If I have diabetes, can I eat fruit?

According to reference entities, persons with diabetes should follow a diet rich in little processed vegetable foods, legumes, whole grains and fresh fruit

In today's article we will discuss if a person with diabetes can eat fruit


The ignorance and the lack of good information about food and diets seem to become more acute when it comes to give nutritional advice on specific pathologies. It is the case of the advice they receive, occasionally, patients with any type of diabetes. So it is not strange that a woman with gestational diabetes will listen that it should eliminate complex carbohydrates, when serious revisions do not justify it. And it is not strange that the population believes that people with diabetes can not take fruits, some very healthy foods with strong evidence that credited his role to prevent chronic diseases. This article explains what are the different types of diabetes and what should be the role of the fresh fruit and juices in the diet of those who have this disease.

Different types of diabetes

In diabetes there are problems for our body take advantage of carbohydrate content in foods. If these problems occur in childhood, classically it is called type 1 diabetes, which represents 1 in 20 cases of diabetes, and that requires the use of insulin to maintain stable glucose levels in blood (glycemia). Type 2 diabetes, however, tends to occur in adulthood, not always precise drugs to regulate blood glucose and also very preventable: data published in the edition of February 2006 of the journal Public Health Nutrition , suggest that up to 90% of type 2 diabetes cases could be prevented thanks to a good lifestyle. Also is very preventable diabetes suffering from some pregnant women, called 'gestational diabetes', as it revealed an investigation appeared in September of 2014 in British Medical Journal .

Fruit in patients with diabetes

Because the fruit has carbohydrates (about 15 grams per serving), there are those who consider that people with diabetes should avoid consuming it. However, both experts in diabetes and reputed medical institutions do not hesitate to propose the habitual consumption of fresh fruit in any patient with this disease. While it is necessary that these patients are aware of the approximate percentage of carbohydrates in these foods (especially if control your blood sugar with insulin), that does not mean that the fruit is not recommended for them. In fact, just the opposite happens: the risk of cardiovascular diseases is higher in individuals with diabetes, fruit intake is highly recommended. You can have beneficial effects on cholesterol levels and other factors of cardiovascular risk, such as blood pressure.

By way of example, a follow-up of 10.449 Europeans with diabetes for nine years, published in the journal of Nutrition in April 2008, it was found that a higher intake of vegetables, legumes and fruit is associated with a reduction in the risk of mortality from any cause. No wonder, therefore, that the Ministry of health Spanish proposes a menu in which we find three pieces of fresh fruit to patients with type 1 diabetes, as we can see in its document 'guide clinical practice on Diabetes Mellitus type 1' (2012). A Council that can be applied to type 2 diabetes.

In fact, as detailed in 2013 the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in the journal Diabetes Care, one of the key components in the management of this disease is a healthy diet, understood as one in which there are many little processed foods of plant origin (is the case of fresh fruit). The ADA also points out that "should be advised [to people with diabetes] that ingest carbohydrates from vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes and dairy products, rather than consume them from other sources, especially those to which added fat, sugar or salt", given that it will "improve overall nutrient intake".

Also insists that "areno reason to recommend people with diabetes should avoid fructose which exists naturally in fruits?. It says the Ministry of health Spanish, pointing to fruits and vegetables "are healthy foods that provide small amounts of fructose in a normal diet", so it is not advisable to decrease your intake, as we read in the document before cited, and available in this link.

As you can see, the Council based feed on little processed vegetable foods is valid in people with diabetes. Occasionally, compares the effect produced on blood glucose sugars present in the fresh fruit with the effect exerted by the table sugar. The truth is that, for AAD, fruit sugar (fructose free) can generate better blood glucose control compared with that seen by taking the same amount of calories from other sugars.

An insufficient intake of fruit

Unfortunately, studies show that people with diabetes do not cover fruit intake recommendations. Consumption of these healthy foods is not very different from that observed in the rest of the population. Sometimes, it is even less. According to the survey ENIDE, the Spaniards took less than 3% of the calories from fresh fruit, a very improved figure. In view of this situation, no wonder that they will find accredited voices that emphasize the importance of advising people with diabetes to increase their consumption of fresh fruit, as well as other healthy foods, such as vegetables, legumes, nuts, or little processed grains. Diabetes reference entities emphasize the importance that all individuals with diabetes consume a diet rich in plant foods shortly processed, without excluding at all the fresh fruit.

That is why, among other reasons, it is important to nutritional advice in these patients, who must have the support of nutritionists-dietitians and rely on a healthy and individualized meal plan. This will allow to control blood glucose, blood pressure, blood lipids, body weight and other possible complications. The dietary pattern will integrate the lifestyle, culture and beliefs of the patient.

Sugary drinks, fruit juice and diabetes

As it has detailed, the consumption of fruit in people with diabetes is not discouraged, but it is promoted. There is no doubt, however, in strongly discourage the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in patients with diabetes. The ADA, for example, to avoid "them".

As for fruit juices, although he is not recommended to avoid them, it is necessary to know its effect on diabetes control, once established, is not the same as that exercised by the consumption of fresh fruit. As detailed in this article is not suitable to take fruit juices, often even if they are homemade, since it may take different risks to health in the long run, especially in children. This Council is most important for people with diabetes, since fruit juice can have negative effects on blood glucose control. Fruit juices, even if they are homemade, they are not a healthy alternative to fresh fruit.

Here ends this article on eating fruit with diabetes. Please continue browsing our site to find more tips to improve your life, and share itwith your friends if you find any useful

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