Many people assume that diabetes and watermelon do not go together. However, watermelon diabetes does not have to be an oxymoron. People with diabetes can enjoy fruit including watermelon.
During the summer, diabetic patients may be tempted to eat the fruit that is in season but be unsure of their ability to do so. People with diabetes should consult their doctors or dieticians about questions concerning their diabetic diets.
People may think that fruit is not on diabetes diets. Fruit contains natural sugars that can cause blood sugar levels to spike.
If eaten in moderation in accordance with the person’s diabetic diet, fruit can be a healthy food for people with diabetes. Fruit contains many nutrients that are important for general health.
Watermelon contains vitamin A and vitamin C. Vitamin A is good for the skin and vision. Vitamin C is necessary for cell repair.
For people who follow a carb diet for diabetes, the carbs in watermelon are 11.5 grams for one cup of diced watermelon. A wedge of watermelon that is approximately one-sixteenth of the melon has 21.6 grams of carbs.
If someone with diabetes eats too much fruit or drinks too much fruit juice, the effects can be dangerous. The sugar in the fruit can cause the person’s blood sugar to reach unsafe levels.
Fresh fruit is typically the best choice for having the most nutrients and least impact on blood glucose levels. Fruit juice could be considered the worst form of fruit for diabetes patients.
A small piece of fruit has about fifteen grams of carbs. Fifteen grams of carbs can be in as little as one third cup of fruit juice. When people drink fruit juice, they typically drink a cup or more, so it is easy for someone with diabetes to consume too many carbs with fruit juice.
Canned fruit is a good option if the fruit is canned in natural juices or light syrup. Fifteen carbs of canned fruit is about half a cup.
Dried fruit may be even worse for diabetes patients than fruit juice. Two tablespoons of dried fruit can contain up to fifteen carbs.
If the person is following an exchange list diabetic diet rather than counting carbs for diabetes, the person should follow the guidelines for their meals and include fruit where that option exists.
The dietician can help the person to include fruit in the diabetic diet in healthy ways that will not have a negative impact on the person’s blood glucose level. The dietician may also have diabetic recipes that include fruit.
For people with diabetes who struggle with cravings for candy or other sweets, eating fruit can often decrease these cravings over time. They may find that the cravings increase at times when they are not eating enough fruit.