A big question from all the diabetics is, can you eat apple with Diabetes? Is Apple good or bad for diabetics? How many apples a diabetic can eat apples in a day? These are many questions that come from most diabetes patients in regards to diet, fruits to be seated, and how to decide the quantity of fruit to be eaten in one serving.
Fruits are a very important component of diet but it’s always difficult to decide which fruit is good or bad for Diabetes. Similarly, the same question arises for the apple also. Can you eat apples with diabetes? If yes then what quantity of apples can be eaten? Let’s solve the puzzle and understand the nutritional value of an apple first.
Nutritional Value of Apple
An apple contains:
Water 86%
Fiber 3 grams
Carbohydrates 18 grams
Protein 0.3-1 gram
Fat 0 gram
On this basis, you can figure out what should be the right quantity of apples in your diet and one serving. You can prepare your own diabetic diet chart and decide which food is good or bad for you with diabetes. It depends on two factors mainly.
1. Glycemic Index of the food or fruit or vegetables
2. Net Carbohydrate in one serving
These 2 factors help you in finding out the Glycemic Load of a serving or portion of the food. On the basis of the Glycemic Load of a food portion, you can define the quantity to be added to your diet. And, how much total quantity can be eaten in a day.
If you know the Glycemic Load of an Apple, you can decide the quantity to be eaten of it. How much an apple can increase your blood glucose levels? it depends on the net carbohydrate available in an Apple or in a portion and, the Glycemic Index of the Apple.
Net Carbohydrates in an Apple
The net carbohydrate of an Apple can be calculated by subtracting the amount of fiber from the total carbohydrate available in an Apple. For example, Apple has around 3 grams of fiber and 18 grams of carbohydrates. To get the net carbohydrate to subtract total fiber from the total carbohydrate.
Net carbohydrate in an apple = Total Carbohydrate – Fiber
Net carbohydrate in an Apple = 18 – 3 = 15
Glycemic Index of an Apple
Apple has been given a rating of 37 on the scale of Glycemic Index of foods. The Glycemic Index is defined on the basis of how fast the carbohydrate available in food serving gets absorbed into the blood after eating it. When you eat an apple, around 37% of the total amount of carbohydrates is absorbed within 2 hours of eating it.
The glycemic load of an Apple
The glycemic load can be derived easily if you have a net carbohydrate amount in one serving and the glycemic load of the food. To calculate the glycemic load of an apple of a size of 100-125 grams, multiply the glycemic index with the net carbohydrate and divide it by 100. What you will get the result is called the glycemic load.
Glycemic load of apple = Glycemic index of apple X Net carbohydrate in an Apple / 100
= 37 x 15 / 100
= 555 / 100 = 5.5
How many Calories an Apple Gives
One unit of Glycemic load is equal to one gram of glucose. An apple has a glycemic load of 5.5, which means it will add 5.5 grams of glucose that will be absorbed into your body within 2 hours of eating.
One gram of glucose gives you around 4 calories and increases around 6-10 mg/dl of glucose in your blood. So, an apple can give you 20-25 calories and can raise your blood sugar level by 30 to 50 mg/dl within 2 hours of eating it.
An apple gives you 15 grams of glucose in total, 5-6 grams of glucose absorbed in 2 hours, and the remaining carbohydrate is absorbed during the digestion process. It takes hours to get absorbed into your blood which gives you around 60-65 calories in total.
Foods with less than 10 Glycemic loads are considered good for diabetic patients but the total glycemic load of one serving should not cross the 20 units of glycemic load.
You can consume a maximum of 100 units of glycemic load per day to fulfill the requirement of calories of your body through carbohydrates. Balance the requirement of the calories should be maintained through Fat and Proteins in your diet.
Can you eat an apple a day with diabetes?
Yes, you can eat an apple a day with diabetes without any harm if maintain your blood sugar levels and ensure the balanced carbohydrate in your diabetic diet chart. If your blood sugar levels are high, you should choose low glycemic index and low glycemic load servings in your diet. Calculate your daily calories requirements and divide them into a minimum of 5 servings.
Be calculative and keep glycemic load less than 20 of each serving, add more fiber and protein, and limit the carbohydrate on the basis of your body’s requirements. Prefer eating fruits with a low glycemic index and avoiding white sugar, jaggery, and other additive sugar items.
You can eat an apple and day and can say it again “An apple a day keeps doctors away”
