What kind of fruits can I eat with diabetes? This question is very important for every person suffering from this disease. With any type of diabetes mellitus, special attention should be paid to your diet, preferring diet foods.
Fruits and vegetables in this case play a leading role, since they contain the necessary amount of carbohydrates. This helps diabetics to restore metabolic processes in the body, the violation of which is a characteristic symptom for this disease. It should not be overlooked that with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus, it is not recommended to use foods that contain carbohydrates, according to many experts.
The effect of type of diabetes on diet
What kind of fruits for diabetes can type 1 and type 2 diabetics have ? In small quantities, it is permissible to include in your diet fruits containing digestible carbohydrates. In this case, glucose level and the corresponding amount of insulin should be monitored.
What fruits and vegetables can I eat with type 2 diabetes? The presence of obesity in this case completely excludes the possibility of consuming foods containing digestible carbohydrates. If a complete rejection of fruits and vegetables is not possible, then you should try to reduce their number to a minimum. Thanks to the diet, with this type of diabetes, it is possible to keep the blood glucose level normal.
What is the importance of glucose?
The essence of a disease such as diabetes is the insufficient secretion of the hormone insulin by the pancreas. It is this hormone that is responsible for the regulation of blood sugar (glucose). Excess sugar in these pathological changes turn into glycogen.
If the amount of insulin is not enough, then the excess sugar coming from outside is not processed. The blood glucose content increases above 10 mmol / l, and its excretion processes occur in the urine. A similar process leads to the fact that the cells of the body begin to suffer from an acute shortage of energy, because it is glucose that is its main source. This carbohydrate can get into the cell only when exposed to insulin.
That is why with diabetes it is important to monitor your diet so as not to harm yourself by eating a particular product. The uncontrolled course of the disease and the use of unwanted food can lead to the appearance of acetone in the urine. Ketone bodies are known to cause ketoacidosis, a condition leading to coma or even death.
Important dietary guidelines
The first rule. You should not ask the question: “What fruits can I eat with diabetes?” - since there are no strict restrictions here. Carbohydrates must necessarily come into the body of a sick person, the whole thing is in their quantity. It is also important to ensure the gradual flow of these substances into the body, because any failure, which implies both a decrease and an increase in their number, can provoke jumps in blood glucose. Such negligence can lead to serious complications.
The second rule. What fruits for diabetes are forbidden or useful, you can find out by reading the list presented by diet No. 9. You should not be guided by general norms, because the nutritional features for each diabetic are strictly individual. The following criteria should be taken into account:
- age, weight and gender of the patient;
- type of diabetes;
- level of physical activity.
A doctor must individually make up a menu for each patient, taking into account the results of the tests and the condition of the patient.
Allowed Products
As mentioned above, it is allowed to eat all fruits with diabetes. What fruits can be eaten in each individual case should be checked with your doctor. This will help prevent the development of possible complications. Potato is a prohibited vegetable for diabetics, because it contains a large amount of starch. The carbohydrate level in this vegetable exceeds 20%, useful fiber contains not more than 1%. That is why it is believed that the glycemic coefficient is high in potatoes. You can use this vegetable in small quantities in boiled form, it is not recommended to include fried and crushed potatoes in your diet.
Among vegetables with a high content of carbohydrates, carrots and beets can also be noted. You should not eat vegetables in pickled or salted form. Among the vegetables acceptable for diabetics are the following:
- cabbage and cucumbers;
- zucchini and eggplant;
- pumpkin and tomatoes.
These vegetables contain a low amount of carbohydrates, so their use does not do any harm with diabetes, but only benefit.
Prohibited Products
What fruits can be eaten with diabetes, if almost all contain easily digestible carbohydrates? You can eat all the fruits in small quantities. The main thing is not to eat a lot at once, but to try to use equal doses throughout the day.
Fruits such as bananas, dates and grapes contain a lot of carbohydrates, so you should be especially careful with them. In the presence of advanced stages of diabetes mellitus or during periods of deterioration, it is recommended to completely exclude these fruits from your menu.
Why can you close your eyes to restrictions?
Fruits with diabetes can be eaten even those that are not recommended by doctors. This is due to the fact that this product contains a large number of macro- and micronutrients, fiber and vitamins, which help slow down the absorption of sugar in the body. That is why with diabetes, fruits are a necessary unit of therapeutic nutrition.
In order to slow down the process of sugar digestibility as much as possible, you should combine fruits with vegetable fats, which is considered an indispensable option for diabetic nutrition. Fruits, which contain a large amount of fructose, are very useful for diabetics, because this element does not require insulin expenditure for assimilation. Fructose practically does not increase the level of glucose in the blood, despite the fact that it tastes almost 2 times sweeter than sugar.
The significance of fructose
Fructose is used as a substitute for sugar, it is palpable in acidic and cold dishes, but is lost in hot ones. Due to this product, it is possible to significantly reduce the calorie content of dishes due to the “great sweetness” with the same energy value.
Naturally, a high content of fructose is found in the following fruits:
- apricots and apples;
- pears, cherries;
- mango and guava.
Despite all the advantages of fructose, many experts argue that its absorption in the intestine increases significantly when combined with other sugar or starch. Therefore, it is recommended that foods rich in fructose be included in the diet separately from foods containing sugar and starch.
Differences factors
It is difficult to unequivocally answer the question of what fruits can be eaten with diabetes. If you look at this issue from the point of view of the influence of food on the level of glucose in the blood, then all fruits and vegetables are different. It depends on the following factors:
- Fiber content - the more fiber is contained in the product, the more slowly sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream. In other words, fruits that are high in fiber are much less likely to increase sugar.
- Type of sugar - many fruits do not contain glucose and sucrose, but fructose, which does not increase sugar levels.
Fruits for diabetes - their benefits and permitted types
The leading fruit in terms of fiber is mango, which can be included in the diet for diabetes at any level. In papaya, on the contrary, there is practically no complex carbohydrate, so you can eat it only in small quantities.
The previously mentioned mango contains not only fiber that is beneficial for diabetics, but also fructose. This monosaccharide is completely safe for people who are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. The largest amounts of sucrose and glucose are found in pineapples.
Based on such knowledge, you can not ask questions: “What can I eat with diabetes?”, “Diabetes mellitus - what can I eat?” - and boldly include mango, grapefruit, kiwi, oranges in your diet in unlimited quantities. In small portions, you can eat bananas, grapes, watermelon and even pineapple several times a week.
What should I look for?
Eating fruits and vegetables for diabetes, you should control the amount of food eaten. This is important because to include fruits in the diet is a necessity that you cannot do without. But we should not forget about the norms, so as not to harm ourselves. So, one mug of diced pineapple or watermelon, an average orange, half a banana and 12 grapes contain an equal amount of calories and are similar portions.
If, however, you can not resist your favorite fruits containing a small amount of fiber, then you can combine them with foods rich in this complex carbohydrate. You can make a variety of fruit salads or consume fruits together with vegetables and legumes, which can significantly slow down the absorption of sugar in the blood.
How to eat foods?
The average glycemic index is found in those fruits and vegetables that have not undergone additional processing. That is, various smoothies and dried fruits in the diet for diabetes are strictly prohibited.
For the preparation of compotes, mousses and jelly, sour and sweet and sour varieties should be preferred. They can also be eaten baked, but eating raw fruits and vegetables is much safer. In order to prevent a sudden jump in blood glucose, it is recommended to eat a portion of fruit several times.