Do You Have Concerns about Eating Fruit and Blood Sugar Issues?
It may seem on the surface that eating fruit—which is usually sweet—would cause blood sugar problems. However, it’s just not that simple.
There’s still a misconception that sugar is the culprit behind diabetes. However, in The 80/10/10 Diet, Dr. Douglas Graham writes extensively about certain diseases and conditions that are blamed on fruit eating, such as diabetes, candida, and cancer.
He writes that although high blood sugar can lead to blood sugar problems, “it is almost impossible to get too much sugar from the consumption of fresh fruit. Eating fruit is not the cause of blood sugar problems…it’s just not that simple.”
The Fat Connection
What IS the cause, according to Dr. Graham, is fat. When there is too much fat in the blood, the movement of sugar out of the bloodstream and into the cells is impeded, because there’s a coating of fat on everything—blood vessel walls, the cells’ insulin-receptor sites, the sugar molecules, and the insulin itself.
The proponents of the fad low-carb diets say that insulin is the bad guy and that people need to limit carbohydrates in order to limit insulin release. What they don’t mention is that fat- and protein-rich rich foods also cause considerable insulin release.
One burger’s amount of beef, or three slices of cheddar
cheese
, raises insulin levels more than almost two cups of pasta (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 50, 1997: 1264).
One-quarter pound of beef raises insulin levels in diabetics as much as one-quarter pound of straight sugar (Diabetes Care 7, 1984: 465).
Beef and cheese raise insulin levels higher than high-carbohydrate foods like pasta (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 50, 1997:1264).
Even some raw food “experts” are scaring people away from fruit but not educating them about the dangers of eating too much fat. According to Dr. Graham, a high fat diet, whether cooked or raw, contributes “directly and causally to all of the misleadingly named ‘blood-sugar metabolic disorders.’”
Steve Pavlina writes in his blog about a 30-day trial of raw foods, during which time he ate plenty of fresh sweet fruit:
“I monitored my blood sugar using a blood sugar testing device, the same kind diabetics may use. It showed no discernible spikes in blood sugar throughout the trial whatsoever — absolutely none. In fact, my blood sugar remained incredibly steady throughout the trial. My highest blood sugar reading of the trial was 94, which is still medium-low. All that sweet fruit in my diet simply did not have any adverse effect on my blood sugar.
“Eating this way gave my blood sugar more consistency than ever. I couldn’t spike my blood sugar on this diet if I tried. Even eating 19 bananas in one day made no difference.”
Wow, 19 bananas!
Having a slightly more conservative viewpoint is David Wolfe in The Sunfood Diet Success System. He writes that people with diabetes or hypoglycemia can initially choose low-sugar fruits, then move to high-sugar fruits eventually, as their condition stabilizes.
If I had a blood sugar problem and had been worried about eating fruit, I think I would take Steve Pavlina’s approach and check my blood sugar levels. Incorporating that plan with David Wolfe’s advice seems a reasonable approach.
What a shame to not eat fruit because of irrational fears! Whole fresh
fruit
seems to be the perfect food for humans. It’s loaded with nutrients, doesn’t require processing in any way before eating, has plentiful fiber to help control blood sugar levels, and it tastes delicious.
“Eating this way gave my blood sugar more consistency than ever. I couldn’t spike my blood sugar on this diet if I tried. Even eating 19 bananas in one day made no difference.”
