Are grapes good for diabetes? Yes, if you do away with a slice of bread at breakfast

Grapes have a relatively low glycaemic index (GI) of about 53, less than 55. “But even when consuming low GI foods, we need to worry about the glycaemic load. One unit of glycaemic load approximates the effect of eating one gram of glucose. So even if we have low GI food in excess, the glycaemic load increases. Which is why the portion size becomes important. The culprit is always total calories. So, grapes cannot be had as an add-on load to existing carbohydrates but as a replacement for something you can subtract,” she explains.

How then should one have grapes? “Grapes, like any other food, should be consumed on an empty stomach. Grapes are a great source of insoluble fibre, which eases your bowel movements. They are higher in levels of fructose, which is slow absorbing, so it does not lead to a blood sugar spike. The fibre load means the fruit takes longer to be broken down and digested, keeping your stomach full longer. This way you won’t feel the need to have more calories as you will have some satiety. Any meal can be preceded by grapes. Then you can balance your total carbohydrate intake easily and keep your levels in check, ” suggests Dr Gulati.

“For people with diabetes, one serving of fruit should contain 15 grams of carbohydrates and the total daily intake should not exceed 30 gm. So, one can have a 15 gm carb serving of fruit in one sitting, and a total of two fruit servings in a day. Eating fruits as a snack consumed mid-morning or mid-evening is preferable to having them as dessert after meals since they add to the carbohydrate load. Rather than consuming large portion sizes of fruits, it is best to combine them with protein-rich foods like dairy products or nuts. Since fruits lack proteins, this makes the snack more nutritious and filling,” says Dr Ambrish Mithal, Chairman and Head, Endocrinology and Diabetes, Max Healthcare.

“The GI also helps us choose our fruit, because it reflects the speed of rise in blood glucose. Examples of low GI fruits (GI 20-49) include apples, avocados, cherries, guava, peaches, pears, and strawberries. Medium GI fruits (GI 50-69) include figs, grapes and oranges,” he adds.

As for the colour of grapes, any grape is good as all of them have the same nutritional value. “The colours are different because of the differing components of antioxidants. Darker colours have more antioxidants. But the caloric value is the same. Grapes also contain a chemical compound called resveratrol, which has been proven to metabolise fatty acids, increase energy and improve overall metabolism, all of which can help in weight loss,” says Dr Gulati.