Can A Diabetic Eat Apple?

Introduction

“An Apple A Day Keeps Doctor Away”: this proverb is true for diabetics. Apples are highly nutritious, convenient to eat, and delicious fruit. They provide a wide range of health benefits to a person. The sweetness in the apple is different from the sugar present in the junk foods. This article tells you how does apple impact blood sugar levels in the body and the right way to incorporate them in the diet if you are a diabetic.

Can A Diabetic Eat Apple

Nutritional Value

A single apple of medium size is a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and various types of antioxidants. Here is the breakdown of the nutrition contained in the apple.

  • water: 155 grams
  • protein: 0.46 grams
  • energy: 95 calories
  • fat: 0.30 grams
  • carbohydrate: 25.10 grams that includes 18.90 grams of sugar
  • fiber: 4.4 grams
  • calcium: 11.00 milligrams
  • iron: 0.21 milligrams
  • magnesium: 8.89 milligrams
  • phosphorus: 19 milligrams
  • potassium 193 milligrams
  • sodium: 2 milligrams
  • zinc: 0.06 milligrams
  • vitamin C: 8.2 milligrams
  • vitamins A, K, and E
  • various B vitamins, that includes 5 micrograms of folate.

How apples can impact diabetes?

A good source of Carbs, and Fiber

For diabetics, it is important to restrict on the carbohydrate consumption. Apples are a rich source of fiber, antioxidants, vitamin C that aids you feel fuller without eating loads of calories. The high content of water, fiber, and nutrients makes a person to feel full after eating a whole apple.

Vitamins C and A acts as potential antioxidants that lowers the chances of inflammation in the body. Presence of specific forms of flavonoids, like quercetin helps in enhancement of glucose in the blood. All such factors make this superfood a healthy snack between your meals.

Fiber reduces the pace at which carbohydrates gets digested and absorbed by the body. It prevents them to abruptly raise the blood sugar levels. Presence of these fiber help in stabilization of sugar level in the blood.

Apples Lowers Insulin Resistance

When you eat apples regularly, then it lowers “insulin resistance”, in the body. This helps in keeping the levels of blood sugar within limits. The polyphenols present in apples that are present in its skin, boosts the pancreas to secrete insulin and assist cells to take in more sugar.

Apples Mildly Impact Blood Sugar Levels

Though apple contains sugar, but it is present in the form of “fructose”. When fructose gets consumed raw, and as a whole fruit, then it mildly impacts the sugar levels in the blood. The fiber present in apples delays its digestion and absorption. Slow release of fructose in the blood prevents drastic increase in blood sugar levels.

Polyphenols, that are plant-based compounds even assist in reducing the rate of the digestion of carbohydrates. Apple is a food that exhibits low glycemic index that also aids in bringing down the sugar levels in bloodstream.

Lower Chances of Diabetes

Studies reveal that people who ate one apple a day had a 28 percentage less risks than the ones who didn’t ate it. Apples contains a wide range of diabetic friendly antioxidants that prevents specific types of chemical reactions in the body that are harmful for the health of a diabetic person. In addition to it, these antioxidants also aid your body by destroying harmful free radicals and protecting the body from severe diseases.

A Rich Source Of Antioxidants

Apple contains good amounts of antioxidants that helps people in diabetes. Some of these antioxidants are as follows:

  • Quercetin: Reduces carb digestion and prevents sudden increase in blood sugar
  • Chlorogenic acid: Aids in efficient use of sugar in the fruit
  • Phlorizin: Reduces the speed of absorption of sugar and lowers sugar levels in blood

Useful tips to include apples in your meal

To get the best results from this nutritious food, a diabetic need to learn the right way to include it in the meal plan. These are as follows:

  • Eat it as a whole without removing the skin and cutting into small pieces
  • Avoid consuming it in the form of apple juice as you miss out on fiber. Also, the juice that you get in packaged form has a lot of sugar in it. Choose to eat it raw and “whole”.
  • Limit the serving size: It is advised to restrict your daily consumption to only one apple to prevent glycemic load on the body

Conclusion

Apples contain carbohydrates, but when they are consumed as a whole, they have a very less impact on the blood sugar levels of a diabetic. That makes them a healthy addition to the diet.