Fruits Have Sugar?!
Overview:
Watching your daily sugar intake can be quite a difficult task to keep up with. Hidden sugars are all around us, in almost everything that we consume throughout our day. This makes balancing your blood sugar levels even more challenging.
There are many different types of sugars, such as processed sugars, added sugars, natural sugars and more. Natural sugars are found in fruits and in dairy products.
Fruits contain many healthy nutrients, but some fruits are higher in sugar than others. Let’s learn which fruits have the lowest sugar content and the most amount of nutrients. By doing this, you will be able to recognize what has the biggest or smallest impact on your blood sugar levels.
#1. Lemons — 1-2 g per lemon
High in vitamin C, lemons are a great compliment to water if you are looking to curb your appetite.
#2. Raspberries — 5g per 1 cup
High in dietary fiber (8g), raspberries are a great option if you are looking to feel full and not intake too much sugar.
#3. Kiwis — 6g per kiwi
Technically in the berry family, kiwis are rich in vitamin C, low in sugar and can be found at any grocery store year-round.
#4. Strawberries — 7g per 1 cup
Even though they are super sweet in taste, strawberries have a pretty low sugar content and have 100% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C.
#5. Blackberries — 7g per 1 cup
Low in sugar, high in antioxidants & fiber. Blackberries are a great go to snack for any time of the day.
#6. Grapefruit — 9g per grapefruit
An awesome citrus fruit that is a great go to for a breakfast or snack option.
#7. Watermelon — 10g per 1 cup
At 1 more gram than the grapefruit, this juicy summer fruit is still a great low sugar option. An added bonus of eating watermelon is the amazing source of iron.
#8. Cantaloupe — 13g per cup
Offering 100% of your recommended daily intake for vitamin A, 50% of your recommended daily intake for vitamin C, moderate in fiber & a great source of potassium.
#9. Oranges — 12g per orange
Among the world’s most popular fruits, giving you a healthy source of fiber, vitamin C, thiamine, folate & antioxidants.
#10. Peaches — 13g per peach
In the same family as plums, apricots, cherries & almonds - peaches are rich in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium and packed with antioxidants.
Takeaway:
When looking at how much sugar certain foods have, you need to put into perspective as to what kind of sugar is included. If you were to look at a 12 ounce can of soda, that has roughly 40g of sugar with minimal amount of nutritional value, that would not be the best choice. On the other hand, if you were to eat 3 cups of a fruit salad with cantaloupe, oranges & peaches - you would be getting similar grams of sugar, but a way higher amount of nutrients.
All fruits contain a lot more vitamins, minerals & fiber compared to sugary processed snacks. High fiber foods slow your digestion, which means your blood sugar won’t spike as rapidly after eating fruit.
If you are looking to maintain a certain blood sugar level, staying low sugar with these 10 fruit options would be your best bet. Remember that will anything nutrition related, moderation is key!
