Fruit

Status
Not open for further replies.
allisonb

allisonb

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Does everyone have insulin to cover fruit?

I have to say I've been quite relaxed about fruit in the past but as I'm now pregnant and trying to keep my levels low I have been taking insulin for each piece of fruit that I eat. It's amazing to see what causes a spike and what has no effect and therefore causes a hypo because I've covered it with insulin. Bananas for example cause a spike, as do blueberries as I found out this morning. BG was 5.4 before I left home for work, ate about 10 blueberries in the car on the way to work and half an hour later BG was 11.2! mmmm. Apples don't seem to do anything to my blood sugar and therefore my BG tends to go low if I've covered an apple with insulin.

A fruity minefield.....!
 
hi i cant answer the covering of insulin as in on pills only but i do know
the sweeter the fruit, the more likely it is that it will damage you oranges are a good example. Why do you think that they recommend orange juice to help someone who has fainted from low blood sugar? Oranges and orange juice are high in sugar, and needs to be avoided.

Watermelon is pretty much out. That is just sugar and water! Leave it alone.

Apples are usually good they also have a lot of fibre, which slows the digestion of sugar.

Bananas are good, but you have to be careful that you do not get too MUCH potassium (eat too many bananas, or take vitamins). that can cause a heart arythmia, and even heart attack.
 
Last edited:
I do take insulin to cover fruit as the carb content can be pretty significant depending on the fruit. It's also worth looking at the GI of them (although this isn't an exact science in everyone) as some will cause a significant spike (such as bananas) as the carb will be absorbed quickly whereas other fruits may work far more slowly and therefore not cause a significant spike.
 
Hi I always cover the Carbs in fruit , I do tend to not eat Bananas due to the amount of Carbs though ( I low Carb) Apples are brilliant >> they are Low Carb and low G.I , they are slow release which is why there is no nasty spike :D Hmm yes I seem to have the same Blueberries problem :( Shame because they are so good for you .
 
Fruit is quite a minefield, but unless you are having a hypo, it has to be better than a bag of sweets.

I was told as a dibetic never to eat grapes or mango. I'm on tablets, so it is difficult to cover all the fruit I eat. I try to have it with a meal.

Different things affect different people, so the best way to move forward is to test and see.

Not many people realise the dear old salad tomatoe is a fruit too.
 
Tomatoes are generally fine! tomato sauce and other tomato products generally have sugar added so you have to watch them.

However, once a tomato is cooked it has a lot more 'accessible' carb, which raises the GI - meaning they work a little faster and are more likely to spike your blood sugar. This is true of a lot of foods the process of cooking means half the work of digesting is done for you, and carbs are faster acting
 
Bananas - as they ripen, more carbohydrate changes from starch to sugar, so pattern of spike changes.
 
A fruity mindfield (or minefeld) indeed.

I dial up for the fruit for sure, but think it's hard to accurately guess how much do to varying sizes of things and how ripe they are!! So I undercut the guestimate if anything.
 
We always give insulin for fruit. But fruit varies in carb value.

Some examples of carb rates that we currently use:

Bananas (without skin) = 23g per 100g carb
Grapes 15g per 100g carb
Strawberries = 6g per 100g

An apple or a peach or nectarine or a pear = 10g of carb each piece of fruit.

We use fruit juice for treating hypos sometimes so that must be high in sugar.

Hope this of some help. 🙂
 
Mand said:
We always give insulin for fruit. But fruit varies in carb value.

Some examples of carb rates that we currently use:

Bananas (without skin) = 23g per 100g carb
Grapes 15g per 100g carb
Strawberries = 6g per 100g

An apple or a peach or nectarine or a pear = 10g of carb each piece of fruit.

We use fruit juice for treating hypos sometimes so that must be high in sugar.

Hope this of some help. 🙂
Click to expand...

Thanks Mand this is helpful. I must consult my carb books more too.
 
Fruit! That is a massive problem for me!! My daughter was diagnosed with type 1 just over 3 weeks ago, she is on 4 injections a day - she is only 6! Before she had fruit on demand - she would even have a fresh fruit salad for breakfast (she hates milk ) but now she thinks I am the worst person in the world - I don't let her have it ALL the time - 'sports candy' as the fit one from Lazy Town calls it!!

Is it true about grapes? she has that for her mid morning snack at school today!

AARRGGGHHHH I do think I am going mad - or should that be I am going a bit more daft 🙂
 
Grapes have a lot of sugar in them. . . Bananas, pears, grapes have alot of sugar so if you do eat them, you may wanna do some exercise to lower your blood sugar levels.

p.s welcome to the forum there are some mums in here who will be able to help you out wherever possible x
 
Last edited:
michelle g said:
Fruit! That is a massive problem for me!! My daughter was diagnosed with type 1 just over 3 weeks ago, she is on 4 injections a day - she is only 6! Before she had fruit on demand - she would even have a fresh fruit salad for breakfast (she hates milk ) but now she thinks I am the worst person in the world - I don't let her have it ALL the time - 'sports candy' as the fit one from Lazy Town calls it!!

Is it true about grapes? she has that for her mid morning snack at school today!

AARRGGGHHHH I do think I am going mad - or should that be I am going a bit more daft 🙂
Click to expand...

Hi michelle, welcome to the forum!🙂 Some of the other parents on the group might be able to help you out on what is possible fruit-wise with your daughter. I must admit, I tend not to snack between meals, although before I would be constantly grazing!. She can still probably have fruit at breakfast, but if you could persuade her to have something slow-release, like plain toast with sunflower spread, this would help slow the overall effect. In theory, she should also be able to have 10g of 'free carbs' as a snack between meals (an apple or a few grapes), as long as her levels weren't too high at the time.

Do feel free to ask any questions here on the General Messageboard or in the Parents section - no question is considered 'silly', and there will always be someone happy to help out!🙂
 
I don't tend to bolus for fruit unless it's alot, strawberries spike me more than the carb content says they should.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top