Fruits and berries have natural sugars in varying amounts, and these can impact your blood glucose. Without sacrificing the health benefits of fresh produce, understand how the natural fruit sugars in blueberries will impact your blood glucose so you can maintain your target readings while enjoying blueberries with a meal or snack. Pair them with foods that help reduce the glucose impact for the most protection against rapid glucose increases.
Carbohydrate Content
Your body creates glucose from the carbohydrates that you eat and delivers the glucose to your cells for energy. Excess glucose that your cells do not use builds in your bloodstream, creating an increased blood glucose reading. A 1-cup serving of blueberries contains 27 g of carbohydrates. Sugar contributes 11 g of the carbohydrate content. The sugar in blueberries will metabolize rapidly, delivering a slight glucose increase.
Fiber and Protein
Your body does not absorb dietary fiber, which means that the fiber content has no blood glucose impact. It takes more than 5 g of carbohydrates to show a considerable blood glucose increase, so reduce the carbohydrate count by the dietary fiber content if there is more than 5 g of fiber per serving. A cup of blueberries contains 3 g of fiber, nearly 15 percent of your daily requirement. Blueberries contain little protein, only 1 g per cup, but balancing blueberries with a lean protein, source such as low-fat cottage cheese, can help reduce the overall blood glucose increase because protein slows the rate at which your body absorbs carbohydrates.
Fat Content
Blueberries are low in fat, with only 1 g per serving. High fat contributes to slow digestion, which can create spikes in your blood sugar hours later than expected. Eat blueberries with low-fat foods and lean proteins to prevent delayed blood glucose increases from slow digestion.
Other Vitamins and Minerals
Blueberries are rich in antioxidants and contain 15 percent of your daily vitamin C requirement in each serving. Each serving also contains 2 percent of the daily requirement for iron. Blueberries are an ideal snack despite the carbohydrate load due to the nutritional benefit. Consume them in moderation as part of a well-rounded meal for the most benefit.
