Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPros and ConsCheck the Glycemic IndexOpt for the Whole FruitPortion ControlPair Fruit With ProteinFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Pros and Cons
Check the Glycemic Index
Opt for the Whole Fruit
Portion Control
Pair Fruit With Protein
Frequently Asked Questions
At some point, you may have heard that you cannot eat fruit if you havediabetes. Or. maybe someone said you can eat fruit, just not extra-sweet ones likegrapesorwatermelon.
Neither of these statements is entirely true. You can enjoy fruit if you have diabetes, but you simply need to make strategic decisions about which fruits to eat and how much.
This article explains the ways that fruit can impact diabetes, both positively and negatively, as well as which fruits to favor or limit—and why.
Helen Yin / Stocksy United
Pros and Cons of Eating Fruit if You Have Diabetes
Fruits have many health benefits, some of which are helpful to people living with diabetes. But, there are also potential risks to eating fruit, particularly in your blood sugar is not controlled.
Pros
Among the benefits of adding fruit to a diabetes-friendly diet are:
When choosing fruit, you’ll want to think about portion size, convenience, cost, and flavor. But it is also important to consider the health benefits as well.
Which Fruits Are Best for Weight Loss?
Cons
On the flip side, there are potential risks to eating fruit if you have diabetes. In most cases, the benefits will outweigh the risks as long as you maintain portion control and avoid overconsumption.
Even so, be aware of the following “cons” if you have diabetes:
For these reasons, people with diabetes need tomonitor how many carbs they eatand advise their healthcare provider about any drugs they take to avoid interactions.
1:49Click Play to Learn About Low Glycemic Fruit
1:49
Click Play to Learn About Low Glycemic Fruit
Choose Fruit With a Lower Glycemic Index
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends that you choose fruits that have a lowglycemic index (GI). The glycemic index is used as a reference to measure how much a carbohydrate-containing food raises your blood glucose. A high GI food will raise blood glucose more than a medium or low GI food.
Here is how certain fruits compare on the glycemic index:
Most fruits have a low to moderate GI, except pineapple and watermelon.That doesn’t mean you can never eat pineapple or watermelon unless it causes a blood sugar spike.
It is also important to note that fructose levels tend to increase the more that fruit ripens, amplifying its impact on your blood sugar.
Even so, some nutritious foods have a higher GI than foods with little nutritional value. As such, don’t use a food’s GI as the sole determining factor as to which you should eat. A healthy diet should always be balanced to meet your daily nutritional needs.
A Guide to Carb Counting With Diabetes
If you have diabetes and enjoy fruit, it is always best to opt for whole fruit rather than dried fruits or juices. This includes fresh, frozen, or canned whole fruit (as long as no sugars are added).
Dried fruits may be a problem because they are higher in carbohydrates per serving than natural whole fruit. They may also contain added sugar (particularly with products like dried cranberries or banana chips), Dried fruits can also be lower in fiber if the skin has been removed before dehydration.
Fruit juices pose similar riskseven when there is no added sugar. That’s because the flesh of the fruit, which contains fiber, is discarded during the juicing process. Moreover, with juices, you may be drinking more fruit than you would eat. Pasteurized juice or juices made from concentrates often have very high fructose levels.
Here are two examples of what one portion of dried fruit or juice can contribute to your blood sugar:
What to Drink When You Have Diabetes
Keep Portions in Check
The ADA recommends that about 45% of your daily calorie intake come from carbohydrates.If you are following a consistent carbohydrate meal plan, you need to factor in fruit as a carbohydrate choice.
Try to stick with one fruit serving per meal or snack. Limit your fruit servings to no more than about two to three per day.
Keep in mind that one fruit serving is about 15 grams of carbohydrates. How much of each fruit you can eat within that one-serving limit will depend on the type of fruit.
Here is a list of what is considered one serving of common whole fruits:
Are Many Carbs Should I Eat for Diabetes?
Here are some examples
Foods That Won’t Spike Your Blood Sugar Levels
Summary
If you have diabetes, eating fruit can sometimes be of concern. That’s because the carbohydrates in fruit can cause blood sugar to rise.
Even so, fruit is an important part of a healthy diet when you have diabetes, providing fiber that can limit blood sugar spikes. It can also help lower cholesterol, which is especially important given that diabetes can put you at an increased risk for heart disease.
If you have diabetes, focus on eating whole fruit rather than dried fruit or juices. You should also favor fruits that are low on the GI index, keeping an eye on portion sizes and the carb count.
9 Foods to Avoid if You Have Diabetes
Frequently Asked QuestionsSome of the lowest glycemic index fruits include cherries, grapefruit, pears, apples, apricots, tangerines, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, and plums.Some of the highest glycemic index fruits include watermelon, pineapple, and overly ripe bananas (under-ripened bananas fall into a moderate glycemic index).There are a variety of management andtreatment options for diabetes, including keeping blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels in a healthy range. Regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, quitting smoking, and keeping up with regular doctor visits are also important ways to manage diabetes.
Some of the lowest glycemic index fruits include cherries, grapefruit, pears, apples, apricots, tangerines, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, and plums.
Some of the highest glycemic index fruits include watermelon, pineapple, and overly ripe bananas (under-ripened bananas fall into a moderate glycemic index).
There are a variety of management andtreatment options for diabetes, including keeping blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels in a healthy range. Regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, quitting smoking, and keeping up with regular doctor visits are also important ways to manage diabetes.
18 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Post RE, Mainous AG, King DE, Simpson KT.Dietary fiber for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis.J Am Board Fam Med. Jan-Feb 2012;25(1):16-23. doi:10.3122/jabfm.2012.01.110148Weaver CM.Potassium and health.Adv Nutr. 2013;4(3):368S-377S. doi:10.3945/an.112.003533NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.Vitamin C.Wallace TC.Anthocyanins in cardiovascular disease.Adv Nutr. 2011;2(1):1‐7. doi:10.3945/an.110.000042Slavin JL, Lloyd B.Health benefits of fruits and vegetables.Adv Nutr.2012 Jul;3(4):506–16. doi:10.3945/an.112.002154Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes and carbs.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes and kidney disease: What to eat.Bailey D, Dresser G, Arnold J.Grapefruit-medication interactions: Forbidden fruit or avoidable consequences?Can Med Assoc J. 2012;185(4):309-16. doi:10.1503/cmaj.12095MedlinePlus.Glycemic index and diabetes.American Diabetes Association.Fruit.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Raisins.U.S. Department of Agriculture.100% fruit juice.Evert A, Dennison M, Gardener CD, et al.Nutrition therapy for adults with diabetes or prediabetes: A consensus report.Diabetes Care.May 2019;42(5):731-54; doi:10.2337/dci19-0014John Hopkins Medicine.How to fit fruit in your meal plan.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Carb counts.Weill Cornell Medicine.Food order has significant impact on glucose and insulin levels.Glycemic Index Guide.Glycemic index and glycemic load of fruits complete chart.Cleveland Clinic.Diabetes: An overview.
18 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Post RE, Mainous AG, King DE, Simpson KT.Dietary fiber for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis.J Am Board Fam Med. Jan-Feb 2012;25(1):16-23. doi:10.3122/jabfm.2012.01.110148Weaver CM.Potassium and health.Adv Nutr. 2013;4(3):368S-377S. doi:10.3945/an.112.003533NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.Vitamin C.Wallace TC.Anthocyanins in cardiovascular disease.Adv Nutr. 2011;2(1):1‐7. doi:10.3945/an.110.000042Slavin JL, Lloyd B.Health benefits of fruits and vegetables.Adv Nutr.2012 Jul;3(4):506–16. doi:10.3945/an.112.002154Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes and carbs.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes and kidney disease: What to eat.Bailey D, Dresser G, Arnold J.Grapefruit-medication interactions: Forbidden fruit or avoidable consequences?Can Med Assoc J. 2012;185(4):309-16. doi:10.1503/cmaj.12095MedlinePlus.Glycemic index and diabetes.American Diabetes Association.Fruit.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Raisins.U.S. Department of Agriculture.100% fruit juice.Evert A, Dennison M, Gardener CD, et al.Nutrition therapy for adults with diabetes or prediabetes: A consensus report.Diabetes Care.May 2019;42(5):731-54; doi:10.2337/dci19-0014John Hopkins Medicine.How to fit fruit in your meal plan.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Carb counts.Weill Cornell Medicine.Food order has significant impact on glucose and insulin levels.Glycemic Index Guide.Glycemic index and glycemic load of fruits complete chart.Cleveland Clinic.Diabetes: An overview.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Post RE, Mainous AG, King DE, Simpson KT.Dietary fiber for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis.J Am Board Fam Med. Jan-Feb 2012;25(1):16-23. doi:10.3122/jabfm.2012.01.110148Weaver CM.Potassium and health.Adv Nutr. 2013;4(3):368S-377S. doi:10.3945/an.112.003533NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.Vitamin C.Wallace TC.Anthocyanins in cardiovascular disease.Adv Nutr. 2011;2(1):1‐7. doi:10.3945/an.110.000042Slavin JL, Lloyd B.Health benefits of fruits and vegetables.Adv Nutr.2012 Jul;3(4):506–16. doi:10.3945/an.112.002154Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes and carbs.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes and kidney disease: What to eat.Bailey D, Dresser G, Arnold J.Grapefruit-medication interactions: Forbidden fruit or avoidable consequences?Can Med Assoc J. 2012;185(4):309-16. doi:10.1503/cmaj.12095MedlinePlus.Glycemic index and diabetes.American Diabetes Association.Fruit.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Raisins.U.S. Department of Agriculture.100% fruit juice.Evert A, Dennison M, Gardener CD, et al.Nutrition therapy for adults with diabetes or prediabetes: A consensus report.Diabetes Care.May 2019;42(5):731-54; doi:10.2337/dci19-0014John Hopkins Medicine.How to fit fruit in your meal plan.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Carb counts.Weill Cornell Medicine.Food order has significant impact on glucose and insulin levels.Glycemic Index Guide.Glycemic index and glycemic load of fruits complete chart.Cleveland Clinic.Diabetes: An overview.
Post RE, Mainous AG, King DE, Simpson KT.Dietary fiber for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis.J Am Board Fam Med. Jan-Feb 2012;25(1):16-23. doi:10.3122/jabfm.2012.01.110148
Weaver CM.Potassium and health.Adv Nutr. 2013;4(3):368S-377S. doi:10.3945/an.112.003533
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.Vitamin C.
Wallace TC.Anthocyanins in cardiovascular disease.Adv Nutr. 2011;2(1):1‐7. doi:10.3945/an.110.000042
Slavin JL, Lloyd B.Health benefits of fruits and vegetables.Adv Nutr.2012 Jul;3(4):506–16. doi:10.3945/an.112.002154
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes and carbs.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diabetes and kidney disease: What to eat.
Bailey D, Dresser G, Arnold J.Grapefruit-medication interactions: Forbidden fruit or avoidable consequences?Can Med Assoc J. 2012;185(4):309-16. doi:10.1503/cmaj.12095
MedlinePlus.Glycemic index and diabetes.
American Diabetes Association.Fruit.
U.S. Department of Agriculture.Raisins.
U.S. Department of Agriculture.100% fruit juice.
Evert A, Dennison M, Gardener CD, et al.Nutrition therapy for adults with diabetes or prediabetes: A consensus report.Diabetes Care.May 2019;42(5):731-54; doi:10.2337/dci19-0014
John Hopkins Medicine.How to fit fruit in your meal plan.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Carb counts.
Weill Cornell Medicine.Food order has significant impact on glucose and insulin levels.
Glycemic Index Guide.Glycemic index and glycemic load of fruits complete chart.
Cleveland Clinic.Diabetes: An overview.
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