Why Diabetic Patients should not eat Fruits | Does Fruits Increase Blood Sugar

In the previous blog, Correct Diet Plan for Diabetes Reversal | Diet Plan for Diabetics to Lose Weight we discussed about proper diet plan for diabetes reversal.

In today's blog, we will discuss why diabetic patients should not eat fruits.

Many people believe that the consumption of fruits can help in reversing diabetes and many of them believe that one should avoid having fruits in diabetes reversal. So, in today’s blog let’s dig deep to find the real reason, do fruits impact diabetic patients.

To explore the hidden truth, we need to start by analyzing the basic relationship between fruits and diabetes first. As we discussed earlier the major portion of the food is the macronutrients. Macronutrients include Proteins, Fats, and carbohydrates. Inside the body, protein gets converted into amino acids, fats get converted into fatty acids and carbohydrates get converted into sugar. The three main sugars are glucose in grains and pulses, galactose in milk, and fructose in fruits.

Should diabetics eat fruits?

When you have fruits, they get broken down into fructose sugar inside the body. These fructose sugars readily enter the liver from the blood. Fructose does not require insulin as a carrier. Whereas glucose needs insulin as a carrier to get inside the cells. So, when fructose sugar flows into the bloodstream it gets quickly cleared from the blood. In our body liver is the only place where fructose can be broken down for further use, no other cells of the body have the property to break down fructose sugar.

Fruits and blood sugar levels :

The fructose is converted into glucose, glycogen, lactate, and triglycerides inside the liver. 50% of fructose gets converted into glucose. The converted glucose is utilized for the production of energy and the remaining glucose is stored as fats in the liver. Glycogen is stored primarily in the liver and muscles; it cannot be stored in large quantities. Lactate also provides energy but the production and storage of a high amount of lactate in the body is not good. On the other hand, triglycerides are the same thing that is found in a test of total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, etc.

Fruits and insulin resistance :

When triglyceride and fat levels are increased, the fats get stored in the liver cells. The huge amounts of fats get deposited in the liver which leads to fatty liver. The fatty liver of a patient can be detected by ultrasound. This excess deposition of fats in the liver cells leads to insulin resistance when insulin tries to push glucose into the liver cells. This means the intake of a high quantity of fructose triggers insulin resistance and there will be an increase in blood sugar levels.

The entire diabetes reversal program is based on the concept of insulin resistance concept and the food products that are responsible for this occurrence are not suitable for diabetes. So, fruits should not dominate the diabetic diet.

Many people suggest having fruits for patients with diabetes, they believe that fruits do not influence diabetes. GOD-POD (glucose oxidase peroxidase) method is one of the laboratory techniques that is used to estimate the blood glucose level in the blood. A few chemicals are administered to the blood sample to check the change in color of the sample. The denser the color more the amount of glucose present in the blood. This method is for Glucose detection in the blood, not fructose detection in the blood.

As we discussed earlier, fructose is readily absorbed by the liver, and a large quantity of fructose gets converted to fats which can give rise to complications like fatty liver and also can increase the chances of insulin resistance. This insulin resistance is not good for diabetes reversal.

The concept of diabetes reversal and management is a self-management concept and you have to learn self-management by becoming an obedient student first if you are serious about diabetes management. So become a student first, don’t become a blind follower.

You will always be beneficial if you become a student. I was born into a lower-middle-class family. Those days some financial constraints were going on in my family. I still remember, when I was in 11^th or 12^th standard, the size of my footwear was similar to my father's. My father used to bring me new footwear and take old footwear to a cobbler so that he could use them. This situation was not going well. I always wanted to do something big in my life, so that I could pull my family out of the current situation and give them a better life.

I gave medical entrance, but I failed. Later; I joined the pharmacy and after graduation, I got a job in a reputed pharmaceutical company. My job over there was to sell diabetic medicines. I really worked hard at that point of time from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily. As I was in a field job, I needed to visit hospitals, clinics, and shops on a daily basis.

My hard work paid me with the best sales performer. I was awarded with books for my performance. When I read those books I realized, that without self-development one cannot grow in life. I read a lot of books till now. Those days I used to buy books from footpaths they used to sell second-hand books. As I went on reading books more, I enhanced my knowledge and started to grow. This growth brought success and prosperity to my life.

Today I am a successful man this is only because I became a student of many but I didn’t become a blind follower. That’s the point wanted to highlight don’t become a blind follower of one become a student of many, analyze each and every aspect of what would be good for you, and then act accordingly. 10 different forms of advice will be given to you by 10 different persons. Two or three bits of advice may work for you, while the others do not. Follow the advice that is useful to you, so first become a student, which can be a blessing in disguise.

Risk of Eating Fruits for Diabetes

In my opinion, three types of people should avoid fruits during diabetes reversal.

• Overweight Individuals: - Those who are overweight should avoid having fruits because it increases insulin resistance in the body. If you increase the consumption of fruits, in the initial stages you might lose weight but after some time you may start gaining weight.
• High Triglyceride: - Those individuals whose triglyceride levels are high should avoid consuming fruits, as fructose gets converted into triglycerides so it's better to consume fruits in less quantity.
• Fatty liver: - Those who have the problem of fatty liver should avoid consumption of fruits. Fructose can deposit fats in the liver. So, it’s better to avoid fruits if your liver is already fatty.

According to stats more than 70% of death of diabetic patients is due to heart disease. So it is better to take care of our health and keep a close watch on our blood sugar levels.

Till then see you in the next blog, Why Diabetics get High Blood Pressure | Does Salt causes Blood Pressure |