Is it OK to eat fruit?

It is important to remember that we are all unique, and our bodies react to foods (carbs/sugars) differently.

But my experience is that only low sugar/fructose fruit like berries, avocado, pears are ok. Everything else spikes my blood glucose. Of course, bread, rice, pasta, cereals and some potato forms are just as bad or worse. All tested by my meter. And I was shocked the first time I saw how high my blood glucose rose after a slice of bread, or half a mango!

I appreciate that your doctor is a friend and a professional, but you are gambling your health and continued ownership of your feet on this.

It is a small price to pay to buy a meter and some test strips and check how your body reacts to particular foods.

It's an even smaller price to pay to educate yourself on what your blood glucose levels should be.
http://www.bloodsugar101.com

My doctor and practice nurse are probably great people. But if they don't know the latest, best and most useful information, then it is up to me to fill that gap.

So when you get your results let us know if you want help with them and how to proceed from there. I tend to agree with Andy that your doctor is a moron, probably a nice chap, but a moron all the same. I don't mean to be inflammatory, I just feel strongly that only diabetics really know about diabetes. I wish you all the best.

I have a feeling that zand, like myself, lost our belief in the infallibility of doctors, university professors and so-called experts when they gave us stupid, inappropriate and downright incorrect advice, one time too many.

And if you say you are unable to judge if your doctor is any good, then why are you trusting him with your health, and ultimately your life?

No, of course I am not fully medically trained. That's why I am teachable and willing to learn and not set in my ways. My only motivation in posting on this thread was an honest one to help you. You seem happy with most of your doctor's advice so stick with that, just eat less fruit if you think that's the problem. I do think it's strange that you have been diabetic for 10 years and haven't bothered asking for copies of your test results, so you don't really know how well you have been doing. Still, it's been interesting, but I'm leaving now.

There's absolutely no need to take umbrage at advice that's freely given. If you didn't want opinions from the members here then why did you join and post? The advice you've been offered works for most members here who want to control their blood glucose levels and ensure, as best they can, that they keep their feet and eyes for many years to come.

The assumption that there's no point in testing because you don't eat sugar and therefore cannot do anything if the results are high is completely false. Most of the foods that affect your levels will contain high amounts of carbohydrates and you are surely eating those. And those carbohydrates will be converted to glucose in your blood stream.

In the UK these days, there are educational courses offered to most if not all newly diagnosed diabetics and part of those courses explains where all the glucose that ends up in the blood stream comes from. And very little of it comes from the white or brown crystals that you might add to your latte.

As with everyone, it's your choice whether to take heed of the advice offered but I hope that you find time to think about whether you like your feet and eyes enough to take action before it's too late.

The only way you will establish whether you can eat fruit is to use your blood glucose monitor. It's your disease, take responsibility for it.

There are different tests for blood glucose:

Oral glucose tolerance test - fast since the night before, drink sugary drink, get tested before and 2 hours after. This test assesses how your body reacts to eating a lot of sugar in a short time. In the uk a reading over 11 at 2 hours results in a diagnosis of diabetes.

Fasting glucose test - fast since the night before. A result of over 7 = diabetes

HbA1c test - no fast required. This tests your average blood glucose over the last 2-3 months. A result of over 6.5% or, er... 48 (they just changed the units they measure it in) is a diagnosis of diabetes.

For all these tests, the higher the result, the higher the chance that you will develop awful, painful, life threatening complications.

The info I just gave on the tests is very simplified.

If your doctor is not going through these results with you, explaining them, advising you on the implications, discussing the pros and cons of different medications, explaining what raised blood glucose does to your body, and proactively helping you to avoid the risk of stroke, heart disease, kidney disease, amputation and blindness, then please educate yourself.

Oh, and then of course there is the portable personal glucose monitor that you use at home, or out and about. It requires wee testing strips, runs on a battery, and gives an instant reading. It means that you can (for example) test before you eat fruit, then again 1 or 2 hours later, and see if that food takes your blood glucose too high.

I bought mine from Amazon.co.uk, up and running, with 50 strips for about £20. Peace of mind is priceless.

Like the last post I think you're possibly confused about what tests people mean? The ones the doctor normally does, out of your vein, is HBA1C, 3 month average. That's why stopping fruit won't have any impact on the result.
The tests people are recommending to check how fruits affect you are the tests from your fingers on the little test machines. They are a 'now' reading. X

Roast beef - you seem unable to take responsibility for your diet, relating to fruit. You clearly have a niggling doubt in your mind (else why join a forum to ask the question), but you appear unwilling to listen to the responses you have been given. In particular, you appear completely unwilling to do the simple thing that would prove to you,whether you can safely eat fruit or not. Whether "diabetics" can eat fruit or not is a bit like asking if left handed people write more neatly than right handed people. Some will, some won't.

The opinions you have been given are given by those living with this condition, on a day by day basis, not by an academic who,has read lots of books about lots of stuff. Of course it is disappointing when ones absolute faith in someone is shaken, but that can happen in all relationships; personal or professional.

Your answer to your question is to go to the pharmacy, buy a blood glucose monitor and some strips, and test for yourself, before and after you eat fruit. You could be surprised, or horrified by the results. But only then will you know what works for you.

If you do this, and find you can eat fruit without unnaturally elevated blood scores, then you can come back and metaphorically run around the room in triumph, proving some posters wrong, relating to you. Or, conversely, you might find that fruit isn't helping your blood sugar control.

The choice is yours. The price is not steep.

A few months ago, I bought test strips in a French territory at around €40 for 100, and the matching monitor was on the shelf for around €25. So, you can prove or disprove the theory 50 times for around €60, or even prove other foods while you're at it. There are probably cheaper options available to you, but just quoting my recent, factual experience.

There are none so blind as those who will not see.

New to this site,I am a recently diagnosed Type2 diabetic prescribed 3x 500mg metformin daily, very confused with what I have read concerning eating of fruit.
i have eaten on average at least 5 portions of fruit every day for years.Today for example I ate 2 bananas, and 3 small clementines.
Have never been told that eating of fruit is not recommended .I attended a full day Desmond course and the 5 a day message was a major part of the diet side of how to manage the condition.
I am due a blood test within the next few weeks and am now concerned that my glucose levels will be elevated and I will be prescribed other medication which could impact upon my vocational licence.

Yorksman said:

Your doctor is correct to say that fructose is not an insulin secretagogue, ie eating it doesn't cause insulin to be released. But, it's not the full story. Glycolysis, the way Glucose is metabolised is different from Fructolysis, ie the way Fructose is metabolised. Glucose is metabolised widely in the body. Fructose is metabolised almost exclusively in the liver, to replenish liver glycogen and triglyceride synthesis.

This ultimately affects blood sugars though and refined fructose can lead to hypertriglyceridemia. Usually, as diabetics, we are trying to get liver triglycerides down and not wanting to elevate them. Refined fructose sources such as corn syrup should be avoided.

Click to expand...

Based upon my understanding, what Yorksman says about fructose is essentially correct. You can think about bears and what they eat - berries fruit - to add fat around the liver and pancreas prior to hibernating.

There have been studies of orangoutangs or such that gorge themselves on fruits prior to the monsoon season. The studies have shown that they out in loads of subterranean fat and is the only way they can survive the upcoming famine during the monsoon season.

I know we are neither bears or monkeys - or so we hope - but it does give you a good idea of just how fructose acts upon mammals.

As for fruited, for me a few berries work along with cucumbers, avacados, eggplants, and a little Tomatoes. As for vitamins C, you will be surprised at how much you get eating assorted leafy stalky veggies



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