Can You Eat Fruit If You Have Diabetes?

Yes, fruit can fit a diabetes eating plan, according to the American Diabetes Association. Fresh, frozen and canned fruit without added sugars are its best choices, but fruit's carbohydrate still counts.

Start with the fruit you enjoy. The association's list of common fruits includes apples, bananas, berries, grapes, mangoes and oranges. Fresh fruit is not the only option it recommends. Frozen and canned fruit without added sugars are also among its best choices, so the produce aisle is not your only place to look.

For canned fruit, the association suggests looking for labels that say the fruit is unsweetened, has no added sugar or is packed in its own juices. Those are shopping cues, not a promise that the fruit contains no carbohydrate. Fruit with no added sugar still needs a place in the eating plan.

For people who count carbohydrates, the ADA gives a useful reference: A small piece of whole fruit or about ½ cup of frozen or canned fruit has about 15 grams of carbohydrate. That example helps explain why both the kind of fruit and its portion matter. It is not a serving size prescribed for everyone.

Dried fruit and 100% fruit juice need a separate look. The association says they can be nutritious, but their portions are small and may not be as filling. Just two tablespoons of dried fruit, such as raisins or dried cherries, contain 15 grams of carbohydrate. Equal-looking portions of dried and fresh fruit are not interchangeable.

Diabetes UK explains another reason to distinguish whole fruit from drinks. Whole fruit contains fiber, which slows the absorption of its natural sugar and can help you feel fuller for longer. Juice and smoothies can be easy to drink in large quantities, bringing extra carbohydrate, sugar and calories along with them.

The charity uses the term free sugar for sugar added to food and sugar in juice, smoothies and honey. The sugar inside whole fruit does not count toward that category. This helps explain why a drink made from fruit and a piece of whole fruit deserve separate consideration, even though both contain naturally occurring sugar.

Fruit can fit in familiar ways at the table. The ADA suggests a piece of fresh fruit or fruit salad for dessert. The UK guidance also allows fruit as a snack, depending on the eating plan. The association's plate-method guidance includes fruit alongside a meal with non-starchy vegetables, a small portion of starch and protein foods.

The ADA gives more specific portion comparisons for people who count carbohydrates. In its examples, servings for most fresh berries and melons are from ¾–1 cup, while fruit juice can range from ⅓–½ cup for 15 grams of carbohydrate. The association also says fruit can be exchanged for other carbohydrate sources in a meal plan. Its examples include starches, grains and dairy, so its guidance considers fruit alongside other foods in the meal.

This guidance does not mean fruit is carbohydrate-free or that juice and dried fruit match whole fruit portion for portion. This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or dietitian about your own meal plan.