Ritu DubeyIs Banana a Healthy Choice For Diabetics?
Most of my clients who are suffering from diabetes or are insulin resistant always ask this question as they are too scared of eating any fruit as they have fructose in it (sugar from fruits) and think their situation would only get worse. To be honest everyone has a different case and so does their blood sugar levels but one thing is for sure banana is not your enemy.
So, personally I believe you can eat bananas in moderation even though you are diabetic and ofcourse i will tell you why it’s considered as a good food or fruit.
Why Go Bananas?
I have a concept you can eat anything that grows, not talking about human beings or any species that are on the verge of extinction. First of all fruits grow on a tree which should always give them a thumbs up when you think of consuming them. The sugars that are found in them is fructose which is a natural sugar and is not processed like the refined ones. Still if you are diabetic then you can’t overdo it even though its fructose.
Now let’s dig deep for diabetes patients.
When you have diabetes the most important part of your diet is to maintain your blood sugar levels. If you can maintain your blood sugar levels through diet this means you are doing good and don’t have to worry much as in terms of medical complications.
So, how can you maintain blood sugar levels?
Answer is simple: By not eating anything that causes your blood sugar to spike.
Now, let’s talk about bananas. Bananas are easily available in the market, cheap on the pocket and are considered to be healthy fruits but still they are pretty high in carbs and sugar which are the main nutrients that raise blood sugar levels.
Carbs are good but they raise blood sugar
Diabetics need to be aware of the types of carbs they eat on a daily basis . It’s because they raise your blood sugar levels more than any other nutrients.
It doesn’t mean that you can’t have a banana at all, it means you need to monitor your complete diet of the day. If you eat high carbs foods or have constantly high blood sugar levels, both of which are unhealthy.
A medium banana contains almost 30 gms of carbs and 110 calories. These carbs are made up of sugar starch and fiber out of which it is 15 gms of sugar. As bananas contain simple carbs it can cause blood sugar levels to rise more than other nutrients.
Apart from sugar a medium banana also contains 3 gm of fiber. Now irrespective of your diabetes we all should eat enough fiber due to its many health benefits. Though it is also said that people with diabetes should have fiber rich foods as it can slow down the digestion and absorption of carbs in your body which can help to reduce blood sugar spike and can also help in maintaining the blood sugar levels.
Bananas are also low in GI and as stated above, they are a good source of dietary fibers and have a good amount of carbs and sugar which list them in healthy food options. So even when you are diabetic and looking for great health benefits this one is good to go.
