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.
Table of Contents
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
