Seasoned diabetics understand the importance of managing their blood sugar levels. It’s essential to keep your levels stable in order to prevent spikes and to prevent the medical complications of diabetes. The best way to manage your blood sugar levels is to understand which foods you can eat and which ones you are best avoiding.
Fruit is a healthy snack option and an essential part of a balanced diet but not all fruits are created equal. Some fruits contain more sugar and carbohydrates than others which can wreak havoc for diabetics. Let’s take a look at which fruits diabetics should avoid.
Breaking Down the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load
Before we dive into the specific fruits diabetics may want to avoid, it’s important to first break down what the glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) mean. Especially since we’ll be referencing it a lot in this article.
The glycemic index “looks at how fast food sugar enters the bloodstream,” says Healthline. Food is given a value between 1 and 100. For example, white bread, cookies, and other baked treats are very high on the GI and should be avoided by diabetics.
GL on the other hand is “the combination of the GI and the actual carbohydrate content in a typical serving of food,” says the source. Some say the GL gives a more “real world” value to how a particular food affects blood sugar levels. Nonetheless, it’s important to understand what these terms mean and how they can help you manage your diabetes.