Glucose is a type of simple sugar carbohydrate found naturally in a variety of foods, including fruit, milk and yogurt. You might also find glucose in processed foods. Your body uses glucose as its primary source of energy. During digestion, all sugar carbs and starch carbs that you ingest convert to individual glucose molecules. Grapes contain glucose and other types of sugar.
Nutrition Facts
One cup of raw grapes contains approximately 10.87 g of glucose, 12.28 g of the sugar fructose and 0.23 g of the sugar sucrose. If you're counting all carbs -- sugar, starch and fiber -- one cup of grapes includes a total of about 25 g of carbs, including 1.4 g of fiber. Grapes do not contain any starch.
Blood Glucose
Glucose is the simplest form of sugar. When you digest your food, all sugar and starch carbs convert to glucose molecules. Fiber carbs are not converted into glucose, but rather, they pass through your body undigested. In the case of grapes, all 23.38 g of total sugar carbs will turn into glucose molecules. Once carbs are broken down into glucose, they are absorbed into your bloodstream, causing your blood glucose levels to rise.
Carb Intake
According to MayoClinic.com, 45 percent to 65 percent of your total caloric intake should come from carbs. This means that based on a 2,000-calorie diet, you should consume about 225 g to 325 g of total carbohydrate daily. Focus on fulfilling your carbohydrate needs by eating whole foods -- such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains -- rather than processed foods that contain added glucose. Grapes, like all fruits, contain naturally-occurring glucose, so they can healthfully be incorporated into your balanced diet.
Fiber
Fiber helps lower your blood glucose levels, as well as your blood pressure and cholesterol. Grapes provide a glucose comparable to those in other fruits, but falls short when it comes to fiber. For example, cherries and blueberries have about the same amount of glucose as grapes, yet both cherries and blueberries have more than twice as much fiber. One cup of grapes contains 10.87 g of glucose and 1.4 g of fiber; one cup of cherries with pits contains 9.09 g of glucose and 2.9 g of fiber; and one cup of blueberries contains 7.22 g of glucose and 3.6 g of fiber. Men should consume about 28 to 34 g of fiber per day, while women should consume about 22 to 28 g daily.
References
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Carbohydrates
- MayoClinic.com; "Nutrition and Healthy Eating -- Glycemic Index Diet: Losing Weight with Blood Sugar Control"; Nov. 24, 2009
- United States Department of Agriculture: Nutrient Database
- MayoClinic.com; "Nutrition and Healthy Eating -- Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork with these Nutrition Guidelines"; February 22, 2011
- MayoClinic.com; "Nutrition and Healthy Eating -- Dietary Fiber: Essential For A Healthy Diet"; November 17, 2009
