Simply put, consuming grapes will cause your blood sugar levels to rise. This is because grapes contain carbohydrate, a type of nutrient that – unlike protein and fat – affects your blood glucose levels. Any food that contains 5 g or more of total carbohydrate per serving will elevate your blood glucose.
Nutrition Facts
One serving of grapes – the equivalent of 1 cup – contains approximately 25 g of total carbohydrate. Total carbohydrate includes sugar, starch and fiber. One cup of grapes contains about 23.37 g of total sugar and 1.4 g of fiber. Grapes do not contain any starch. Sugar and starch cause your blood glucose levels to rise, whereas fiber does not. When your body digests grapes, all of the sugar – including sucrose, glucose and fructose – convert to individual glucose molecules.
Blood Sugar Basics
Glucose, the simplest form of sugar, is your body’s primary source of energy. After you eat grapes, the food travels to your stomach for the process of digestion. During digestion, sugar carbohydrates found in grapes break down into glucose. Your stomach empties all of its digested nutrients – in this case, glucose – into your small intestine. The glucose molecules pass through the lining of your small intestine and get absorbed into your bloodstream, causing an increase in your blood sugar levels.
Carbohydrates and Fruit
Based on a 2,000-calorie diet, you should consume about 225 g to 325 g of total carbohydrate per day. Choose nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables, whole grains, beans and other legumes and fruit. Women ages 19 to 30 should eat 2 cups of fruit per day, while women over 30 should have 1.5 cups. Adult males of all ages should eat 2 cups of fruit daily.
Considerations
While grapes are a healthy choice you can include in your meal plan, you might wish to try a less carb-dense fruit instead. Compared to other varieties of fruit, grapes contain a high amount of carbohydrate, most of which is sugar, not fiber. Remember that 1 cup of grapes contains only about 1.4 g of fiber. Raspberries, for example, are low in total carbohydrate, but high in fiber. Eating them will have less of an effect on your blood sugar than grapes. One cup of raspberries contains about 14 g of total carbohydrate – about 8 g from fiber and 6 g from sugar.
References
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness – Carbohydrates
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness – Glycemic Index and Diabetes
- MayoClinic.com: Diabetes – Exchange List: Free Foods, May 4, 2010
- United States Department of Agriculture Nutrient Database
- MayoClinic.com: Nutrition and Healthy Eating – Glycemic Index Diet: Losing Weight with Blood Sugar Control, Nov. 24, 2009
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse – Your Digestive System and How it Works
