If you have prediabetes, diabetes, or are watching your blood sugar, most foods fit into one of two categories: Foods that will spike your blood sugar and foods that won’t (or won’t raise it enough to require action to lower it). But fruits fall somewhere in the middle, not clearly fitting into either category. That’s why we asked dietitians for the best fruits to lower blood sugar, or those that will impact your blood sugar levels the least.
Meet the experts: Courtney Pelitera, M.S., R.D.N., C.N.S.C., a registered dietitian nutritionist at VNutrition; Stephanie Crabtree, M.S., R.D., a holistic registered dietitian in Venice, FL.
“Fruit can be a little bit tricky for those with diabetes or prediabetes because fruit is a carbohydrate. Fruit does affect blood sugar levels, especially when eaten alone,” says Courtney Pelitera, M.S., R.D.N., C.N.S.C., a registered dietitian nutritionist at VNutrition. Still, it’s important not to cut fruit out of your diet entirely, even if you’re working hard to keep your blood sugar in check.
“Whole fruit provides fiber, water, vitamins, minerals, and beneficial compounds like antioxidants and polyphenols that support overall health and disease prevention,” says Stephanie Crabtree, M.S., R.D., a holistic registered dietitian in Venice, FL. Eating a wide variety of fruits also helps prevent nutrient deficiencies and combat inflammation, Pelitera adds. In one study published in Current Developments in Nutrition, people who consumed the recommended two cups of fruit per day had higher levels of vitamin K, vitamin C, thiamin, magnesium, potassium, and copper than those who didn’t eat as much fruit. Meanwhile, separate research in Nutrients found that higher fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with significantly lower levels of inflammatory markers and oxidative damage.
So, what are the best fruits to eat if you’re watching your blood sugar? Pelitera and Crabtree say to pick ones that are lower in sugar and higher in fiber. “Fiber helps slow the blood sugar response,” explains Crabtree. The other key is to always pair fruit with another food that helps keep blood sugar stable. “Diabetics and prediabetics want to avoid ‘naked carbs,’ or carbohydrates eaten alone,” Pelitera says. “Some foods that pair really well with any fruit include yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts or seeds, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, dry roasted legumes, and peanut butter.”
According to the dietitians we spoke to, the following low-sugar, high-fiber fruits are the best picks for stable blood sugar:
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Figs
- Prunes
- Apples
- Strawberries
- Kiwi
- Grapefruit
“When eaten in appropriate portions and paired well, fruit can absolutely fit into a balanced approach to blood sugar management,” says Crabtree. If you stick to the dietitian-approved picks above and pair them with a food rich in protein or fat, you should be able to avoid any extreme blood sugar spikes (though if one does occur, there’s an easy way to get blood sugar down fast) while still getting a helping of the micronutrients and antioxidants that fruit offers.
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