Are bananas OK for diabetics to eat?

What food diabetics should avoid?

22 Foods to Avoid with Diabetes

Think Twice Before Eating These Foods. At Diabetic Living, we believe that eating with diabetes doesn’t have to mean deprivation, starvation, or bland and boring foods.

Nachos.

Coffee Drinks.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy.

Battered Fish Dinners.

Fruit Juice Beverages.

Deep-Fried Chinese Entrees.

Cinnamon Rolls.

Which Fruits Contain the Most Sugar?

#6 Bananas. A three-ounce serving of bananas contains 10.1 grams of sugar, with 76 calories, making it among the most calorie-dense fruits.

#5 Cherries.

#4 Pomegranates.

#3 Mangos.

#2 Grapes.

#1 Figs.

-Dan Myers, The Daily Meal.

More Content from The Daily Meal:

There’s no denying fruits and vegetables are a healthy and important part of the diet for everyone, including those with diabetes. Eating whole fruits, but particularly apples, blueberries, and grapes is linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a 2013 study published in BMJ.

Choose high-fiber, slow-release carbs. Carbohydrates have a big impact on your blood sugar levels—more so than fats and proteins—so you need to be smart about what types of carbs you eat. Limit refined carbohydrates like white bread, pasta, and rice, as well as soda, candy, packaged meals, and snack foods.

Bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes are all sources of carbohydrates. The American Diabetes Association suggest a target of about 45-60 grams of carbohydrate per meal. Eating fiber helps to minimize spikes in blood sugar and it is recommended that people with diabetes eat between 20-35 grams of fiber per day.

Watermelon is a good fruit choice for people with diabetes, but many people mistakenly think that it is not. The reason has to do with the difference between glycemic index and its glycemic load. The Glycemic Index (GI) is a measure of the effects of carbohydrates on blood glucose levels.

Unlike other starchy vegetables, sweet potatoes are considered to be an “anti-diabetic food.” Yes diabetics can eat sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes contain carbohydrates which can raise blood sugar levels. However if you eat the right serving size of a sweet potato you can control the amount of sugar you take in.

A diet high in magnesium is thought to offer protective benefits against the development of diabetes. Peanuts are a good source of magnesium. Natural peanut butter and peanuts are also low glycemic index (GI) foods. This means that they have a lower effect on blood sugar levels.

The researchers concluded that “a diet high in low-fat dairy products is associated with lower diabetes risk in postmenopausal women, particularly those who are obese.” They concluded that a diet high in the saturated fats found in milk was protective against type 2 diabetes.

Generally, there’s no advantage to substituting honey for sugar in a diabetes eating plan. Both honey and sugar will affect your blood sugar level. Honey is sweeter than granulated sugar, so you might use a smaller amount of honey for sugar in some recipes.

Popcorn can offer people with diabetes a low-sugar, low-calorie food option to snack on. This handy snack will not increase a person’s blood sugar levels greatly, making it a safe bet between meals.

If you have diabetes, you should limit egg consumption to three a week. If you only eat egg whites, you can feel comfortable eating more. Be careful though, about what you eat with your eggs. One relatively harmless and healthy egg can be made a little less healthy if it’s fried in butter or unhealthy cooking oil.

Fruits such as pineapple can be a healthy a choice for people with diabetes. Certain fruits contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber that can be beneficial to your diet. But they also can contain carbohydrates that can affect your blood sugar, so moderation is key.

For most young, healthy adults, caffeine doesn’t appear to noticeably affect blood sugar (glucose) levels, and consumption up to 400 milligrams a day appears to be safe. Some studies suggest that drinking coffee, caffeinated and decaffeinated, may actually reduce your risk of developing diabetes.

Myth: If you have diabetes, you should only eat small amounts of starchy foods, such as bread, potatoes and pasta. Fact: Starchy foods can be part of a healthy meal plan, but portion size is key. Once you know how much carb to eat at a meal, choose your food and the portion size to match.

Low-fat yogurt naturally contains both high-quality carbohydrates and protein, making it an excellent food for slowing or preventing an unhealthy rise in blood sugar. Studies also show that a diet high in calcium from yogurt and other calcium-rich foods is associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.

The pros of adding oatmeal to your diabetes diet include: It can help regulate blood sugar, thanks to the high fiber and low glycemic index. It’s heart-healthy and can lower cholesterol. It may reduce the need for insulin injections.

Can you eat bananas if you have diabetes? Examples of lower-sugar fruit options include apples, grapes, and pears. Fruits with higher sugar levels include papayas and pineapples. However, those with diabetes do not have to eliminate bananas from their diet, or any other fruit for that matter.

The American Diabetes Association includes lemons on their list of superfoods due to soluble fiber and the high amount of vitamin C. Both soluble fiber and vitamin C can benefit people with diabetes. Lemons also have a low glycemic index, and some studies show that lemon may lower the glycemic index of other foods.

By following a diet rich in low GI foods, such as carrot juice, those with diabetes can work to better manage blood glucose levels. While carrot juice does contain sugar and carbohydrates, because it is a low GI food, it will not cause a rapid rise in blood glucose levels.

Cheese has a low glycemic index (GI), which means that it releases glucose slowly and will not trigger significant blood glucose spikes. People with diabetes should be mindful of the foods they eat along with cheese and not just the cheese itself.