Department of Nutrition, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Yu Kang

Many diabetics are afraid to eat fruits, because many fruits taste sweet and the main ingredients are sugar, such as glucose, fructose and sucrose. Some fruits also contain a small amount of starch, such as apples, mangoes and bananas. If eaten improperly, it will raise blood sugar and make the disease recur. Therefore, for a long time, fruits have been excluded from diabetic foods, and some people even went to the point of "talking about the color change of fruits". Most patients have the experience of "family eating melons and eating skins".

Many diabetics are eager to eat some fruits, because fruits have three treasures: vitamins, inorganic salts and dietary fiber, which play a special role in maintaining human health. In addition, fruit is a kind of food that people like very much because of its bright color and attractive taste. It's a pity to abandon it completely.

How to solve this contradiction? The method is simple. As long as you master the four elements of eating fruit for diabetics, you can control your blood sugar and enjoy the benefits and fun of eating fruit for most diabetics.

Element 1: the "opportunity" to eat fruit

When the blood sugar control is ideal, that is, the fasting blood sugar can be controlled below 140mg/dl, the blood sugar can be controlled below 180mg/dl 2 hours after meals, and the glycosylated hemoglobin can be controlled below 7.5%, and there is no frequent hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia, the premise of enjoying fruit is met. If the blood sugar control is not ideal, you can eat tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables as fruits first, and then choose fruits after the condition is stable.

Element 2: "Time" to eat fruit

Fruit is generally eaten as a supplementary meal, that is, in the middle of two main meals (such as 10 am or 3 pm) or one hour before going to bed, which can avoid overloading the pancreas by taking too many carbohydrates at one time. Generally speaking, it is not recommended to eat fruit before or immediately after meals.

Element 3: the "type" of eating fruit

The carbohydrate content of various fruits is 6% ~ 20%. Fruits with relatively low sugar content and slow blood sugar rise should be selected. The latter may be different for different diabetics, and everyone can choose according to their actual experience. Generally speaking, watermelons, apples, pears, oranges, kiwis and so on. Low sugar content is suitable for diabetics, while bananas, red dates, lychees, red fruits, pineapples, sweet oranges and grapes have high sugar content and are not suitable for diabetics.

Element 4: the "quantity" of eating fruit

According to the effect of fruit on blood sugar, you can eat about 200 grams of fruit every day (which can provide about 90 kilocalories), and at the same time reduce half a gram (25 grams) of staple food. This is the food equivalent exchange method, so as to keep the total calorie intake unchanged.

According to the above elements, diabetics should also explore their own laws. If you can measure your blood sugar and urine sugar before eating fruit and 2 hours after eating fruit, it will be very helpful to know if you can eat this fruit.