|  | Conditions Treatments | Diabetes

Fruits to Avoid for Diabetics

Diabetes is a fairly common disease that causes your body to not produce or properly use insulin. Since insulin is the hormone required to convert sugar and starches--among other things--into energy, insulin deficiency is a very serious condition. This means, of course, that consumption of sugary foods can be a dangerous affair for diabetics. But wait--even fruit is packed with fructose, a type of sugar. Are there certain fruits, then, that a diabetic person might want to avoid?

  1. The Glycemic Index

    • Physicians use the glycemic index, or GI, to measure how fast your body converts carbohydrate foods--including, of course, fruits--into blood glucose. This measurement is helpful for diabetics, since it can suggest which fruits are best (ranking low on the GI), and which you may want to avoid (ranking high on the GI). Generally speaking, try your best to avoid fruits with a score above 70. You should eat fruits scoring between 55 and 70 only from time to time. Feel free to eat fruits scoring lower than 55.

    Low-Scoring Fruits (Good)

    • Some fruits ranking low on the GI--and hence not a worry at all for diabetics--include plums, pears, oranges, grapefruit, cherries and apples. Diabetics should feel free to eat these fruits without worry. You may also consume other fruits, including bananas, cantaloupe, pineapples, mango and papaya, without worry, but less frequently, since these score above 55 (but below 70).

    High-Scoring Fruits (Avoid)

    • Avoid that most popular fruit-in-a-can option, fruit cocktail, since it scores high on the GI. Dried dates score even higher, so avoid those, too. Any of the fruits previously listed, however--even those with very low GI scores--you should eat in moderation. And avoid very large fruits, like a very big apple or an oversized pear--or at least eat them in portions at separate times.

      The important thing here is to monitor your own blood-sugar level and see how it reacts to various fruit. Everyone's different--only you can say for sure what works for you and what doesn't. The issue really has more to do with serving size than with the type of fruit. A recommended serving is 15 g.

Diabetes - Related Articles