Fruit and diabetes: is there any fruit recommended?

Fruit is an integral part of a healthy, balanced diet [1,2,3]. If you are living with diabetes, you can eat any kind of fruit. However, it may be useful to take into account their carbohydrate content and their effect on blood glucose levels [2,4,5].

Fruit: is it good or bad?

Low in calories and rich in vitamins (A, C, K), fibre, minerals (magnesium, potassium), and antioxidants (polyphenols and carotenoids), fruit contains numerous nutrients that have a beneficial effect on health [1,3].

According to several clinical studies, a plant-based diet helps to prevent heart disease and obesity, and to reduce risks of high blood pressure and bad cholesterol [3].

For people living with diabetes, eating fresh fruit with a low glycaemic index (GI) helps to optimise blood glucose management, increases insulin sensitivity and reduces the risk of medical complications [2,3,6].

Which fruit should I eat and in what quantities?

The composition of your meals, and specifically the amount of fruit your doctor advises you to eat every day, will vary depending on your type of diabetes and your medical profile [2]. However, most public health guidelines recommend two portions of fruit per day [7].

What is considered to be a portion of fruit?

For the Food Standards Agency (FSA), a portion of fruit weighs 80 grams. This is equivalent to a handful of grapes, cherries or red berries, an apple, a banana, a pear, an orange or any other similar-sized fruit. A 150ml glass of fruit juice counts as one portion, but it is recommended that you drink only one glass a day [1].

When choosing a particular fruit, it is a good idea to consider its glycaemic index (GI), a value that reflects a food's ability to raise blood sugar levels [2,4]. Studies have shown that low GI fruit can help to manage diabetes by not unduly raising blood sugar levels after a meal [2,3,5].

If you have type 1 diabetes, or type 2 diabetes treated with insulin, it is advisable to adjust your insulin doses according to the quantity and type of sugars contained in the fruit you choose for your meals [2].

Fruit Juice

Compared to whole fruit (either fresh, frozen or dried), fruit juice is generally higher in sugar and lower in fibre and can raise blood glucose levels quickly [1,3,5]. Also, if you are trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, remember that whole fruit is more filling than its juice [1,6].

What are the fruits with a low GI?

The fruits with the lowest GIs are:

• apples;
• pears;
• oranges;
• peaches;
• apricots;
• plums;
• cherries;
• red berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries) [2,4,8].

Clinical studies suggest that dried fruits such as dates, figs, prunes and raisins, although they have a higher sugar concentration, have a high fibre content and low to moderate GI that may limit its effect on blood sugar [3,9].

What are the fruits with a high GI?

While most fruits have a low GI (55 or less) [8], there are some fruits with a high GI that are more likely to raise your blood sugar level. For example, the so-called tropical fruits:

• pineapple;
• mango;
• papaya;
• kiwi fruit;
• watermelon;
• banana [2,4].

Not only incredibly beneficial to your health, as a dessert, snack, salad or mixed with dairy products or cereals, fruit is also a delicious addition to every meal.