Top 10 Low Carbohydrate Fruits Great for Diabetics

Why Carbohydrates and Sugars Matter

For people with diabetes, both Type 1 and Type 2, paying close attention to the types of foods and the amounts of carbohydrates and sugars they ingest eventually becomes a way of life. Being aware of the amount of sugars and carbohydrates contained in the food they eat is extremely important because both sugars and carbohydrates aid in raising blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. It is really crucial that people with both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes learn to pay attention to this so they know the amounts of sugars and carbohydrates they intake because eating right and living a healthy life makes diabetes much easier to live with and can help reduce chances of suffering the many complications that oftentimes accompany diabetes.

For everyone, eating a healthy, balanced diet is a good idea.  But, for diabetics, it is very important because this plays a role in how the person will be affected in the future and whether they will suffer complications of diabetes.  

As we all know, fruit is an important nutritional aspect and there are many great benefits associated with eating fruit, as well as vegetables. 

Fructose or fruit sugar is a simple monosaccharide found in many foods. Fructose is one of three important dietary monosaccharides along with glucose and galactose. Fructose is a sweet substance contains fructose and fruit can be a great snack to someone with diabetes or anyone who would rather have a healthy snack when they want something sweet.

Fructose is a white solid that dissolves in water. It is the most water soluble of all of the sugars. Honey, tree fruits, berries, and some root vegetables contains significant amounts of molecular fructose and it is usually combined with glucose and stored in the form of sucrose. There are about 240,000 tons of crystalline fructose produced annually.

There are several fruits that are low in carbohydrates, some even help in regulating and keeping blood sugar lower overall.  It is confusing sometimes to try and figure out how many carbohydrates and sugars are in foods. For fruits, there are some with higher amounts than others. Below are the fruits with the lowest carbohydrate amounts from least to most.

Top 10 Fruits with Lowest Carbohydrate Amounts

• The fruit with the least amount of carbohydrates is watermelon. Watermelon contains only 4 grams of carbohydrates in a 50 gram portion. There are 5.5 grams of carbohydrates in one-half cup of watermelon.
• The next fruit with the least amount of carbs is strawberries. Strawberries contain 4 grams of carbohydrates in a 50 gram portion and there are 6.5 grams of carbs in one-half cup of sliced strawberries.
• Next on the list is cantaloupe. Cantaloupe contains 4 grams of carbohydrates in a 50 gram portion and there are 6.5 grams in one-half cup of sliced cantaloupe.
• Avocado is a fruit and there are the same amount of carbs in an avocado as there are in a strawberry and cantaloupe; that is, 4 grams in a 50 grams portion and 6.5 grams per one-half cup. 
• Number 5 on the list is honeydew melon. Honeydew contains 5 grams of carbohydrates and there are 8 grams of carbs in one half cup of honeydew melon.
• Next are peaches. Peaches contain about 5 grams of carbs in a 50 gram portion and one medium peach has about 14.5 grams of carbohydrates.
• Yummy blackberries are next with also having 5 grams in a 50-gram portion and one-half cup of blackberries contains 7 grams of carbohydrates.
• Grapefruit comes in next with 5 grams of carbs in a 50-gram portion. One-half medium grapefruit contains 10.5 grams of carbs.
• Oranges are the next fruit. They contain 5g of carbs in a 50-gram portion. One medium orange contains 15.5 grams of carbs.
• Number 10 is papaya. Papayas contain 5g of carbs in a 50-gram portion. One medium papaya contains 30 grams of carbs.

Note:  Fructose is a component of sucrose which is a disaccharide derived from the condensation of glucose and fructose. Fructose is derived from the digestion of table sugar (sucrose).

Oftentimes, crystalline fructose and high fructose corn syrup are confused as the same product. However, crystalline fructose, which is often produced from fructose enriched corn syrup is the monosaccaride while high fructose corn syrup refers to a family of mixtures of different amounts of fructose and glucose.

Diabetic Cookbooks

I have found some great diabetic cookbooks.  There are so many to choose from, but I picked the ones that seemed like they would be the best.

Click here to go to the complete list of them.