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Fruit - what we think about it

AloeSvea

AloeSvea

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,291
Location
Aotearoa/New Zealand
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Fruit, fruit, fruit - everywhere, but not a bit for us to eat?
There seems to be quite a lot of controversy about whether or not diabetics should eat fruit. Or certain kinds of fruit. What is your experience? Your thoughts? Your likes and dislikes? If you have 'eat and metered' with fruit, what were your findings? Your feelings or thoughts about the impact of eating fruit other than BG readings? Is it different for different kinds of fruit? Do you support advice for diabetics not to eat fruit (or particular kinds of fruit)? Which studies, words of wisdom - or not - from diabetes writers/youtubers/bloggers etc, if any, have you come across? Let's share!
 
I love fruit, all fruit, but not all fruit loves me. Mainly eat berries, fun sized apples, bananas. Non of them really spike me. Anything else I don't find is worth having because of the spike I get, Might as well eat sweets lol
 
Not seen this controversy and as far as I'm aware people with diabetes can eat fruit, many on the forum choose to eat berries as they are lower in carbs, I eat blueberries most days and always make sure I have a small fun-sized banana (I'm a type 1).
 
Mrsass said:
I love fruit, all fruit, but not all fruit loves me. Mainly eat berries, fun sized apples, bananas. Non of them really spike me. Anything else I don't find is worth having because of the spike I get, Might as well eat sweets lol
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Yeah - I love fruit too. When I first got diagnosed with T2D I had a LOT of people spontaneously telling me "I guess you can't eat fruit now." I was pretty blown away - not just by people telling me what I could and could not eat (which I did not and do not find to be OK - at all!) - but at the idea that not only was I no longer eating a bounty bar (my personal favourite chocolate bar) - but nor could I eat an apple! I thought it was pretty cruel!

I quit on the flake and bounty bars, :(:grumpy::depressed: but ate bananas and mandarins, and any fruit I liked. My HBA1c has been steadily dropping, so I figure my body is able to deal with the fructose in fruit - much better than the sugar in the chocolate bars! But it has made me really interested in the whole 'ought diabetics eat fruit' business.

Can I ask which fruit in particular you react to the same way as if with sweets? ie, a big spike. (For me it is dried figs. I may as well eat that yummy cadbury's flake! And a bag of M and Ms!)
 
No controversial for me I regularly eat an apple after my lunch and an orange after my evening meal and they dont spike me at all but then I dont eat a very low carb diet so can eat moderate amounts of carbs without it being a problem now I am well controlled.

The only controversy I see is from those who choose to eat a very low carb diet and they all seem to find that even small amounts of carbs raise their bg levels quite substantially.

I decided it was better to deal with the route of the problem and reduced my insulin resistance by dieting and since losing weight have eaten a fairly normal diet, albeit with reduced carbs, for the last 5 years now without problems.
 
I eat fruits such as peppers, courgettes, aubergines, olives, capers, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados and berries.
 
I think the problem is that in order to lose weight and reduce insulin resistance many of us find that the moderate carb route doesn't work. I have low- carbed which was great for my BG's, but didn't allow me to lose very much weight. If moderate carb works for those whose pancreases still produce good levels of insulin that's fine, but we are all different. Moderate carbs don't work for me, therefore it makes sense to stick to things like berries, tomatoes and cucumbers for fruits.

I am going to try a very low carb diet, and hope that the weight will shift now. Obviously my fat intake will need to go up accordingly.
 
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zand said:
I think the problem is that in order to lose weight and reduce insulin resistance many of us find that the moderate carb route doesn't work. I have low- carbed which was great for my BG's, but didn't allow me to lose very much weight. If moderate carb works for those whose pancreases still produce good levels of insulin that's fine, but we are all different. Moderate carbs don't work for me, therefore it makes sense to stick to things like berries, tomatoes and cucumbers for fruits.

I am going to try a very low carb diet, and hope that the weight will shift now. Obviously my fat intake will need to go up accordingly.
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Hi Zand

The good thing about eating the salad and mediterranian type fruits is that they go well with with lovely cheese, olive oil, mayo etc. Good luck with your low carb diet. Be sure to let us know how you get on :)
 
I can eat berries fine with My morning yoghurt. I have found though that a whole clementine can spike me so I am trying with 1/2 a clem in my yoghurt.

I have not tried bananas and apples yet, I have some indoors so will try over the next couple of days.
 
[QUOTE="Sid Bonkers, post: 826858, member: 19121"

The only controversy I see is from those who choose to eat a very low carb diet and they all seem to find that even small amounts of carbs raise their bg levels quite substantially.
.[/QUOTE]

Not quite as simple as that Sid.
After getting and keeping my BG under control I am able to eat carbs including fruits without spiking BG.

Unfortunately, it is the carbs that cause me to gain weight, and too much of that could overload my liver and pancreas again.
 
Sid Bonkers said:
No controversial for me I regularly eat an apple after my lunch and an orange after my evening meal and they dont spike me at all but then I dont eat a very low carb diet so can eat moderate amounts of carbs without it being a problem now I am well controlled.

The only controversy I see is from those who choose to eat a very low carb diet and they all seem to find that even small amounts of carbs raise their bg levels quite substantially.

I decided it was better to deal with the route of the problem and reduced my insulin resistance by dieting and since losing weight have eaten a fairly normal diet, albeit with reduced carbs, for the last 5 years now without problems.
Click to expand...

Very small amounts of carbs do indeed raise my BG substantially, but the again, I am Type 1 and sharp rises in BG levels are harder to match with my personal insulin profile. The only time I have ever had problems controlling my BG levels was when for a short time, my carb load was in line with the NHS " healthy plate " .

I don't think it is necessarily true that anyone following a low carb diet will spike more than anyone else when more carbs are introduced,( because they eat low carb) but perhaps it is that they are more vigilant as to what is usual for them, so notice it more when it is at a higher level.

I don't actually see any controversy happening here - some diabetics of any type are able to eat some kinds of fruit without a problem spike, others cannot. It's an individual experience. What I do see is some helpful sharing of experiences so that others have a reference point to try for themselves.

Signy
 
Heathenlass said:
I don't think it is necessarily true that anyone following a low carb diet will spike more than anyone else when more carbs are introduced,( because they eat low carb) but perhaps it is that they are more vigilant as to what is usual for them, so notice it more when it is at a higher level.

I don't actually see any controversy happening here - some diabetics of any type are able to eat some kinds of fruit without a problem spike, others cannot. It's an individual experience. What I do see is some helpful sharing of experiences so that others have a reference point to try for themselves.

Signy
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I think Signy has summed things up very nicely here.

I wasn't aware either of any controversy, just general recommendations to watch/avoid higher carb fruit, and in particular to eat mainly berries on a low carb diet, and always test for potential issues.

I eat a very low carb diet, but include a variety of fruit: mainly strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blue berries. I don't think I could happily remain low carbing without my fruit, so try to compromise! I try to limit my portion sizes to around 50-75grams, and always eat them with cream or yoghurt, and generally with a main meal, and I don't see any significant spikes. I've also occasionally eaten nectarines, gooseberries, apricots, plums, greengages, kiwi fruit, without apparent problems. I've also had fresh figs as very rare treats. I can manage about 1/2 of an apple and a couple of orange segments, but more can cause a bit more spiking. Other fruits (particulartly the dried variety!) I've not tested for and have avoided them since starting on a low carb diet.

My glucose levels overall are a bit higher than I like, but my post meal levels are normally around the 7-ish mark with very little spiking, so fruit doesn't appear to be an issue for me.... thank goodness!:p

Robbity

PS Most of @Avocado Sevenfold's fruits, I count in with my veggies...
 
Avocado Sevenfold said:
@Robbity Plants are confusing! I think of rhubarb as a fruit, but it's a vegetable :)
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:wideyed::wideyed::)

The only one that we eat for pudding though!!

Actually I also have a little rhubarb occasionally - my husband loves it and eats it regularly but he has to remember to cook an unsweetened portion for me..

Robbity
 
AloeSvea said:
Yeah - I love fruit too. When I first got diagnosed with T2D I had a LOT of people spontaneously telling me "I guess you can't eat fruit now." I was pretty blown away - not just by people telling me what I could and could not eat (which I did not and do not find to be OK - at all!) - but at the idea that not only was I no longer eating a bounty bar (my personal favourite chocolate bar) - but nor could I eat an apple! I thought it was pretty cruel!

I quit on the flake and bounty bars, :(:grumpy::depressed: but ate bananas and mandarins, and any fruit I liked. My HBA1c has been steadily dropping, so I figure my body is able to deal with the fructose in fruit - much better than the sugar in the chocolate bars! But it has made me really interested in the whole 'ought diabetics eat fruit' business.

Can I ask which fruit in particular you react to the same way as if with sweets? ie, a big spike. (For me it is dried figs. I may as well eat that yummy cadbury's flake! And a bag of M and Ms!)
Click to expand...

Oh I had the opposite, 'make sure you eat lots of fruit'... Hmm I'd love to! - I also do not find it ok for people to tell me what I can and cannot eat. Grr!

Fruit I spike with badly is dried apricots, which I LOVE and could eat a whole bag of *cry*, mango, grapes, plums. Think they are worst ones for me :(

Oh I don't like blueberries, just thought I'd add this in. Anyone else think they are nasty? I think they are mega nasty... Like tasting, Ya know.. The texture.. Bleughhh!
 
Mrsass said:
Oh I had the opposite, 'make sure you eat lots of fruit'... Hmm I'd love to! - I also do not find it ok for people to tell me what I can and cannot eat. Grr!

Fruit I spike with badly is dried apricots, which I LOVE and could eat a whole bag of *cry*, mango, grapes, plums. Think they are worst ones for me :(

Oh I don't like blueberries, just thought I'd add this in. Anyone else think they are nasty? I think they are mega nasty... Like tasting, Ya know.. The texture.. Bleughhh!
Click to expand...
I don't like blueberries either. Was so disappointed when I first tasted them as had so many people tell me how nice they are.
 
Mrsass said:
Oh I had the opposite, 'make sure you eat lots of fruit'... Hmm I'd love to! - I also do not find it ok for people to tell me what I can and cannot eat. Grr!

Fruit I spike with badly is dried apricots, which I LOVE and could eat a whole bag of *cry*, mango, grapes, plums. Think they are worst ones for me :(

Oh I don't like blueberries, just thought I'd add this in. Anyone else think they are nasty? I think they are mega nasty... Like tasting, Ya know.. The texture.. Bleughhh!
Click to expand...

I find the frozen ones are much nicer than fresh. They can be eaten frozen, well at least I can, and make a good substitute for an iced lolly.
 
I do like blueberries but have actually found that some are not at all pleasant to eat and would certainly put me off if they were the first ones I tasted - I think mainly if they are a bit stale having been picked and stored for a while.

I knew they are supposed to be good for us as so-called "super fruits", but now there's also research indicating that blueberry herbal tea may be beneficial for type 2 diabetics.

Robbity
 
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