6 Low Glucose Fruits to Add to Your Diet Today (And Why You Should!)

If you’re managing diabetes or high blood sugar levels, you’re probably going crazy sifting through all the contradictory information published on social media and in trendy magazines. Since childhood, you’ve been told that fruits are healthy. Eat more fruits! But then you figured out that fruit contains sugar, which is unhealthy. Did you grab a smoothie for lunch thinking you made a healthy choice? Think again (according to some fad diets).

You’re left scrolling through Google search results screaming, “What can I eat?” That’s how you ended up here, right?

Five Journeys is here to break down the situation with fruit, glucose, and blood sugar levels. There aren’t really any “bad” fruits. But it’s important to monitor your daily sugar intake. To help you, our nutritionists have selected six low-glucose fruits that you can enjoy without going over your daily amount of sugar.

Why Eat Low-Glucose Fruit?

You might begin to think that reducing or cutting out sugar is nutrition’s only goal. That can lead to serious problems!

In fact, nutrition should be part of a holistic wellness plan. The question we should be asking is, “What do our bodies need to thrive?” That’s the core of Five Journey’s diet and nutrition programs. It also answers the question of whether or not you should eat fruit. 

Unless your doctor says otherwise, yes, you should eat fruit!

Fruit Provides Essential Nutrients

Fruit provides essential vitamins your body needs to function properly. Fruit delivers powerful antioxidants that keep you feeling young and energetic. You’ll receive healthy doses of fiber with fruit, and most importantly, fruit tastes great! 

Fruit Helps You Avoid Added Sugars

Most people can’t cut out all carbs and sugars, but they can avoid drinking soda and eating candy. With fruit, you can avoid added sugars and focus on consuming the right amounts of fiber and nutrient-dense carbohydrates from whole foods can help stabilize blood sugar levels.

Fruit Keeps You Full

Fruit is categorized as a low calorie density food. This means you can eat a relatively large amount of fruit without consuming a high amount of calories – at least compared to a piece of pie or a 32 oz. Coke. Eating a piece of fruit during a meal will keep you satiated for longer so you’re not tempted to eat a high calorie density food 30 minutes later.

How Much Sugar Should I be Eating in a Day?

One last thing before we get to the fruit list, but it’s an important point. You’ll notice sugar measurements next to each serving of fruit. But what do those measurements mean? Is three grams of sugar a lot? Is 30 grams of sugar a lot? 

Here are the recommended levels of discretionary sugar intake health agencies recommend (by sex). Remember that discretionary sugar intake is less than total sugar intake, so if you want a more accurate answer regarding how much sugar you can consume in a day, consult with one of our Five Journeys nutritionists.

• 38 g of added sugar for men
• 25 g of added sugar for women

Six Low-Glucose Fruits That Can Lower Blood Sugar

1. Strawberries

Strawberries go great with breakfast or in a small, homemade smoothie. There are only about 8 grams (g) of sugar in eight medium-sized strawberries, and they pack in a lot of vitamin C.

2. Peaches

Few foods are as delicious as a fresh, late-summer peach. Just ask anyone from Georgia or Palisade, Colorado. Although they taste sweet, a medium-sized peach only contains around 13 g of sugar.

3. Blueberries and Blackberries

Blackberries provide a number of much-needed nutrients to the body, and this means that in moderation, blackberries won’t count against your discretionary sugars.  Indulge in those nutritional, healthy fruits.

4. Honeydew melon

While not everyone loves the taste of honeydew, a slice contains only around 11 grams of digestible sugar. It’s a nice addition to a dinner or fruit salad. Honeydew melon also contains potassium, vitamin C, and iron.

5. Grapefruit

Remember old-time cereal commercials? There always seemed to be a grapefruit on the table as part of a “healthy, balanced breakfast.” Tomorrow morning, cut open a grapefruit, grab your serrated spoon, and you’ll only be consuming 11 g of sugar. 

6. Avocados

Here’s one for the Millennials out there. Avocados are completely sugar-free and go great on toast, tacos, salads, and much more. They are also a good source of healthful fats and fiber.

“Do I Need to Keep My Blood Sugar in Check?”

Many people ask the Five Journeys team if they need to manage their blood sugar beyond eating a generally healthy diet. We know it can take extra energy to check whether a fruit is low-glucose or not. The short answer is that it depends on your current health situation. Sign up for an appointment at our clinic and we can determine what diet is right for you.

However, typical symptoms of high blood sugar include:

• Feeling very tired
• Feeling thirsty
• Having blurry vision
• Needing to urinate (pee) more often

If you’ve noticed these symptoms cropping up, then perhaps you should consider replacing processed sugars with low-glucose fruits. Left unchecked, high blood sugar can lead to diabetes, heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease. Staying in your target sugar intake range can also help improve your energy and mood.

At the end of the day, fruit is healthy. Eating the right fruits in moderation can have noticeable impacts on your health, from mood improvement to weight loss. We know nutrition can be a complicated journey to navigate, but that’s why the team at Five Journeys is here to help. 

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