People with type 2 diabetes always want to know if the fruit is okay for diabetics. Unfortunately, newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics need to absorb so much information that this simple question is impossible for them to answer. On top of that, there is a lot of information on the internet about fruit and diabetes that is completely false.
Fortunately, there are quite a few types of fruit that have great benefits for people with type 2 diabetes. These include citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit, all sorts of berries…strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, and apples. Even bananas can fall into the good fruit category, although they tend to have a bit more sugar than some fruits.
Apples: The perfect fruit for diabetics?
As long as you control your blood sugar levels and don’t overindulge in too many servings of fruit, you can enjoy the nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber in many fruits. Let’s take a look at the apple, as it might be the perfect fruit for diabetics.
Apples are so good for diabetics that research done on people with prediabetes found that apples might even prevent people from developing diabetes. Within 24 hours of “apple eating,” prediabetic symptoms were less. It seems that an apple a day really may be as good at keeping the doctor away as the old saying goes.
Apples are loaded with fiber:
Apples are an excellent source of dietary fiber. Eating a medium-sized apple has the same effect as eating a bowl of bran cereal. In fact, just one apple contains 20% of the daily fiber recommendation. Because an apple has so much fiber, it is good for controlling blood sugar levels by releasing it more slowly into the blood. This can give you long-term energy and not the rapid spike in glucose that many other fruits and juices do.
Studies have shown that apples may reduce the risk of some cancers and heart disease, and may reduce inflammation in people with joint disease. Apples are great for digestive health and have a positive effect on the colon. Also, one of the brightest research findings is that apples are packed with antioxidants.
Apples contain antioxidants:
Antioxidants get rid of free radicals… substances that cause cell damage and raise blood sugar levels. The antioxidants in apples are known as phytochemicals and include an extra special flavonoid called quercetin. Quercetin has been shown to prevent cancer, and its benefits for many other diseases are now being investigated. It has promising benefits for Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. If you ate an apple (with skin), about 100 grams, you would receive the same antioxidant benefits as if you took 1500 grams of vitamin C.
Not only do they reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, apples help remove plaque that builds up in blood vessels and causes blockages and heart disease.
Perhaps the expression “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” should be changed to “two apples a day will keep type 2 diabetes away.”
