Top 8 Diabetes-Friendly Fruits | You Can Eat More of

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Diabetes friendly fruits
Diabetes fruits

Last Updated on December 25, 2023 by Sultana Parvin

Except for a few, most of the fruits are low in calories, but rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other beneficial nutrients. Due to the limitation of carbohydrate and sugar intake, a person with diabetes should include a certain amount of diabetes-friendly fruits in his/her daily meal plan.

Different fruits are available in many parts of the world at different times of the year. Some fruits are available even throughout the year, but some are seasonal. Fruits not only help meet your hunger but also their anti-oxidant prevent further cell damage, regulate blood sugar levels, and protect your heart, nerves, and eyes. Therefore, with the enormous health benefits of fruits, the following diabetes-friendly fruits are recommended in your diabetes food list.

Diabetes-friendly fruits

Guava

Guava contains a high amount of vitamin A, vitamin C, and dietary fiber. It is also good for constipation, which is a common problem for diabetic patients. Due to its low GI, guava makes healthy food for diabetes.

Guava
Guava

Apple

Taking a small-sized apple can reduce your hunger. It is a good source of vitamin C, another vitamin, and minerals making it a diabetic-friendly fruit. Apples are rich in soluble fiber that slows down the absorption of sugar into your blood[ii]. It also reduces inflammation related to diabetes and heart diseases.

Apple
Apple

Orange

Some people may worry about the high sugar content of an orange. However, it is healthy citrus foods that help reduce insulin resistance and manage to control insulin[iii]. These are high in vitamin C and can be consumed daily as one of the healthy foods for diabetes.

Orange
Orange

Berries

Berries are low in carbs and packed with fiber and vitamins. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries contain very less amount of carbohydrates per servings[iv] and can be added to diabetic foods list and diabetic-friendly fruits. But the Indian BlackBerry, which is also known as ‘Jamun’ is one of the super healthy foods for diabetes. It is also one of the best remedies for the control of blood sugar levels. Seeds of Indian blackberry contain glycosides, which prevent the conversion of starch into sugar[v].

The Best Food That Prevents Diabetes

What foods can diabetics eat freely

Fruits:

  • Apple, watermelon, pears, oranges, grape, custard apple.

Fish, Meat, And Egg:

  • Salmon, Swordfish, Tilapia, Codfish, Tuna, Chicken breast, and Lean Meat.

Pulses:

  • Soybeans, Kidney Beans, Masoor Dal, Moong Dal, Chickpeas.

Cereals:

  • Broken Wheat, Brown Rice, Quinoa, Oatmeal, Ragi.

Oil:

  • 1.5 tablespoons per day including Canola oil, Olive oil, Rice bran oil, Mustard oil.

Vegetables:

  • Including all gourds- bitter gourd, green leafy vegetables, bottle gourd, snake gourd, ivy gourd, ridge gourd, tienda, etc.

Dairy Products:

  • Yogurt, paneer, cottage cheese, skim milk.
Indian Berries
Indian Berries

Diabetes-Friendly Fruits: Pineapple

Pineapple is a good diabetic-friendly fruit. It is also good for health with its anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial properties.

Pineapple
Pineapple

Jack Fruit

Jackfruit is very rich in vitamin A, Vitamin C, riboflavin, calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, potassium, etc among many other nutrients good for diabetes[vi].  As these nutrients help improve insulin resistance, jackfruit can be included in your diabetic foods list.

Jackfruit
Jackfruit

Papaya

Papaya is filled with antioxidants, which help to prevent the deterioration of the body’s cell structure[vii]. Unlike many other fruits, papaya being sweet has low sugar content. Thus, a person with diabetes can include papaya in his/her daily menu as good diabetes-friendly fruit.

Papaya
Papaya

Dates

Dates are good choices for sweetened food for diabetic persons. They are low on the glycemic index (GI) and can crave sugar levels in the blood[viii]. Carbohydrates in dates can provide instant energy and the high fiber content in dates is good for digestion. This sweet fruit is cholesterol and fat-free and thereby dates can be served to diabetic persons as one of the healthy foods for diabetes.

Dates
Dates

Other diabetes-friendly fruits

A person with diabetes can also eat most other common fruits, like, apricot, avocados, bananas, cantaloupes, cherries, dates, grapefruits, grapes, honeydew, melon, kiwi, mango, peaches, pears, watermelon. But serving for each fruit should be kept limited in his/her daily diabetic foods list.