Are Sugars In Fruits Bad For You
No, says Hartung. Most fruits have a low glycemic index due to the amount of fiber they contain, and their sugar is mostly fructose. That means theyre less likely to wreak havoc on your blood sugar than, say, a bag of gummy worms. Most fruit is also filled with fiber, which helps you to feel fuller for longerit could help prevent you from overeating.
Another bonus: Fruits are filled with disease-fighting antioxidants, water, vitamins, and nutrients, which make them a much healthier choice than any candy bar, cookie, or processed snack, Hartung adds. As with everything, though, fruit should be enjoyed in moderation.
Highest Amount Of Sugar Per Serving
Please remember that the above gives an accurate value in 100g for high sugar foods in your diet. For example 100g of Cherries, sweet, raw contains 12.82 g of sugar. However, there are other factors to consider when you are assessing your nutritional requirements. You should also take into account portion sizes when you are considering the sugar nutritional content.
The food with the highest sugar content per typical serving is Cherries, sour, red, canned, heavy syrup pack, solids and liquids which contains 56.76 g in 1 cup . The percentage of the recommended daily value for this serving is 63 %. For this serving the Calories content is 232.96 kcal, the Protein content is 1.87 g, the Fat content is 0.26 g and the Carbohydrate content is 59.57 g.
What Are The Five Best Fruits For Diabetics
With That Cleared Up, Heres 5 of the Best Fruits for Diabetics
- Avocados. Not only are avocados delicious but theyre also an ideal fruit to consume for diabetics.
- Berries. Thats right, whether its blueberries, raspberries or strawberries, they are all low in glycaemic index!
- Apples.
- Cherries.
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Which Fruits Are High In Sugar
Anything dried boasts the highest sugar content in fruit, especially cranberries, raisins, dates, and figs, says Laura Hartung, MA, RD, LDN, CPT.
See our chart of sugar content in fruit
Compare the dried version to a raw fruit and youll be amazed by the difference in sugar content. Dried pears, for instance, contain a whopping 112 g of sugar in one cup. The same amount of raw Bartlett pears contains a fraction of that14g. One cup of packed golden raisins has 108 g of sugar, while the same amount of red or green grapes contain 23 g of sugar.
DIABETICS BEWARE
Diabetics need to count their carbohydrate content at each meal and know the amount of sugar and carbs in the fruits they consume, says Laura Hartung, MA, RD, LDN, CPT. Women diabetics need to limit their carbohydrate intake to 30 to 45g of carbs per meal. Male diabetics need to limit their carb intake to 45 to 60 g of carbs per meal. One cup of mashed banana contains 51 g of carbs, for instance, while a cup of red or green grapes has 27 g.
Tropical fruits pineapple, bananas, and pomegranates also contain higher amounts of sugar, Hartung says. One cup of pineapple, for instance, contains 16 g of sugar while the same amount of banana contains almost 28g. Other foods that top the highest-sugar-conten-in-fruit list: cherries , grapes , mangoes , lychees and passion fruit .
Which Fruits Are Not Good For Diabetics

Dried fruits are probably the worst type for diabetics. The reason? The sugar content in fruits like these is concentrated. Consuming even a small amount could put a diabetic way over on his or her carbohydrate and sugar goals. People with diabetes need to eat a heart-healthy, carbohydrate-controlled meal plan, Hartung says. Fruits are a part of that heart healthy eating because they are full of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. When choosing a fruit, diabetics should opt for those with low to moderate amounts of sugar.
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Which Fruits Have The Least Sugar
These low sugar fruits are tasty options that offer the benefits of eating fruit without the hefty sugar content.
- Avocados. One cup of pureed California avocados boasts a mere 0.69 g of sugar.
- Limes. One fruit has just over a gram of sugar.
- Berries. Raspberries , blackberries , and strawberries are low sugar fruits. Another bonus: Theyre loaded with antioxidantscancer-fighting plant chemicals, says Hartung.
- Plantains. One cup of fried plantains contain 4 g of sugar. If you boil them, it drops to 3g.
- Clementines. One fruit has 7 g of sugar.
- Lemons. One cup has just 5 g.
- Pears. One small Asian pear has 9 g of sugar.
- Watermelon. One cup of watermelon balls has 10 g of sugar.
- Apples. One cup of Granny Smith apples contains just over 10g of sugar.
Different Ways To Consume Cherries For Diabetes
Cherries are very versatile and can be incorporated into different dishes easily. There are many ways to enjoy cherries if you have diabetes. Here are a few ideas:
- Munch a handful of them fresh.
- Add them to your breakfast cereal or oatmeal.
- Top your yoghurt with a handful of cherries.
- Enjoy a small bowl of cherry pie for dessert.
- Make a fruit salad with cherries, apples, and oranges.
- Mix up some dried cherries with dark chocolate chips and salted almonds as a snack.
- Mix some tart cherry juice with sparkling water and a lemon wedge for a refreshing mocktail.
- Add fresh or dried cherries to sugar-free ice creams.
- Make salsa with minced cherries and herbs like basil.
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Ordinary Fruits With Amazing Health Benefits
Courtney Darsa, RDN, CDCES, a certified diabetes care and education specialist in New York City, recommends combining cherries with nuts for a fiber, protein, and fat combination thats satiating. Whats more, the vitamin C in the cherries will help your body better absorb the iron in the nuts, she says.
If cherries arent in season, you can still enjoy sweet cherries by buying them frozen. Pour some into a small bowl and eat them as you would frozen berries. You can also cook frozen cherries down into a no-sugar added sauce to top ice cream, yogurt, pancakes, and even meat .
Tart cherries are available dried , as preserves , frozen , or as juice .
Fruits High In Carbohydrates
According to Diabetes UK, the amount of carbs a person eats has the most impact on their blood sugar levels.
If a person is following a low carb diet, they should identify which carbs they are eating that are low in nutrients or unhealthy in other ways and cut those out first. Fresh fruit carries many health benefits, so it may not be first on the list.
This table outlines the carb content in several fruits compared with other high carb foods:
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that drinking fruit juice during a meal or on its own quickly raises a persons blood sugar levels.
However, the combination of fiber and simple sugars in fruit slows the absorption of sugar into the blood when a person eats whole fruits.
A 2013 research paper looked at how fruit consumption affects the likelihood that a person will develop type 2 diabetes.
The results showed that people who consumed more whole fruit were less likely to develop the condition. People who drank larger amounts of fruit juice were more likely to develop the condition.
A 2017 study had similar results. The researchers found that fresh fruit consumption reduced a persons risk of developing type 2 diabetes. They also found that people with diabetes who ate fresh fruit regularly had a lower risk of developing cardiovascular conditions or dying.
A person can also include dried fruit in their diet, as long as it was not dried with added sugar.
- packed in its own juices
- unsweetened
- no added sugar
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How Many Servings Of Fruit Should You Eat Per Day
Smith usually recommends getting in 2-3 servings of fruit per day, and keeping it to a serving at a time.
And yes, that goes for smoothies as well. “Smoothies can be large whacks of carbs and sugar, especially if there’s no protein or healthy fat that acts similarly to fiber to slow digestion and prevent blood sugar from spiking,” she says.
As far as sugary fruits go? You can still eat the exceptionally sweet ones, but Smith recommends you eat these in smaller portions and pair them with extra fiber, a healthy fat like peanut butter, or protein such as a scoop of plant-based protein powder or Greek yogurt to slow digestion and blunt the sugar spike.
Total Sugar: 1 cup, chopped, 29.3 gFiber: 5.2 g
While you may only know this sweet fruit from its inclusion in the famous Fig Newton cookies, you’ll have to eat the fruit rawand without the coating of sugar and flourto best reap the health-protective benefits such as its high fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and vitamins A, E, and K contents. Figs also contain prebiotics, which help support the pre-existing good bacteria in the gut, improving digestive wellness. But because of their high sugar content, be sure to enjoy by eating only one or two whole ones at a time. Try wrapping figs in prosciutto and adding a dollop of goat cheese. Both the meat and the cheese have extra protein to help fill you up so you don’t feel the need to keep munching.
Total Sugar: 1 cup, 23.4 gFiber: 1.4 g
Total Sugar: 1 cup, 14.7 gFiber: 3.6 g
The 10 Fruits With High Sugar Take Them Sparingly
The diet that we currently follow contains more and more nutrients and substances that are not very beneficial for our health. One of the biggest excesses that we usually do is the consumption of fruits with high sugar.
It is useless to eliminate sugary products from the diet if we end up replacing them with a large amount of very sweet fruit that also contains sugar. Keep in mind that the fruit, although it is more natural, can also increase the level of blood sugar, something that must be controlled whether we want to lose weight, or if we have an important metabolic disease such as diabetes.
According to the recommendations of nutritionists, endorsed by the WHO , you must take a minimum of 3 to 4 daily fruits within a healthy and balanced diet to provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients. But it is also important to limit the consumption of sugar and for this it is worth to know the fruits with high sugar.
Contents
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Is Fruit Sugar Good For You
Countless studies have found that increased fruit consumption, regardless of the fruit’s sugar content, is tied to lower body weight and a lower risk of obesity-associated diseases.
Experts believe it’s because when you eat whole fruits, you’re also getting plenty of fiber. And this fiber helps you feel full while slowing the digestion of the fruit’s sugar .
On the other hand, refined sugars are just empty carbs that lack these healthy nutrients, which is the reason why they’re metabolized quickly, lack the ability to make you feel full, and contribute to weight gain.
Highest Sugar Content Per 100g

Using the list below for the 11 different cherries nutrition entries in our database, the highest amount of sugar is found in Cherries, sour, red, canned, heavy syrup pack, solids and liquids which contains 22.17 g of sugar per 100g. The associated percentage of RDA is 25 %. For this 100g serving the Calories content is 91 kcal, the Protein content is 0.73 g, the Fat content is 0.1 g, the Carbohydrate content is 23.27 g.
The lowest amount of sugar in 100g is in Cherries, sour, red, canned, water pack, solids and liquids which contains 7.6 g. This gives as percentage of the recommended daily allowance 8 % of the RDA. For this 100g serving the amount of Calories is 36 kcal, the amount of Protein is 0.77 g, the amount of Fat is 0.1 g, the amount of Carbohydrate is 8.94 g.
The difference between the highest and lowest values gives a sugar range of 14.57 g per 100g. The range for the other nutrients are as follows 55 kcal for Calories, 0.04 g for Protein, 0 g for Fat, 0 g for Carbohydrate.
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May Lower Risk Of Cancer
The rich color in cherries comes from anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants that help the body mitigate potentially cancer-causing oxidative damage. Cherries also have vitamin C, which may be associated with a lower risk of lung cancer in people who smoke.
In addition, the fiber in cherries is known to protect against colon cancer. Including cherries and other fruits and vegetables in your meal plan is a good step towards reducing the risk of several forms of cancer.
Can Cherries Help You Lose Weight
weight loss dietKirby Walter, RDN Journal of Nutrition
Additional characteristics make fresh cherries weight loss friendly. Cherries are a wonderful food to include if youre trying to lose weight, as theyre pretty low in calories and sugar, are a low-glycemic fruit to help with blood sugar regulation, taste like a treat, says Walter.
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Is Natural Fruit High In Sugar
The sugar content of fruit is a very small part of its overall sweetness. In comparison with other sweet fruits, mango and watermelon have relatively high sugar levels. The sugar content of fruit tends to vary from person to person depending on the type of fruit. Many people, especially those with diabetes, are potential consumers of fruit.
Cherries For Diabetes: How Cherries May Help Manage Diabetes
1. A Powerhouse of Antioxidants: Cherries are loaded with a variety of antioxidants, some of which are anti diabetic in nature. According to the book, ‘Healing Foods’, by DK Publishing “tart cherries may be useful in treating diabetes. Their abundant antioxidant anthocyanins can increase insulin production, helping regulate blood sugar levels”
Anthocyanins occur naturally in cherries, and are a reason behind the fruit’s bright red hue. Other fruits that are rich in anthocyanins are blueberries, strawberries and grapes. A research study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, isolated several anthocyanins from cherries, testing them on insulin-producing pancreatic cells taken from rodents. The findings revealed that the cells of the rodents pumped up their insulin production by 50% when exposed to the anthocyanins.
2. Rich in Fibre: Cherries are rich in fibre and around ten cherries will provide the body with 1.4 grams of fibre, which is nearly 10 percent of an adult’s RDA . Fibre delays digestion, it does not allow the sugar to get metabolised quickly and cause a surge in blood sugar levels.
The glycaemic index of cherry is very low
How to eat cherries to manage diabetes?
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Fruits That Will Raise Your Blood Sugar The Most
Just because a type of fruit is on this list does not mean you cant eat it. However, when choosing the fruits on this list, its important to keep an eye on just how much youre eating.
In general, if youre trying to avoid fruits that contain the most carbohydrates that will impact your blood sugar, aim for berries of all kinds!
Here are 5 fruits to eat with careful consideration and extra attention to your blood sugar:
Is The Sugar In Fruit The Same As Added Sugar
Superficially, it could make sense if you were to look at certain fruits’ nutrition labels, they may boast over 20 grams of sugar.
But this sugar isn’t the same as the kind that’s used in candy bars and ice cream. Isabel Smith, MS, RD, CDN, founder of Isabel Smith Nutrition, and New York City-based celebrity dietitian and fitness expert, weighs in: “It’s key to look at added sugars differently than sugar in fruit.”
“In fruit, we’re getting so much more nutrition ,” she adds. Fruit also comes with free-radical-fighting antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, water, and fiber. This total package is what makes eating fruit so good for you.
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Can Individuals Living With Diabetes Eat Cherries
If you are living with diabetes, its important to keep your blood glucose levels within the limits suggested by your doctor. One way to do that is to monitor your intake of carbohydrates.
Healthy sources of dietary carbs include nonstarchy vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans. Cherries are an option, but its important to monitor your portion size.
According to The British Diabetic Association, a small portion is 14 cherries . Since different people have different tolerances to carbohydrates, consider testing your blood glucose level before and after trying cherries for the first time.
While cherries contain nutrients and fiber that make them a nutritious choice for most diets, if youre living with diabetes, part of managing your symptoms is watching your intake of carbs and sugars.
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Other Benefits Of Cherries

Cherries offer anti-inflammatory properties due to a high concentration of polyphenols and vitamin C. These substances make pro-inflammatory factors inactive and help reduce inflammatory biomarkers. In addition, the polyphenols in cherries are potent antioxidants. They protect against metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Other health benefits of eating cherries are:
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