People who are familiar firsthand with diabetes, in order to prevent the further development of the disease, you need to constantly monitor the sugar content in foods. The same applies to those who are on diets. They are contraindicated even some fresh fruits, which for others can be very useful.
Why is sugar harmful?
Sugar is a fast carbohydrate. The glycemic index of this product is 70 units. That is, when you use sugar in food, the level of glucose in the blood rises very quickly. Fast carbohydrates do not bring any benefits to the body. All people should limit their consumption, and some need to completely eliminate sugar from the diet. A small amount of fast carbohydrates is allowed only to people experiencing intense physical activity, as they contribute to the maximum burning of fatty acids and effective weight loss.
"White death" - that is how doctors and nutritionists call sugar. It leads to the development of obesity, causes a number of diseases. Sugar negatively affects the work of the heart, disrupts blood circulation. Therefore, people who are at risk should eat exclusively unsweetened fruits. What is on their list?
What is unsweetened fruit? G. Shelton List
Particular attention to the division of fruits into sweet and unsweetened paid the founder of the theory of separate nutrition, American G. Shelton. He recommended that everyone start their day with a portion of fresh fruits, and in whole, and not in the form of juices. At one time, it is allowed to eat 2-3 of their species.
In his theory, G. Shelton singled out unsweetened fruits in a separate group. The list of a nutritionist suggests that it includes acidic and semi-acidic fruits. In addition, there is another group consisting of sweet fruits.
Sour fruits include oranges and pineapples, unsweetened apples, peaches, grapefruits, lemon, sour, cranberries. They have a minimum sugar content, which means they are among the most healthy fruits.
The group of half-sour fruits includes fresh figs, sweet cherries and apples, plums, mangoes, pears, sweet peaches, apricots, blueberries. According to the theory of G. Shelton, acidic and semi-acidic fruits are recommended to be combined with each other.
Sweet fruits include bananas, dates, dried figs, raisins, prunes, dried pears, persimmons. The use of such fruits in food should be minimized.
Today, many nutritionists do not agree with G. Shelton and believe that the group that includes unsweetened fruits should be made even smaller. It should include only fruits with the lowest possible sugar levels.
The quantitative content of sugar in fruits: table
Depending on the quantitative sugar content in fruits, their list can be presented in the form of the following table.
Sugar content in fruits| Fruit name | Sugar content in 100 grams, g |
| Avocado | 0.66 |
| Lime | 1,69 |
| Lemon | 2,5 |
Cherry plum | 4,5 |
| Grapefruit | 5.89 |
| Nectarine | 7.89 |
| Papaya | 5.9 |
| Apricot | 9.24 |
| Quince | 8.9 |
| A pineapple | 9.26 |
| Orange | 9.35 |
| Pear | 9.8 |
| Guava | 8.9 |
| Kiwi | 8.99 |
| Clementine | 9.2 |
| Kumquat | 9.36 |
| Mandarin | 10.58 |
| Passion fruit | 11.2 |
| Peach | 8.39 |
| Plum | 9.92 |
| An Apple | 10.39 |
| Bananas | 12.23 |
| Grape | 16.25 |
| Cherry | 11.5 |
| Garnet | 16.57 |
| Figs | 16.0 |
| Persimmon | 16.53 |
| Mango | 14.8 |
All fruits presented in this table can be divided into 4 groups according to the amount of sugar in them.
- Low sugar - up to 3.99 g per 100 grams of fruit. The “record holder" in this group is avocado, an unsweetened fruit that is sometimes classified as a vegetable by taste.
- With a little sugar, from 4 to 7.99 g per 100 grams. In this group, the winner is cherry plum. The average fruit of this fruit contains up to 1 gram of sugar.
- With an average sugar content of 8 to 11.99 per 100 grams. The most useful in this group is peach.
- High in sugar. Eating these fruits should be limited to people with diabetes.
The most healthy unsweetened fruits
All low sugar fruits are already good for the body. But it should be borne in mind that only on condition of their moderate use. What fruits are unsweetened and what are their benefits? For example, lemon is a champion in the content of vitamin C, which is so necessary for the body’s immune system, especially during a period of growing number of viral diseases. But there are contraindications to its use: gastric ulcer, gastritis, hypertension.
No less useful is an avocado. The regular use of these fruits (half a day) improves memory, helps to normalize the intestines, get rid of constipation, and reduces pressure.
Avocado deservedly tops the list of sweet fruits in sugar content. But they should not be abused, since the fruits are very high in calories, due to the greater amount of vegetable fat in them.
Thus, absolutely all unsweetened fruits are useful. They are recommended to be eaten before or after meals, and it is better to use as a snack. A single dose of fruit is 100-150 grams or 2-3 fruits.
List of unsweetened fruits for diabetes
People with diabetes should plan their diet more carefully. They can only eat unsweetened fruits, such as orange, lemon, grapefruit, pomelo, plum, sour cherries, peaches. Berries such as raspberries, strawberries, currants, cranberries, cranberries will be useful for diabetics.
It is strictly forbidden to eat any sweet fruit. These include bananas, melons,
dried fruits, grapes, persimmons, sweet cherries.
What fruits are suitable for a diet?
Dieters should eat less high-calorie, low-sugar foods. Unsweetened fruits such as grapefruit, kiwi, pineapple, apples will be useful for them. They accelerate the metabolism, contribute to the breakdown of body fat and saturate the body with essential vitamins and minerals.