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Question. Fruit?

4K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  alamogirl 
#1 ·
I eat fruit, mainly citrus, apples, berrys (Blue/Raspberry/Black) and occasionally bananas. Online research I find generally says the fruits I usually consume is OK for diabetics. (The only one I have that fell on the negative side was dates.) e.g https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/311220

I don't take my fruit as juices, I eat the whole fruit, and my intake might be an orange and apple a day as a dessert. Still, I'm worried, they all have sugar. What is the experience of T2 sufferers with fruit?
 
#2 · (Edited)
Well, on this particular site, many people are managing their blood glucose by severely limiting carbs so they need minimal amounts or no meds or insulin. So an orange or an apple a day would throw their eating plan significantly out of whack.

Berries have low levels of net carbohydrates, so some of us can eat some berries without seeing our blood glucose levels spike very high. I've found I can eat a little melon, too, with the same "non-effect". But an entire orange? If I ate one, I'd see the effect later.

For a diabetic, fruit really isn't different from bread or peas or white sugar. The fiber in whole fruits may slow down some of the glycemic response, but otherwise fruit is handled like any other carb-heavy food. If you're using medication or insulin to manage your blood glucose levels, you might see less of a response. But you certainly will see a glycemic response.

The standard-of-care diet okays fruit for diabetics out of the belief that the body needs lots of carbs to function and out of the belief (I believe) that diabetics are unwilling or unable to change what they eat. The standard of care then responds to that influx of carbs with medication. So, yes, fruits are okay for diabetics. But they're not a required part of anyone's diet.
 
#3 ·
As with any food - the bottom line is how it affects YOUR blood sugar. If you test before you eat it (baseline) and 1 hr after consuming the fruit (to catch the spike), you'll know whether or not your body can handle it.

I can eat a few slices from a Granny Smith's apple, two or three segments from a small tangerine, or a couple bites of melon. They make nice occasional treats.
 
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