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The Surprising Way Eating Fruit Can Affect Your Blood Sugar

Eating fruits

By Healthy Lifestyle the storyPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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The Surprising Way Eating Fruit Can Affect Your Blood Sugar
Photo by Surendran MP on Unsplash

When you eat fruit, your body digests it as a source of carbohydrates. Because it’s so high in natural sugar, however, your body digests it more quickly than other foods. This causes blood sugar levels to rise rapidly. Eating too much fruit can have similar effects on blood sugar levels as eating too many cookies or candies can -- they may leave you feeling energized and full at first, but can result in an energy crash later if you consume them too frequently. To maintain healthy blood sugar levels and maximize the positive effects that fruit can have on your body, try these tips for fruit intake in your diet.

Learn why fruit affects your blood sugar

When you eat fruit, your body digests it as a source of carbohydrates. Because it’s so high in natural sugar, however, your body digests it more quickly than other foods. This causes blood sugar levels to rise rapidly. There are two factors that affect how much fruit affects your blood sugar: how much fructose is in it and how soon after eating it you consume another food. Fructose absorption increases with an increase in insulin resistance (such as type 2 diabetes).

How does eating fruit affect my blood sugar?

Our bodies process carbohydrates and other sugars differently. The sugar in fruit is natural, so it enters our bloodstream much more quickly than sugar from a cookie or doughnut. This rapid digestion can cause a spike in blood sugar levels and even knock you out of ketosis if you’re trying to follow a low-carb diet. For diabetics, eating too much fruit can be dangerous as it triggers rapid changes in blood sugar that they may not be able to manage safely. So while the fruit is healthy for most people, some people should limit their intake or avoid certain types altogether.

Which fruits should I avoid if I want to lower my blood sugar?

While fruits have plenty of important nutrients and should be a part of any healthy diet, they also contain natural sugars that can raise your blood sugar quickly. If you have diabetes or are trying to manage your weight, limiting fruit intake is a good way to ensure your blood sugar remains at a healthy level. When it comes to managing your blood sugar with fruit, there’s no such thing as moderation: some fruits are better for you than others. To keep blood sugar in check, try focusing on apples (including green apples), pears, berries (such as blackberries) and peaches—they’re low in sugar and high in fibre, which slows digestion and helps to stabilize insulin levels.

What are the best fruits to lower my blood sugar?

You want to choose fruits with a low glycemic index (GI). The GI is how quickly a carbohydrate food turns into sugar in your body, and it can be measured for different foods. Foods with a high GI rapidly turn into sugar, which causes your blood sugar levels to spike—and insulin levels to rise as well. These rapid spikes and rises in blood sugar can be dangerous over time since chronically high insulin levels can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.

What's an easy way to incorporate healthy fruit into my diet?

Fruits, like vegetables, are pretty low-calorie foods. When combined with a balanced diet, they can help you lose weight. But if you aren’t careful to moderate your intake, you could end up packing on pounds. If you’re looking for ways to include more fruits in your daily diet without piling on pounds, there are a few simple steps you can take 1) Add fruit to yogurt or cottage cheese; 2) Replace sugary breakfast cereals with granola and fresh fruit; 3) add sliced apples or pears to tuna salad sandwiches; 4) Make fruit smoothies out of skim milk and frozen berries.

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Healthy Lifestyle the story

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