruits are the only high glycemic load fruit. http://adrenalfatiguesolution.com/fruits-lowest-glycemic-load/

Were the dates and figs boxed or fresh? I used to love them but daren't eat them anymore

 

[Brunneria]

With fruit, the only way to know how they affect YOUR body is to test your BG before and after.

GI and GL are of very limited use. I would use the lists as a starting point and do your own testing.
I'm fine with berries (including blueberries) but bananas, mango and grapes give me blood glucose spikes that are quite ridiculous.


We each need to find out what works for us.

 

[MissPooh]

Looks like I'm good with raspberries and blackberries still miss my blueberries, the birds are loving them lol

 

[Miss_Dior]

Oats are great bananna is terrible, if i eat a bananna my BG will go from say 4.4 up to 15 and then crash to below 4.4
Same with sugar, white rice, corn. What is good is chickpeas ,nuts, green veg ,whole grain bread, lentils, beans.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

From my limited experience I have the same reax. Whole grain starches are fine (oats, chana dal, cornbread made with no sugar). Grapes send my BGs up there. Even spacing them out on a long walk elevates me.