You might think you’ve reduced your sugar intake by stopping obviously sweet items like cake, chocolate, sodas, but it's easy to overlook how much natural sugar is found in certain fruit. If you are managing diabetes or generally reducing your sugar, choose your fruits carefully. Fruits are packed with essential vitamins & minerals, but some can cause spikes with their natural sugars, states Healthline.
When you are looking for something sweet to end a meal, grab a fruit. But mangoes and bananas contain more natural sugars compared to other fruit and there are fruits with lower sugar levels that still supply key nutrients like fibre, vitamins, minerals, says Medical News Today. The low-sugar varieties are best eaten on their own or tossed into a fresh fruit mix with nuts and whole grains.
According to Cleveland Clinic, a single cup of chopped watermelon holds close to 9.4 grams of natural sugar. This juicy fruit is known for being light on carbohydrates and ranks low on the glycemic load scales, making it a smart option for those watching their blood sugar levels.
One cup of pitted cherries, carries about 19.7 grams of natural sugar, states Medical News Today. Cherries are abundant in vitamin C and loaded with polyphenols or compounds known for their antioxidant effects and ability to combat inflammation in the body.
This fruit offers generous amount of vitamin C while keeping sugar content relatively minimal, around 6.7 grams per piece, says Healthline.
They, of course have significantly lower sugar levels than most fruits. A 100-gm portion, roughly equivalent to half an avocado, provides only about 0.66 gm total sugars, including small amounts of glucose, fructose, sucrose, galactose.
Strawberries are getting scarcer by the day as temperatures rise, although frozen berries are available. 1 cup provides 45 calories, with a modest amount of protein, minimal fat, a decent share of carbs & fibre. Natural sugars account for around 7 gm per serving, states WebMD. And they have a lot of vitamin C.
Offering 8 gm carbohydrates, including 3 gm dietary fibre, 5 gm natural sugar, guavas are less sweet, according to WebMD. They also have 1 gm f protein, making it a nutrient-dense, low-calorie fruit option.