Fruits are a great way to meet your nutritional needs and even satisfy your hunger. However, most fruits contain sugar, which makes them unsuitable for people with diabetes.

Diabetes in Vacaville is a chronic but manageable condition where the body has no total control of its blood sugar levels.

With that in mind, are fruits dangerous for diabetics? Well, you should learn more about this topic in this article.

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Fruits and diabetes in Vacaville

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), fruits are okay to consume for diabetics, so long as that person is not allergic to a certain fruit.

The way a fruit is prepared can affect the blood sugar. Eating fresh or frozen fruits are better than processed ones. Processed fruits include those that are packed in a can or jar, which also includes dried fruit and fruit juices.

Diabetics should avoid processed foods whenever possible since they are absorbed by the body more rapidly and can lead to higher blood sugar levels. Processed fruits are also rid of their key nutrients such as fiber and other vitamins.

Apart from processed fruits, fruit blends like smoothies can also contain added sugar and can cause a spike in the blood sugar level.

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What is the glycemic index?

People with diabetes can consider a fruit as safe and suitable by checking its glycemic index (GI).

GI is a way of rating foods on a scale of 1 to 10 to determine how quickly a food can raise blood sugar levels. High GI foods are rapidly absorbed than those belonging in the low or medium GI.

Glycemic Load (GL) considers the GI of a food along with the number of carbohydrates in a serving. GL is an accurate way of assessing the food's effect on blood sugar management over time. Low-GL and low-GI foods can help in controlling blood sugar levels.

Most people are not aware that there are lots of fruits that belong in the low glycemic index. People digest starchy vegetables faster, which makes them belong in the higher GI range.

When a carbohydrate-rich food is cooked for a long time, it means that its GI value is higher. Fat, fiber content, and cooling carbohydrates after being transformed into resistant starches by cooking can help lower its GI values.

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List of fruits for diabetes

For your reference, check out this list of fruits that are divided by GI index.

Low GI and GL fruits

There are fruits that have a GL under 10 and a GI under 55, which includes the following:

• Strawberries
• Plums
• Pears
• Peaches
• Oranges
• Nectarines
• Grapes
• Kiwi fruit
• Grapefruit
• Cherries
• Berries
• Bananas
• Avocados
• Apples

Medium GI fruits (56 to 69)

A fruit that contains a GI of 56 to 69 is known to be a medium-GI food. The fruits listed below have GL levels under 10.

• Figs
• Pineapples
• Papayas
• Honeydew melon

High GI fruits

Fruits that contain a GI higher than 70 belong in the high-GI and a GL greater than 20 is high-GL. Even though they may be safe to consume even with diabetes, it is still better to eat larger quantities of low-GI fruits instead.

• Watermelon (low GL)
• Dates (high GL)