Small steps can make a big difference in your blood sugar levels. A candy bar with a GI of 55 may have a GL of 22.1, which is high. The glycemic index (GI) measures how a food affects your blood sugar. But they may not always be good for you. But the serving size can be very different depending on the type of fruit. Chan School of Public Health: “Vegetables and Fruits.”, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: “Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke.”Â, Harvard Health Publishing: “Glycemic index for 60+ foods.”, University of California San Francisco Diabetes Center: “Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load.”. © 2005 - 2019 WebMD LLC. How Long Does Coronavirus Live On Surfaces? Fruit has carbohydrates and a form of natural sugar called fructose, which can raise your blood sugar levels. It’s high in carbs: Eight ounces of apple juice has 29 grams of carbs. Research even links drinking lots of fruit juice with a higher risk ofÂ, Spread your fruit out over the day. All rights reserved. Choose fresh or frozen fruit when you can. Sign Up to Receive Our Free Coroanvirus Newsletter, Carbohydrates With Type 2 Diabetes - Diabetes and Fruit, Images of Diabetic Retinopathy and Other Vision Problems. That's important because diabetes is linked to a higher risk of heart disease and other problems. Many have addedÂ, Go easy on the fruit juice. Smart Grocery Shopping When You Have Diabetes, Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dogs and Cats, Coronavirus in Context: Interviews With Experts. Instead of two servings forÂ. Those high on the scale raise it quickly. One serving of fruit has 15 grams of carbs. But it can still be part of your meal plan. If you’re having trouble keeping your blood sugar under control, let your doctor know right away. When you eat dried or processed fruit, check the label. Peaches are one of the most important fruits and should be must in your fruit basket if you are diabetic. Because they have carbohydrates, fruits will raise your blood sugar. Many fruits are high in fiber, too. See how one patient learned to manage her weight and diet. It also makes you feel fuller, which can help you keep a healthy weight. For example, an orange has a GI of 52 but a glycemic load of 4.4, which is low. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. So experts also use glycemic load (GL), a measurement that involves portion size as well as the GI number, to give more details about these effects. The low glycemic content of the peaches can be really effective for the diabetes. Processed fruits like applesauce and canned fruit in syrup or juice often have more carbs and can raise your blood sugar higher than fresh fruits. Foods that are low on the scale raise it slowly. Eating mostly low-GI foods can help you keep control of your blood sugar. A large serving of a low-GI food will usually raise your blood sugar as much as a small amount of a high-GI food. And it doesn’t have fiber to slow digestion and prevent blood sugar spikes like whole fruit does. Choose fresh or frozen fruit when you can. Two tablespoons of raisins have the same amount of carbs as a small apple. So it’s important to count the carbs you eat and balance them with medicine, diet, and lifestyle choices. For example, you get 15 grams of carbs from: Carbs aren’t the only number to keep in mind. Fiber slows digestion, helping to prevent blood sugar spikes. Be sure to keep nutrition in mind when choosing what to eat. A candy bar and a cup of brown rice can have the same GI value. But some are more likely to lower your chances of chronic disease: The fiber in fresh fruit helps keep most of them low on the GI scale (55 or under). These include: American Diabetes Association: “Fruits.”, Mayo Clinic: “Diabetes Diet: Should I Avoid Sweet Fruits?”, Joslin Diabetes Center: “Five Common Food Myths for People with Diabetes Debunks.”, Diabetes Care: “Nutrition Principles and Recommendations in Diabetes.” Â, CDC: “Defining Powerhouse Fruits and Vegetables: A Nutrient Density Approach.”, United States Department of Agriculture: “Why is it important to eat fruit?”, Harvard T.H. Be sure to: All fruits have vitamins, phytochemicals, and other things that make them good for you. It’s full of vitamins, minerals, and powerful plant compounds called phytochemicals. The fruits also contain the amount of fiber that is very much essential for maintaining the glucose level in the body. You might have heard that you can’t eat fruit if you have diabetes. Thanks to phytochemicals, eating fruit may lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, and stroke and boost your overall health. Examples include: A few fruits are on the higher end of the GI scale (70 or higher).