Fruits do not have to be omitted from a diabetes diet. Fruits are full of good nutrition. You do need to pay attention to portion sizes because they can contain high amounts of carbohydrates that can affect your blood sugar levels.
There are some diet foods including fruits which increase the blood sugar levels. The fruits identified as bad fruits for diabetics should be totally avoided. Diabetes can deteriorate the patient's condition if the patient happens to consume foods that are not recommended by the dietician, according to Livestrong.com.
There are some diet foods, in general, which are to be totally avoided. There are some other foods which can be eaten in small quantities just for taste. The third category of diet foods are those which should necessarily be consumed for controlling blood sugar, according to Livestrong.com.
Fruits with high amounts of the sugars glucose and sucrose tend to have high GI values and should only be eaten in small amounts as they can spike blood glucose levels very quickly. Most however can still be enjoyed in small quantities as part of a healthy diabetic meal plan. High GI fruits include bananas, cantaloupes, dates, grapes, watermelon, pineapples, and oranges.
Dates in particular should be eaten sparingly because they have extremely high sugar content per serving (55g in half a cup of chopped dates). Combine this with a relatively high GI of 53 and you have a food that will produce a significant glycemic response, even in small amounts.
The GI of bananas varies widely depending on ripeness. This is because some of the starch in bananas is converted into more readily absorbed sugars as the banana ripens. The GI of a green banana is around 40 compared to 60 for an over-ripe banana. Diabetics who enjoy eating bananas should stick to slightly green bananas to avoid blood sugar spikes.
Fruit juices tend to be stripped of the pulpy fibrous parts of the fruit and therefore are very low in fiber and high in sugar. Many fruit juices manufacturers add additional sugar to their fruit juices to the extent that some fruit juices have higher sugar levels than carbonated sodas. A glass of fruit juice a day probably won't hurt but if you're drinking much more than this, consider cutting back by diluting the juice with water.
Dried fruits tend to have a significant effect on blood sugar levels due to their high sugar content by weight. Canned fruit in syrup also tends to be high in sugar and therefore should be eaten in moderation or drained of the syrup before consuming. Many fruits can be purchased canned in their own juices rather than in syrup - these should be used when available.
