Fruit and BS levels

[Carina1962]

What sort of fruit do people on here eat which seems to be OK with their BS levels? I tend to eat an apple and an orange every day (although I do sometimes vary). I tend to think of eating fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy daily diet so if fruit can spike levels, how do we compensate?

 

[Stitch147]

I tend to stick to berries now (straw, blue, rasp) and they arent too bad on my blood levels, as long as I dont eat loads of them

 

[grovesy]

I eat apples, pears, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, satsumas, and the occasional banana.

 

[DeusXM]

I tend to think of eating fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy daily diet so if fruit can spike levels, how do we compensate?

Easy, eat more veg.

I always think of fruit as being something you should eat according to what you would have found before we had supermarkets ie. only eat little berries in small portions, when they're in season. No-one in Britain was eating oranges in February 500 years ago!

 

[Copepod]

Fruits grown in temperate climates eg nearly all berries and currants (red / black / white, not dried grapes), plus apples and pears, plus cherries and plums in small quantities, are generally lower in sugar than fruits grown in warmer / tropical conditions.
However, always wash hands between eating juicy fruits and testing blood glucose!

 

[trophywench]

Well oranges should be seasonal - and imported wrapped in blue tissue paper complete with their 'Jaffa' labels !! LOL Only in the winter of course - for the Vit C !

 

[Annette]

Well oranges should be seasonal - and imported wrapped in blue tissue paper complete with their 'Jaffa' labels !! LOL Only in the winter of course - for the Vit C !

And satsumas should only ever be found nestled in the toe of a christmas stocking 😉

 

[Mark Parrott]

I'm good with all berries & managed a banana ok. Still yet to try an apple or orange. I made a rhubarb crumble & was fine with that too.

 

[Carina1962]

Thanks All. I will do some testing after eating fruit and see which ones are BS friendly for me. My reason for asking this question is that someone said to me if I'm diabetic that I shouldn't be eating fruit as it is full of sugar (only natural sugar I know) but I thought well I don't want to give up eating fruit just because I'm diabetic as fruit and veg are considered healthy and should be eaten.

 

[Stitch147]

When I was diagnosed I was advised by the diabetic nurse to still eat fruit but only 2-3 portions a day and what types of fruit to avoid. Before being diagnosed I would have between 5-7 portions of fruit a day. And apparently a whole bunch of grapes isnt one portion!!!

 

[Carina1962]

Yes, I would only eat 2 or 3 portions a day (mainly 2) and eat salads and vegetables. Someone at work eats as many portions as you used to before being diagnosed as he thinks it's healthy but wonder if eating too much fruit is not good either.

 

[DeusXM]

Thanks All. I will do some testing after eating fruit and see which ones are BS friendly for me. My reason for asking this question is that someone said to me if I'm diabetic that I shouldn't be eating fruit as it is full of sugar (only natural sugar I know) but I thought well I don't want to give up eating fruit just because I'm diabetic as fruit and veg are considered healthy and should be eaten.

They're not entirely wrong.

You don't have to 'give up' eating fruit but the health benefits specifically for fruit are overplayed - the only reason we're told 'fruit AND veg' is because most people like fruit and can be a bit so-so about veg, so it's the only way of encouraging to eat better. Any vitamin benefits from the fruit you eat can be found in veg with far less sugar. Plus, it's worth noting that the damage done from any high blood sugar caused by eating fruit will instantly outweigh any vitamin benefit you might get from it.

Really, fruit should be treated as, well, a treat. Whether a sugar is 'natural' or not is irrelevant - your body doesn't distinguish between the white stuff in packets or what's in fruit. In fact, in some cases, fruit can be more of a problem, as one of the sugars found in fruit (fructose) actually can't be metabolised in a straightforward way and has to be converted to fat first before you can use it.

So, I'm not saying 'don't eat fruit' - but definitely do not treat it as unambiguously healthy, only eat fruits that don't significantly affect your blood sugar, don't eat loads of it, and above all, stay away from smoothies and juice.

 

[Carina1962]

Thanks, that's very helpful advice. I have just eaten an orange and will test my BS levels after 2 hours and I've also had a handful of cherries today so that's it for me fruit wise today but I will have salad or veg with my evening meal tonight. I am glad I posted this question as it does seem to be shoved down our throats that we must eat lots of fruit and veg but whether diabetic or not, eating too much fruit is not good even though you think it might be. I will experiment with fruit and see which ones tend to be better for me BS wise but I may concentrate more on the veg than the fruit.

 

[Martin Canty]

I have just eaten an orange and will test my BS levels after 2 hours

If you are experimenting you might want to try & test for, say, 30 minute intervals for a few hours to see where your BG actually spikes. Some foods might cause a massive spike (bad) but short-lived.

 

[Mark Parrott]

I agree with Martin. Fruit spikes quickly, so check every 30 mins.

 

[trophywench]

I have always regarded the veg as an essential (diabetes makes no difference to that with anything growing above ground but obviously we have to watch the carbs in those that grow under it and any legumes too) and all fruit as a treat or a pudding. Being older and growing up just post war - that's exactly how it was. Everyone grew some veg - and often some fruit usually blackcurrants, goosegogs or raspberries - and had a row of spuds, clumps of celery and rhubarb plus a row of lettuce, a clump of thyme, parsley, sage and mint. It was barter in any row of houses whenever anyone had a glut of whatever.

It was good if you knew someone with a greenhouse. My sister's friend's dad up the street had one. The friends were in demand every spring to 'prick out' the bedding plant seedlings - deft, slender fingers made a better job - which Mr I used to produce for his own garden and to sell to everyone in the street and down the road - pennies for a dozen of each kind and your borders were full. They were paid - 3 ha'pence each a tray! He kept tally and paid them at the end of the job, a week or 10 days doing an hour each day after school. They loved it, plenty of time to natter. They were both on 6d a week pocket money at the time - so this was the equivalent of a lottery win today! LOL

Fruit however - apples, oranges, pears, the very occasional punnet of strawberries and ditto peach - cost money and though we would always have some sort of it for the weekend - that was it for the week other than what was on the bushes in the garden or otherwise swapped for something else. Oh - and a couple of (bought) Bramleys every weekend for the apple pie or crumble on a Sunday.