While no fruit is strictly "forbidden," diabetics should limit or avoid fruits high in sugar and low in fiber, like watermelon, pineapple, mangoes, dates, and very ripe bananas, and be cautious with concentrated forms such as dried fruits, fruit juices, and canned fruit in syrup, as these cause quicker blood sugar spikes; focus instead on whole fruits in moderation, managing portion sizes for carbohydrate intake.
7 Fruits to Avoid or Limit if You Have Diabetes
Common fruits
Fruits to avoid with diabetes
While you don't need to avoid these high glycemic fruits, you should limit or eat them in moderation: Bananas. Mangoes. Pineapple.
Eating apple does not significantly affect blood glucose level. Apples contain sugar, but most of the sugar in apples is fructose. Fructose, which is found in fruits, has a very small effect on blood glucose. Additionally, apples contain fiber - which slows down the digestion and absorption of sugar.
Recommended foods
High-impact fruits that spike blood sugar
Watermelon tops the list with a glycaemic index (GI) of 76, making it one of the quickest sugar-releasing fruits. Dried fruits, like dates and raisins, can be tricky. The drying process concentrates their sugar content, significantly increasing their impact on blood sugar.
Examples of the worst foods for diabetics include:
And while eating any fruit is better than eating no fruit at all, Dr Mosley stresses that if you have weight to lose, you should avoid sweet tropical fruits such as mango, pineapple and melon.
In recent years, cranberries have gained much attention as a rich source of polyphenolic flavonoids and other bioactive constituents in improving the features of metabolic syndrome, diabetes and CVD.
Grapes and melons are super high in fructose and natural sugar content- so you shouldn't eat a lot of them. You should however eat them with other slow-digesting, protein rich foods so that there is no annoying glucose spike to deal with.
Diabetics can eat ice cream as long as their blood sugar stays stable. The key to eating ice cream with diabetes is to consume it in moderation and be mindful of its sugar content.
Delicious grab-and-go snacks
Vegetables – Potatoes and corn are not recommended as they count as carbs. Iceberg lettuce is not as great either, because it's low in nutrients. If you've been advised low sodium, avoid canned vegetables, pickles. Veggies cooked with lots of added butter, cheese, or sauce could also be unhealthy choices.
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Some fruits that do not cause a spike in blood sugar include apples, cherries, oranges, pears, and strawberries.
Separate acid from sweet...
Not all fruits play well together. Acid fruits like grapefruit and other citrus, pineapples, pomegranates, sour apples and plums, strawberries and tomatoes don't pair well with sweet fruits like grapes, bananas, persimmon, figs, prunes, and dates.
6 foods to avoid if you have diabetes
If your blood sugar is low, follow the 15-15 rule: Have 15 grams of carbs, then wait 15 minutes. Check your blood sugar again. If it's still less than 70 mg/dL, repeat this process.
Potatoes that are boiled, baked, or mashed can be a part of a diabetic-friendly diet. Research shows that eating French fries often raises type 2 diabetes risk—but other forms of potatoes don't. Baking, boiling, or mashing potatoes avoids the adverse health effects of deep frying.
Low-glycemic fruits have less of an effect on blood-sugar levels. Examples include berries, some citrus fruits like grapefruits, and apples. It's best to pair fruit with protein to prevent blood-sugar spikes.
Try to eat less of these: refined, highly processed carbohydrate foods and those with added sugar. These include sugary drinks like soda, sweet tea and juice, refined grains like white bread, white rice and sugary cereal, and sweets and snack foods like cake, cookies, candy and chips.
In addition to apples and pears, mangos, pineapples, bananas, grapes, and cherries are all fruits that are especially high in fructose sugar. The dose makes the poison, so while a little bit won't hurt as part of a healthy low-sugar diet, it can be easy to overindulge.