How much fruit is "too much"

[MadMat]

Hi all,

Fairly newly diagnosed T2, and wondering exactly what my DSN might have meant by telling me not to eat "Too much" fruit

Pre-diagnosis I ate quite a lot of fruit, and drank pure fruit juices, a typical day would be 1/2 can of peaches/pears/pineapple and large glass of orange or grapefruit juice with breakfast, and then another 2-4 pieces as snacks through the day, apples, oranges, satsumas, peaches etc.

I'm guessing this might be too much now - especially the juice

I'm really not a fan of cooked green veg, and so always saw plenty of fruit as a good way of ensuring I got my 5 a day.

I don't currently have a BG meter, so a try and test approach isn't going to work for me right now, although I'm going to ask for one again at my next appointment

Mat

 

[borofergie]

Well if you listen to Dr Bernstein "none" is the right answer, but that's hardly reasonable.

I would say that Fruit Juice is almost certainly out of the question (it's like drinking a glass of sugar), and I probably wouldn't eat canned fruit either. Some people suggest that berries have a lower GI and are much kinder to your blood sugar than the types of fruit you've been eating.

It really comes down to working out how much carbohydrate is in all that fruit, and adjusting the amount you eat accordingly:
Half a can of peaches in juice = 11g of carb (surprisingly low)
Large glass of Orange Juice = 50g (ouch!)
1 apple= 21g for a medium apple

Total = 11+50+4*21=145g of carbohydrate per day just on fruit.

Some people suggest that 100g TOTAL carb per day is a good starting amount to aim for. You're already 45g over this, without accounting for any other carbs in the rest of your diet.

I'd forget the 5 a day too, it's a load of old unscienttific rubbish.

If they won't give you a meter, try and find some money to get one for yourself. It would tell you instantly what's wrong with eating so much fruit.

 

[Anonymous]

I have pretty much found that I can't eat fresh fruit. Plums I can just about manage and dried prunes and apricots can be ok (depending on the brand - read the packet).

Everything else just spikes me - especially Bananas.

I made the mistake of thinking dried fruit (raisins et) would be ok and they're even worse. But nuts are excellent as are seeds - so I eat peanuts mainly as a snack without any affects on my readings.

 

[MadMat]

Thanks guys, had a feeling I wasn't going to like the answer

Mat

 

[Cheryl]

You can eat strawberries! They're mostly water & have only a few grammes of carb per 100g.

 

[borofergie]

You can eat strawberries! They're mostly water & have only a few grammes of carb per 100g.

And it's even better if you smother them in cream!

 

[))Denise((]

Anything with berry in its name is pretty low carb, I eat blueberries on a regular basis.

 

[bedshaped2000]

check the carbs in blueberries compared to rasberrys or strawberrys you might be suprised

 

[hallii]

There is another aspect to the question of carbohydrate intake and blood sugars.

In the early days I could not eat more than, say, one apple or one orange a day without seeing botha spike and overall rise in my BGs.

Some years on I can eat maybe 3 pieces of fruit (apple, orange, plum etc.) without any problems.

It is a fact that as you take the load off your body by keeping your BGs under control you might find ( as I and others have) that your
overworked pancreas and liver can recover to some extent thus allowing a few "extras" without any problems.

To get there you do have to "eat to your meter" and keep your BGs under control. It might help if you eat half an apple and eat the other half later in the day. Try plums, pommegranit, berries in Greek yoghourt. Rhubarb with Creme Frais is good,

You might find that your taste buds change over time, mine have, I now eat Brocilli and cabbage with enthusiasm, I eat swede, celariac, carrots, butternut squash, and so on instead of potatoes.

So get a meter and learn how to use it.

Make no mistake, you have to take control and manage your diabetes, no one else will.

Good Luck.
H

 

[nmr1991]

Not sure if I have mentioned this but, quite a few times recently I have found that (for me) my blood sugars do not change after eating 150g of carbohydrates from a bag of dried fruit (includes banana, peach, apricot, raisins, pineapple) or a 40g worth of fruit salad in a pot.
Could this be some sort of resistance that my body makes when it processes the sugars from the fructose content?

However, I have known to do like 5-10 minute exercise afterwards (mainly walking up and down stairs) which may potentially lower my blood sugars, but it's no cause to think that it alone can reduce my blood sugar by 15.0.

Note: my calculation is 150g = +15.0 mmol/l = 7.5 units of insulin

 

[lucylocket61]

I can get away with pure fruit juice diluted 1:4 with water. I still get the taste, but only a quarter of the carbs.

 

[hanadr]

The only way to find out is to try and test. For example I can share an apple with my grandchildren, but not eat a whole one. One problem with fruit is that tthe sugar in it may be glucose, so all of it affects you. Fructose however doesn't affect blood glucose. Check out the nutrition profile of your favourites and then test.
Hana

 

[Grazer]

Generally speaking, most people find that bananas are the worst and berries the best for BGs. I have an apple after lunch most days and I seem to be fine with that. I also have a satsuma in the evening without problem. Bananas however are a no-no for me. As people have said, you really need to test to find out what you can tolerate.

 

[BeccaJaneStClair]

What about things like melons and cantaloupes?

 

[Defren]

What about things like melons and cantaloupes?

Usually no no's I'm afraid, a medium sized wedge is around 16g of carbs. The thing is, try a small amount and test, if you tolerate that well, next time slightly larger and so on. I love melon, but at 16g of carbs, know without testing I couldn't eat it. :cry:

 

[hanadr]

borofergie
5-a-day is fruits OR vegetables" there's absolutely no reason why 5 portions of veggies would be a problem. Yes that number 5 probably came out of the air, but it's better than nothing.Loads of people eat no veggies other than potatoes. I believe the Australians aim for 9 a day.
Then we could have fun debating a "portion". I probably had 3 portions of cabbage with my roast beef for dinner. I had some berries too with creme fraiche
That's pretty much a day's worth in one meal.
Hana
PS I'm aware that there's controversy about the issue

 

[phoenix]

borofergie
5-a-day is fruits OR vegetables" there's absolutely no reason why 5 portions of veggies would be a problem. Yes that number 5 probably came out of the air, but it's better than nothing.Loads of people eat no veggies other than potatoes. I believe the Australians aim for 9 a day.
Then we could have fun debating a "portion". I probably had 3 portions of cabbage with my roast beef for dinner. I had some berries too with creme fraiche
That's pretty much a day's worth in one meal.
Hana
PS I'm aware that there's controversy about the issue

The WHO said countries should aim for a minimum of 400g a day from fruit and veg. In the UK the aim is for that 400g so a portion is theoretically 80g (most people fall short).
As Hana says the number of portions suggested varies from country to country and the portion size also differs. Many countries aim for 500g; the Swedish slogan is' half a kilo a day.' The definition of vegetable varies(ie in the US potatoes count as a veggie; not so in the UK) .

 

[jopar]

I shall answer the OP question, keeping in mind that this is the Non Low Carb forum..

If you'll eating fruit, fruits such as grapes, oranges etc will hit the blood glucose pretty quickly as the sugar is contained in the juices... Fruits such as apples, small berries such as strawberries will be hit the system slower and generally lower in carb content...

Another thing to watch out for, is dried fruit as these carry more carbs per portion that the fresh type...

How much is too much, well really need to go by your meter, and items such as grapes etc might fair better if eaten with a protein such as cheese... Or a piece of fruit eaten after a main meal, where the meal slows the adsorption rate..

As to 5 a day,

Well if somebody thinks that 500g of fruit and veg is about the correct weight, I'm afraid I've failed on that score.. But I'm not a big eater and do have a small appetite!

 

[xyzzy]

Mat I find the time of day and what you eat with the fruit makes a big difference.

For instance in the morning for breakfast I can do between 25 and 50g of "Berries" so say between 5 & 10g carb wise. At that time of day these will give me a noticeable spike.

However I found making up a fruit salad out of a wide range of common fruits usually works out at around 15g carbs per 150g of fruit salad and that equates to a reasonably sized portion. Eating that as a pudding after dinner doesn't spike me at all.

Like so many things the best advise is to test.

 

[Dottybagpuss]

I have read all these posts with great interest, mainly because I am still learning how to eat healthily for my diabetes. And I have to say I am not really winning the battle of what and what not to eat, apart from the obvious things of course!!

I have never been advised by my dietician or DSN to eat either low-carb or non low-carb, all I have ever been given is a guidance on a weight-loss diet. I have been eating what seems now to be too much fruit, quite innocently believing that I was doing myself good, but all the while struggling with spiking levels. So thankfully I now realise what the problem might be.

What I need to ask, and again please forgive my ignorance, is when should I test to see how a particular fruit (or other food) is affecting my BS? Should I test immediately after eating the item or a specific time after? Up to now, all my tests have been before meals, on the instruction of my DSN.

Susan

PS.. my Humulin I has now been divided between nighttime and morning, 15 and 17 units respectively, and I am now also taking Humalog 3 units before lunch and 5 units before tea.