August 14, 2002
Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from Salinas, California, USA:
My 12 year old daughter, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about five weeks ago, continues to have fluctuating blood sugars. My questions has to do with the carb content of fresh fruit. For example, at dinner tonight she had a nectarine. It seems to me that the carb content of fresh fruit such as a nectarine may be highly variable depending on its stage of ripeness of the piece of fruit. Is my presumption correct? We dose the insulin based upon the volume of the nectarine without consideration of the degree of sweetness/ripeness.
Answer:
You are correct, fruit is 100% carbohydrate and will raise blood sugar. I would rather be concerned with the portion size than the ripeness of the fruit. Fruit also contains valuable vitamins and minerals which are good for your daughter, especially since most kids don’t eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Keep up the good work with the meal planning.
JMS
