It's a myth that diabetics can't eat sweet fruits. Diabetics can eat all types of fruit, including apples, apricots, bananas, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries, dates, figs, grapefruit, pears, tangerines, watermelon and many others, according to the American Diabetes Association. If you monitor your overall carbohydrate intake, it doesn't matter whether the fruits you eat are fresh, frozen or canned, though you should be cautious if the manufacturer added sugar.
Function
Diabetics monitor their blood sugar levels to ensure they stay within a safe range. In people who don't have diabetes, insulin performs this role by transporting glucose from the bloodstream to various blood cells, where it serves as an energy source. Diabetics, however, either have insufficient insulin or their insulin fails to transport the proper amount of glucose.
Effects
When the digestive system encounters carbohydrates, it converts them to glucose. If diabetics eat too many carbohydrates, their body can't handle the rapid influx of glucose, so their blood sugar levels increase more rapidly than they would in a healthy person. If you have diabetes, you might experience no symptoms, or you might experience an increased need to urinate, excessive thirst, extreme hunger, unexplained weight loss, sudden vision changes or other symptoms.
Significance
Diabetics only have to worry about the total amount of carbohydrates they take in, not what type. Typically, so long as you monitor your overall intake so that you don't rapidly increase the amount of carbohydrates your body must handle, you should be safe. For example, half a medium banana, 1/2 cup of cubed mango, 1 1/4 cup of cubed watermelon and 3/4 cup of cubed pineapple all contain roughly 15 g of carbohydrates, according to MayoClinic.com.
Considerations
Talk to your doctor about how many carbohydrates you should eat, as well as how to monitor your blood sugar level before and after your meals to stay healthy. Typically, your doctor will tell you how many carbohydrates you can have in a day -- which depends on your type of diabetes and overall health -- as well as how to space your meals effectively. If you eat fruit cocktails or canned fruits, avoid products with sugary syrups. Instead, choose fruits packed in their own juices or in water. Also, dried fruits might not be as filling -- they lack the moisture content of fresh fruit -- so fresh fruits are a better option if you're looking for a healthy snack that will satiate you.
