Element One: The Timing of Eating Fruit
When blood sugar control is relatively ideal, that is, fasting blood sugar is controlled below 7.8 mmol/L, 2-hour postprandial blood sugar is controlled below 10 mmol/L, and glycosylated hemoglobin is controlled below 7.5%, without frequent occurrences of hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia, you meet the prerequisites for enjoying fruit. If blood sugar control is not ideal, you can first eat vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers as substitutes for fruit, and then choose fruits after your condition stabilizes.
Element Two: The Time of Eating Fruit
Fruit is generally eaten between two main meals (e.g., at 10 AM or 3 PM) or one hour before bedtime. This can avoid consuming too many carbohydrates at once, which would overload the pancreas. It is generally not recommended to eat fruit immediately before or after a meal.
Element Three: The Type of Fruit to Eat
The carbohydrate content of various fruits is approximately 6% to 20%. You should choose fruits with a relatively low sugar content and a slower rate of increasing blood sugar. The latter may vary for different diabetic patients, and choices can be made based on personal experience. Generally speaking, fruits with lower sugar content, such as watermelon, apples, pears, oranges, and kiwis, are more suitable for diabetics, while fruits with higher sugar content, such as bananas, red dates, lychees, pineapples, and grapes, are not recommended for diabetics.
Element Four: The Quantity of Fruit to Eat
Based on the impact of fruit on blood sugar, you can consume about 200 grams of fruit daily (which can provide approximately 90 kcal of energy), while reducing half a liang (25 grams) of staple food. This is the method of food equivalent exchange to keep the total daily caloric intake constant.
While following these four elements, diabetic patients should also explore their own patterns. If you can measure your blood sugar and urine sugar 2 hours before and after eating fruit, it will be very helpful in understanding whether you can eat that particular fruit and whether the amount is excessive.