Which Fruits Are High or Low in Sugar: An Easy Way to Remember
The different sugar content of fruits can be confusing when you are trying to manage your blood glucose. For instance, a half cup of raspberries has a net-carb value of 3.5 grams, but one-half cup of raisins is loaded with just over 60 grams. An easy way to remember whether a particular fruit is generally high or low in sugar content if there are no food charts handy is to think categorically.
Sorting the Fruits
When surveying the array of fruit at a market or the bowls of fruit on a buffet table, the following categories can help you remember whether fruit is in the low, medium or high ballpark of sugar content (per 1/2 cup serving, according to the USDA).
The categories are in order from lowest sugar content to highest.
Berries
As a group, berries are the fruits lowest in sugar, especially the more tart ones such as raspberries, blackberries, and cranberries. Strawberries and blueberries are low to medium in sugar content. Berries are also known for being rich in health-preserving antioxidants.
Spring-Summer Fruits
Peaches, nectarines, melons, apricots - often considered summer fruits - have a low to medium sugar content. Melons include casaba, watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew.
Fall-Winter Fruits
Having a medium to the medium-high amount of sugar is the winter fruits: apples, citrus fruits, plums, and pears. Grapefruit and apples have the lowest sugar level in this category; plums, oranges, kiwi, and pears have more.
Tropical Fruits
Fruits that are caressed by tropical breezes tend to have high sugar content such as pineapple, pomegranates, mangoes, bananas, and fresh figs. Papaya and guava are the least sugary of the tropical fare.
Non-tropical fruits high in sugar are tangerines, cherries, and grapes.
Dried Fruits
All dried fruits have a very high sugar content including dates, apricots, raisins, prunes, and figs. Although dried berries (e.g., blueberries, cranberries) would naturally be less sweet, they are typically processed with added sugar to offset the tart tastes. An alternative to dried fruit is freeze-dried and dehydrated summer fruits, and berries.
Thinking of these categories may help you remember the approximate sugar content of many fruits. Follow your doctor’s or dietician’s guidelines and charts for meal planning whenever possible.
Source: Low Carb Diets
Photo: Pexels
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