Can a diabetic eat cherries?
Yes. A diabetic can eat cherries as they are rich in fibre, vitamin C, Potassium etc. However, eating cherries can lead to high blood sugar levels. To reduce the risk of blood sugar spikes, a diabetic can eat cherries in small portions only. In summary, a diabetic can enjoy a small portion of tasty, nutritional and healthful cherries as part of diabetic meal without fear of complications.
What is glycaemic index (GI) of Cherries?
Cherries have a glycaemic index of 62. Experts consider 62 as medium GI. This means eating cherries do not led to extremely high blood sugar levels but can shoot up blood sugar levels to some extent. Hence a diabetic must eat cherries only in small portions.
Are cherries good for diabetics?
It is interesting to know the nutritional benefits of cherries that also make a delicious treat for a hungry person. Cherries are rich in fibre, minerals and vitamins. For example, cherries can give you Potassium, Calcium, Folic acid, vitamin A and vitamin C. Cherries are not high in carbohydrates.
Based on the above it seems like dark sweet cherries are healthful. One cup of cherries can have around 90 calories and 3 gm fibre. Cherries also offer many anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. A diabetic can reduce cardiovascular risk by eating cherries regularly. Moreover, cherries provide you with many more health benefits.
Some studies say cherries help to lower blood sugar. They go further and say cherries may in future be part of diabetic treatment. Cherries contain Anthocyanins – chemicals that boost insulin and regulate blood sugar levels.
How many cherries can a diabetic eat in a day?
There are many variations of answers for this question. For example, someone says a diabetic can eat 14 cherries a day while others say 21 cherries a day. Moreover, different people experience different levels of blood sugar spikes after eating cherries.
So, the best thing a diabetic can do is try out eating a cup of cherries and check blood sugar levels before and after eating cherries. Based on what you find after testing blood sugar levels using a blood glucose meter, you can decide how many cherries you can eat. The bottom line is your blood sugar levels should not spike much after eating cherries.
