However, if you want to maintain normal blood sugar levels, there are some high glycemic fruits that you’ll need to be careful with.
High glycemic carbohydrates are the foods most responsible for raising blood sugar levels. The glycemic index measures how fast carbs are absorbed into the bloodstream as glucose (blood sugar).
To manage the glucose in your blood your pancreas produces insulin.
Eating high glycemic fruits can sometimes cause blood sugar levels to rise too rapidly making your pancreas have to work too hard.
Low Glycemic Fruits and High Glycemic Fruits
Both high and low glycemic fruits offer highly nutritious vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, flavonoids and fiber. Maintaining normal blood sugar levels is based on the type of fruit and when and how you eat it.
For example, take bananas. An under ripe banana is a low glycemic fruit, whereas a very ripe banana has a higher glycemic fruit ranking.
And yet if you were to eat a very ripe banana with a half-cup of blueberries and a cup of low glycemic low-fat plain yogurt, the dish would be low glycemic and you could maintain normal blood sugar levels.
You also need to consider the size of the fruit and when you eat it.
Eating a large quantity of fruit on an empty stomach, even if it’s low glycemic, can raise your blood sugar levels above a normal reading. So it’s best to choose a medium sized fruit that is not overly ripe.
To maintain normal blood sugar levels, it’s best to eat fruit along with some protein and a little fat or after a meal containing protein and fat.
Glycemic Fruits Index of Fresh and Dried Fruits
Low glycemic fruits rank, on average, below 50 in the glycemic index (GI) chart below. Medium GI foods rank from 50 to 70. And high GI foods are those ranking above 70. But also be conscious of the range.
This will help you remember that ripe fruit ranks higher on the GI scale.
|LOW GLYCEMIC FRUITS||AVERAGE GI||KNOWN RANGE|
|MEDIUM GLYCEMIC FRUITS||AVERAGE GI||KNOWN RANGE|
|HIGH GLYCEMIC FRUITS||AVERAGE GI||KNOWN RANGE|
Although low glycemic fruits are best for maintaining normal blood sugar levels, if you’re careful, you can enjoy some of the high glycemic fruits too. Just make sure you include some high protein and food fat.