Fruits contraindicated in a high-glycemic diet

There is no 100% untouchable fruit, but for varieties with a glycemic index (GI, a measure of how quickly food raises blood sugar) higher than 70 and extremely high sugar density, daily intake must be strictly limited. People with unstable sugar control and large blood sugar fluctuations are advised to avoid them completely temporarily.

There are a lot of opinions on this issue on the Internet. One side says that people with diabetes have nothing to do with fruit and cannot touch even a bite of sweetness. The other side says that as long as you eat a small amount, you can taste anything. In fact, both of these statements are not quite to the point. You have to make a decision based on your own physical condition, the amount you eat, and even the timing of eating.

Last month, I accompanied my aunt, who has been suffering from type 2 diabetes for 10 years, for a follow-up visit. I met an uncle in his 60s who complained to the doctor that he hadn’t touched a bite of watermelon in half a year and ate two kiwi fruits every day to supplement his vitamins. As a result, his fasting blood sugar was still above 8. When the doctor asked, he found out that the kiwis he bought were the big ones. One weighed almost 200g. Two kiwis contained more than 20g of carbohydrates. It was the same as eating less than half a bowl of white rice. Can blood sugar not be high?

Many people judge whether food is edible based on whether it tastes sweet or not. This is really the biggest misunderstanding. You can see that watermelon is very sweet when eaten, and the GI is indeed 72, which is a high GI food. However, 100g of watermelon only contains about 5.5g of carbohydrates. If you eat a small triangular piece of 100g without the skin between meals, the glycemic load (the glycemic reference index that includes the intake) is less than 4. The impact on blood sugar is minimal, and it is not a taboo at all. On the contrary, those fruits that don’t taste so sweet, or even a little sour, really contain a lot of sugar. For example, winter jujubes are refreshingly sweet when eaten. 100g of winter jujubes can reach 25g of carbohydrates, and their GI is close to 70. If you unconsciously grab a handful and eat 10 of them while watching a TV series, the calories will be as high as a bowl of rice. It would be strange if your blood sugar level does not rise. There are also fresh longans that some people like to eat, and 100g of carbohydrates is about 16g. They look small, and if you eat too much, you will be in trouble.

Nowadays, different schools of sugar control have different opinions. Most doctors of traditional endocrinology department advocate "quantity control first". As long as your blood sugar is stable, you can eat any variety. Just control it within 100-200g and eat it between meals.； Scholars who do research on low-carb diets would suggest that in the early stage of sugar control, try to avoid all fruits with a GI >60, and give priority to low-GI, high-fiber berries such as strawberries and blueberries to reduce blood sugar fluctuations. ； Some clinical nutrition departments will recommend "individualized testing". You don't need to memorize the taboo list. Eat 50g of whatever you want to eat first, and measure your blood sugar 2 hours after the meal. As long as the increase does not exceed 2mmol/L, then this fruit is completely okay for you to eat. You don't have to listen to others who say you can't touch it.

Of course, this does not mean that there are no minefields to pay attention to. There are several categories that most people with high blood sugar should try to touch as little or not as possible: one is dried fruits made of dehydration, such as raisins, dried longans, and dried red dates. After the water is dehydrated, the sugar is concentrated. The carbohydrates of 100g raisins can reach more than 80g, and the GI is also over 70. After a small handful, the blood sugar will immediately take off.； The other is processed candied fruits, such as prunes and preserved fruits, which have high sugar content and are marinated with additional white sugar. They are basically pure sugar cubes. If you can't help it, don't touch it. ； There are also tropical fruits such as fully ripe jackfruit and durian, which are extremely high in sugar and calories. 100g of durian has 28g of carbohydrates and 3g of fat. Eating a small piece has more calories than half a bowl of rice. It is best not to touch them during the sugar control period.

I have been making sugar-control meals for my aunt for almost three years, and I have figured out a lot of rules. Now when she wants to eat watermelon in summer, she only eats 1 small piece, and eats it 2 hours after lunch. There is no need to add medicine after eating, and her blood sugar is basically stable at around 7.； When she wanted to eat mangoes before, I let her take a small bite of about 50g. After the meal, the blood sugar level rose less than 1.5. Now she can occasionally eat half a piece to satisfy her cravings without any problems. On the contrary, when she had strict dietary restrictions before, she always secretly hid sweets to eat, which made her blood sugar fluctuate even more.

In fact, there is really no need to be an ascetic in controlling sugar. There are so many black and white taboos. Rather than staring at the taboo list on the Internet and not daring to eat this or touch that, it is better to test your blood sugar twice more to find out your body's tolerance. Occasionally eating a few bites of your favorite fruit will help you control your sugar if you are in a better mood. Do you think this is the truth?