All foods containing carbohydrates can elevate your blood glucose levels. Both starches and sugars are broken down into glucose and result in an increase in your blood sugar levels after a meal. However, fiber, which is also part of the total carbohydrates, does not elevate your blood glucose. This is why calculating the available carbohydrate content, or net carbs, will give you a more precise idea of how much a food can influence your blood sugar levels. All fruits contain carbohydrates and fiber, but their net carb content will determine to what extent they can elevate your blood sugar levels.
Berries
Berries are some of the fruits that raise your blood glucose the least, because of their low net carb content. You can calculate net carbs by subtracting the grams of dietary fibers from the grams of total carbs. For example, 1 cup of raspberries provides 14.7 g of carbs and 8 g of fiber, for a total of 6.7 g of net carbs; 1 cup of strawberries contains 11.7 g of carbs and 3 g of fiber, or 8.7 g of net carbs; and 1 cup of blueberries have 21.5 g of carbs and 3.6 g of fiber, or about 17.9 g of net carbs. The more net cabs a serving of fruits contain, the higher the rise in your blood glucose.
Apple, Pears and Plums
A large apple contains 30.8 g of carbs and 5.4 g of fiber, or 25.4 g of net carbs; a medium pear provides 27.5 g of carbs and 5.5 g of fiber, or 22 g of net carbs; and a plum contains 7.5 g of carbs and 0.9 g of fiber, which corresponds to 6.6 g of net carbs. Generally, the larger the serving of fruit you eat, the more it will elevate your blood glucose.
Citrus
An orange usually contains about 15.4 g of carbs and 3.1 g of fiber, or the equivalent of 12.3 g of net carbs, and a whole grapefruit provides 26.2 g of carbs and 3.9 g of fiber, which corresponds to 22.3 g of net carbs. Fruit juices can result in large rises in your blood sugar levels, because the carbs are concentrated and most of the fiber removed. For example, a serving of 8 oz. of unsweetened orange juice has 28.7 g of carbs and only 0.7 g of fiber. Because it is a lot easier and faster to drink orange juice than to peel and eat an orange, most people drink 12 to 16 oz. of orange juice at the time, which can result in a large rise in your blood glucose. Avoid juices and large servings of fruits if you have diabetes or reactive hypoglycemia and need to control your blood sugar levels.
Tropical Fruits
A large banana contains about 34.7 g of carbs and 4 g of fiber, or 30.7 g of net carbs; 1 cup of pineapple chunks has 21.7 g of carbs and 2.3 g of fiber, or 19.4 g of net carbs; and 1 cup of papaya pieces provides 15.7 g of carbs and 2.5 g of fiber, or 13.2 g of net carbs. The larger your serving, the more your blood glucose will rise after eating fruits.
Melons
Melons contain fewer carbohydrates than most fruits and do not raise your blood glucose as much as tropical fruits. For example, 1 cup of watermelon contains 11.6 g of carbs and 0.6 g of fiber, or 11 g of net carbs; 1 cup of honeydew melon has 16.1 g of carbs and 1.4 g of fiber, or 14.7 g of net carbs; and 1 cup of cantaloupe contains 14.4 g of carbs, 1.6 g of fiber and 12.8 g of net carbs.
Dried Fruits
Eating a significant amount of dried fruits at once can cause your blood glucose to raise high quite quickly because they are a concentrated source of carbs. For example, a small box of raisins, or about 1.5 oz., contains 34 g of carbs and 1.6 g of fiber, for a total of 32.4 g of net carbs; 1/3 cup of dried cranberries has 32.9 g of carbs and 2.3 g of fiber, or about 30.6 g of net carbs; and 1 cup of dried apple rings has 56.7 g of carbs and 7.5 g of fiber, which corresponds to 49.2 g of net carbs.
