“Since I’m just starting out with this topic, my blood sugar was measured at 6.3 , so I’ve been diagnosed as being in theprediabetic stage. I’d like some advice on eating fresh fruit, which is the hardest thing for me to give up—or rather, I’m not sure exactly how much and when I should eat it so as not to put my blood sugar at too much risk.” — Marija P.
Judging by your question, it seems there’s still a widespread belief that certain foods are off-limits for people with diabetes. Even though we’ve been emphasizing for years that all that’s needed is a healthy, balanced diet! Certain fruits do raise blood sugar more, but if we get enough exercise and stay active in general, this isn’t usually a problem. Two apples, two pears, or two peaches count as one slice of bread. And so on: three plums, three chestnuts, or fifteen cherries count as a slice of bread. This isn’t a problem if we eat fruit instead of bread, but eating both together puts too much strain on blood glucose levels. In the morning, you can eat two apples instead of a slice of bread; for a snack, have a banana and yogurt instead of bread; at lunch, skip one potato and treat yourself to some cherries after lunch; in the afternoon, have an apple strudel instead of bread, and so on. Of course, you need to take into account what you’ll be doing. If you’re going for a walk in the evening, you can have a variety of foods for dinner; but if you’re watching TV, eat less—for example, two tomatoes, a hard-boiled egg, and mozzarella cheese—but nothing starchy.
To sum up, there’s nothing wrong with fruit; we just need to include it in a meal instead of something else.