For most people with diabetes, fruit is a safe and healthy choice. However, bananas are quite high in sugar and carbs. So are bananas really good for people with diabetes?
1. Fruit is a safe food for people with diabetes
Fruit is an important part of a healthy diet and a source of many important nutrients for the body. Fruits are rich in vitamins and minerals necessary for the body such as vitamins A, C, D, E, K, potassium, zinc, magnesium, iron, folic…
Fruit is also high in fibre and antioxidants. The antioxidants and plant compounds found in fruits rich in vitamins A, C, E, beta-carotene, lycopene and selenium help protect the body from damaging free radicals, which can aid prevent the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The fibre in the fruit improves digestion. When you eat fibre, your body takes longer to break down the food. This helps you maintain more stable blood sugar levels. Therefore, fibre is especially good for people with diabetes.
Bananas are a healthy fibre-rich fruit (about 3g of fibre in a medium-sized banana). Bananas are also rich in potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C and antioxidants.
Nutrition facts in 100g banana include 89 calories, 75% water, 1.1g protein, 22.8g carbohydrates, 12.2g sugar, 2.6g fibre, and 0.3g fat.
Bananas are rich in fibre, good for people with diabetes
Bananas are a rich source of carbohydrates. It mainly occurs as starch in unripe bananas and sugar in ripe bananas. During the ripening of bananas, the carbohydrate composition will change drastically.
According to research, ripeness affects the amount of starch in bananas. Unripe bananas contain 12 times more starch than ripe bananas.
Green bananas contain a lot of resistant starch, which has a starch-like structure but cannot be digested in the small intestine by pancreatic enzymes. It will go down and be digested in the large intestine thanks to the bacteria here and act like insoluble fibre, good for gut health. Resistant starch also helps lower blood sugar levels.
2. How should people with diabetes eat bananas?
Banana is a very nutritious fruit, recommended to be used in daily meals.
But bananas contain quite a lot of sugar and carbs. However, if you know how to eat right, in the right amount, people with diabetes can completely eat bananas without worrying about increasing blood sugar.
The glycemic index (GI) of bananas is between 42 – 62, which is in the low or medium range depending on the ripeness of the banana. Yellow or ripe bananas contain less resistant starch and more sugar and starch than green bananas, which means a higher GI, causing blood sugar to rise faster.
So green banana is very good for people with diabetes because it not only does not increase blood sugar but also can improve the ability to regulate sugar in the body of the patient.
Research shows that the source of resistant starch in green bananas can help improve insulin sensitivity. Insulin resistance is a major risk factor for many serious diseases including type 2 diabetes.
Green bananas are rich in resistant starch that can improve blood sugar
3. What is the best way to eat bananas?
On the advice of BS. Nguyen Thu Yen, people with diabetes should choose green bananas, ripe bananas or nearly ripe bananas, do not eat overripe bananas. Only eat 1 small-medium fruit or ½ large fruit at a time, do not eat too much at once.
– Should eat bananas at a snack, about 2 hours away from the main meal. Bananas should not be combined with dinner or in a meal rich in carbohydrates (carbohydrates). If you want to eat bananas right after a meal, you need to reduce the amount of starch by about 1/3 of a bowl of rice.
Eat bananas with other foods: Adding bananas to a salad with other low-glycemic foods is an ingenious way to get banana nutrition without the risk of spikes in blood sugar.
Or enjoy bananas with nuts or yogurt, to help slow the digestion and absorption of sugar. Do not eat bananas with sweets or soft drinks.
Should eat bananas in combination with other foods such as yoghurt
Note: People with diabetes should monitor their blood sugar regularly. In case the amount of sugar is higher than the allowed level, you should not eat bananas.
In case people with diabetes have chronic kidney disease, or are using potassium-sparing diuretics, they should not eat bananas because bananas contain a lot of potassium and sodium, which can make the disease worse.
To order green bananas, please contact:
VLUX VIETNAM IMPORT EXPORT COMPANY LIMITED
Email: info@vluxexim.com/ hienchi.vlux@gmail.com Website: vluxexim.com
Address: No. 58A Vo Van Dung Street, O Cho Dua Ward, Dong Da District, Hanoi City, Vietnam.
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