September 17, 2005
Hyperglycemia and DKA, Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from California, USA:
I have recently started eating more fruits and vegetables, trying to eat healthier, and have found that fruits make my blood sugar spike quite high, up to 300 mg/dl [16.7 mmol/L] quickly despite adequate insulin coverage. It makes me feel ill almost as soon as I eat the fruit, practically defeating the purpose of eating it, like I am correcting a low and takes quite a bit of insulin to bring my blood sugar down. What is your opinion on fruit and diabetes and is my case common?
Answer:
Fruit is all carbohydrate (no protein, no fat) so it certainly impacts blood sugars after meals. I would recommend working more fresh fruit, less fruit juice into your meal plan because of the additional fiber content in the fresh fruit versus juice (especially in fruit eaten with skins…apples, pears, peaches, etc.). Be careful about the amounts of fruit eaten and work the carbohydrates into your meal plan. Fruits are a better choice than other carbohydrates, such as cakes, pies, cookies, etc., which lack a lot of the beneficial nutrients and antioxidants that the fruits possess.
JMS
