Can Diabetics Eat Grapefruit

Fruits are a great source of vitamin C and in particular grapefruits. However, as much as grapefruit is packed with essential nutrients in the body, as a diabetic and under medication you should ensure that you avoid eating this particular fruit without consulting with your doctor. Grapefruit has a negative reaction to most medication, on the other hand, if you are under no medication then you can eat grapefruit, just ensure you don’t take too much of it since it can cause your blood sugar levels to increase.

Carbohydrate content

Grapefruit has 15 grams per serving of carbohydrate and it should b included as part of your meal. On a closer view, a whole small grapefruit contains a similar amount of carbohydrates as that found in a small apple or a pear. To be safe you have to ensure that you monitor your blood sugar levels every now and then just to ensure that you keep it under control. It is advised that you should avoid drinking grape juice since it has high carbohydrates per serving and has no fiber

Glycemic Index

On a scale of 0-100 grapefruit has a glycemic index of 25. Anything below 55 is considered as a low glycemic index this being a clear indication that on eating grapefruits you have less to worry about a sharp increase in your blood sugar levels. In comparison to other sources of carbohydrates such as potatoes and bread, it is safe to eat grapefruits since it won’t have an increase in blood sugar levels.

Medication interactions

The only drawback in including grapefruit as part of your diabetic diet is due to its interactions with most of the drugs used to control blood cholesterol, blood pressure or depression. The chemistry and biology behind this is the fact that both raw grapes and juice has a substance that affects the normal functioning of an enzyme in your body that controls the amount of the medication absorbed into the bloodstream. You shouldn’t eat grapefruits when under the following medications: statins, benzodiazepines and calcium blocker category drugs.

Alternatives

If you are taking the above-mentioned medications there are other better alternatives that would have any negative interactions with your medication. To begin with, ensure that you also avoid taking pomelos and their juice since it will have a similar reaction to grapefruit. As alternatives, you should eat citrus fruits such as clementines, oranges, and tangerines ensuring that you consume them fresh and not their juice. It is also safe to eat plums, strawberries, kiwifruits, blueberries, and raspberries all which have a low glycemic index.

Grapefruit Benefits for Diabetics

Since ancient days, people have always tried to find solutions to their problems. Some of these old solutions range from funny to effective like there are those who believed piercing your head when you have a headache will help cure a headache. Well, it is the latest solutions we are concerned with where it has been discovered that grapefruits can help you keep your blood sugar level under control while diabetic and in some cases can even reduce the risk of being diabetic in the first place.

Grapefruit has a lot of benefits in relation to a diabetic. In the first place, the major reason as to why one is diagnosed with diabetes is due to the rise in their blood sugar levels. This may happen due to various reasons with the major one increasing in insulin resistance. After being diagnosed with diabetes on then should ensure they keep monitoring their blood sugar levels and eat foods that are low in carbohydrates. Grapefruits in particular not only provide the body with the much-needed carbohydrates but also increase glucose sensitivity in the cells and also reduce insulin resistance. This in return helps stave off some of the symptoms associated with diabetes and as a diabetic you surely need that.

If you are diabetic or at the risk of contracting diabetes, you can ensure that you stay safe by shedding off some weight. Shedding weight may stave off diabetes or if you already have diabetes this can helps reduce effects associated with its symptoms. As a health benefit, grapefruits can actually help you lose weight which will in return help reduce the risk of contracting other diseases such as stroke, high blood pressure or even heart conditions.

As seen, grapefruit is associated with a lot of health benefits to the diabetics. You can lose weight, reduce the risk of getting high blood pressure and other heart conditions, at the same time increase your glucose sensitivity. Even better, grapefruits are very cheap and you can get a big bunch at only a few dollars, they are somewhat perishable but there is an option to freeze them. Finally, grapefruits season run from October to June, that’s over 8 months.