Diabetics Can Eat These 4 Dried Fruits

Highlights:

People with diabetes can enjoy dried fruits such as dates, apricots, raisins and sultanas
These four dried fruits have a lower glycemic index (GI) than white bread
Diabetics can now use dried fruits as a low glycemic index food source to replace higher glycemic index foods

Dried fruits such as dates, apricots, raisins, and sultanas have a lower glycemic index (GI) than white bread, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Nutrition and Diabetes.//

People with diabetes and followers of diets based on the glycemic index (GI) can enjoy dried fruits knowing they do not cause a blood sugar spike compared to starchy foods such as white bread, suggests a new study.

Health Benefits of Dried Fruit
Fruits like grapes, plums are dehydrated to give raisins and prunes. With water being removed, dried fruits are packed with nutrients having many health benefits as will be discussed in this article.

‘Can people with diabetes eat dry fruits? Yes, eating dried fruits such as dates, apricots, raisins, and sultanas can be good for diabetics, as they have a lower glycemic index (GI) than white bread, reveals a new study.’
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The results of the study also suggest there's potential for food manufacturers to develop low GI foods with reformulations that include dried fruit, said Dr. John Sievenpiper of Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital and researcher Cyril Kendall of the hospital's Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre.

The glycemic index was developed by Dr. David Jenkins of St. Michael's Hospital in the early 1980s as a way of explaining how different carbohydrates affect blood glucose and to find out which foods were best for people with diabetes.

Foods high on the GI index -- such as white bread, most breakfast cereals, potatoes and rice -- produce a spike in blood glucose and insulin, while the carbohydrates in low GI foods -- including pasta, beans, lentils and certain whole grains such as barley and oats - are broken down more slowly, and cause more moderate increases in blood glucose and insulin.

Dried Fruits Equivalent to Fresh Fruits: Report
Health researchers presented their views recommending that food policy makers should consider dried fruits equal to fresh fruits in dietary recommendations around the world.

Details of the Study

This study compared the glycemic response of four dried fruits -- dates, apricots, raisins, and sultanas -- versus white bread in 10 healthy participants and found the fruit had a lower GI and could lower the glycemic response of white bread through displacement of half of the available carbohydrate.

Dates: Nutritious Desert Fruit with Health Benefits
Dates are a healthy fruit with a sweet and delicious taste. Date fruit contains nutrients such as vitamins and minerals with natural sugar which keep us energetic and healthy.

"People often worry about sources of sugar and fruits being one of them, but most fruit -- in particular tender fruit -- have a low glycemic index and what we're showing here is dried fruits also have a lower glycemic index, so they don't raise your blood sugar very much," said Dr. Sievenpiper.

Findings of the Study

Health Benefits of Apricot - Nutritional Values, Recipes
Apricot fruit provides numerous health benefits for various medical conditions including severe disorders such as diabetes and diseases like cancer.

"This study finds people can use dried fruits as a low glycemic index food source to replace higher glycemic index foods, so as a snack food, for example. Dried fruit is going to be preferred to a grain-based cracker or snack."

Dr. Sievenpiper said longer and larger randomized trials will be needed to confirm whether dried fruit can contribute to sustainable improvements in glycemic control and whether other dried fruits have a similar GI.

Source-Eurekalert