Can a diabetic eat blueberries?
A diabetic can eat blueberries as part of a balanced diabetic meal. Some experts say blueberries are healthful for diabetics. Blueberries are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and fibre and have low glycaemic index (GI). This means blueberries provide you with great nutrition but do not cause sudden blood sugar spikes.
A medium size cup of blueberries gives you 62 calories and just 16 gm carbohydrates.
Do blueberries have a lot of sugar?
Blueberries relatively have higher sugar content than other berries. For example, a cup of blueberries has about 21 gm of sugar. A cup of blueberries also has about 21 gm carbs and 3.6 gm fibre.
A diabetic need not be too worried about higher sugar content in blueberries. Even though they have higher sugar, blueberries also have great nutrients, antioxidants and fibre.
Do blueberries raise blood sugar levels?
No. Blueberries do not seriously raise blood sugar levels. Many fruits do raise blood sugar levels, but blueberries do not. Firstly, blueberries have a low glycaemic index (GI). Secondly, blueberries are rich in Anthocyanins. The presence of high levels of anthocyanins means you take much longer to digest food. These reasons explain why blueberries do not led to blood sugar spikes.
How many blueberries should I eat a day?
If you are wondering how many blueberries a diabetic can eat in a day, the answer is around ¾ cup. Such portion control will help prevent serious spikes in blood sugar levels.
As blueberries are sweet and delicious treat, it is often possible that we lose count while eating. It is true that there is no serious harm if you overeat a few extra blueberries. However, experts say eating about a cup of blueberries daily will help reduce cardiovascular risk by 15% or so.
Now the question arises if one can overeat blueberries. The truth is you do not have to overeat blueberries. If you have too many blueberries, you can freeze them for later. Blueberries generally freeze very well if you spread them nicely. You can use them later when fresh blueberries are not available in the market.
