Many people wonder if bananas are bad for a diabetic.
Well, can diabetics eat fruit? The answer is yes! Please do eat fruit.
Bananas contain sugar; however they also contain vitamins, nutrients, water and fiber – all of which are healthy for everyone, including people with diabetes.
Any food item that contains sugar or carbohydrates will cause a rise in blood sugar. It is normal for blood sugar to rise in this way.
So, yes, bananas will make the blood sugar rise in the short term but that does not make them bad or off limits. Variations in blood sugar are normal and occur in all people, even those without diabetes.
A high saturated fat diet will worsen insulin resistance and make diabetics unable to tolerate carbohydrates, as well. So if a person with diabetes eats a lot of high fat meat, dairy and eggs, their blood sugar will rise more with bananas or any fruit than if they eat a lower saturated fat diet.
If a person with diabetes notices their blood sugar spikes with bananas, pairing the banana with protein and/or unsaturated fat can keep the blood sugar from rising as fast as with the banana alone.
So are bananas bad for a diabetic? No. Can diabetics eat fruit? Yes.
Learn more about diet and insulin resistance on our YouTube videos.