By Suzana Type 2 Diabetes – Fruit for Lowering the Risk of Heart and Blood Vessel Disease
Fruit is recommended for satisfying the sweet tooth of diabetics and non-diabetics alike. Although higher in sugar than vegetables, fruit lacks the refined sugar of, say, a piece of cake, with fewer calories. Most fruit contain a good amount of fiber and vitamins, making them part of a well-balanced diet for all of us, and according to a recent study they could be an especially good idea for lowering the risk of heart and blood vessel disease in Type 2 diabetics.
The carotid arteries supply blood to your brain, so keeping them open is important for avoiding strokes. Atherosclerosis is a condition in which arteries become blocked with cholesterol and plaque, and is unfortunately too common in Type 2 diabetic patients.
Researchers at the University of Hong Kong and its affiliate hospitals looked at the risk of carotid atherosclerosis in Type 2 diabetes patients and compared that risk with the amount of fruit the volunteers took in. Their study, reported in the journal Diabetes Medicine, August, 2012, included 255 patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Participants with the highest amount of fruit intake were found to have the widest-open carotid arteries, with the smallest amount of plaque.
Those who consumed the highest amount of fruit ate about 92 grams per day. That’s about half the size of an average apple…
one whole apple has 95 calories and supplies 14 per cent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin C, 17 per cent of the RDA of fiber, and some B vitamins and minerals.
one orange weighing 180 grams provides over 100 per cent of the RDA for vitamin C, plus 8 per cent of the RDA for vitamin A, 7 per cent of the RDA for calcium, 10 per cent of the RDA for thiamin, and 18 per cent of the RDA for folate, plus other B vitamins and minerals.
a half cup of kiwi fruit (goose berries) weighing about 90 grams has more than 100 per cent of the RDA for vitamin C, 3 per cent of the RDA for calcium, and over 10 per cent of the RDA for fiber.
Make a fruit salad with a half cup of strawberries, a half cup of blueberries, a half cup of grapes, and a half cup of watermelon and you’ll get 300 grams of fruit along with 16 per cent of the RDA for fiber, more than 100 per cent of the RDA for vitamin C, 4 per cent of the RDA for iron, 2 per cent of the RDA for calcium, 3 per cent of the RDA for vitamin E, plus several B vitamins and minerals.
The “bad” thing about fruit is it contains more sugar than vegetables, so you can’t eat all you want and maintain a good blood sugar level. But making fruit part of a well-planned vegetarian diet will provide lots of good nutrients… and slow down absorption of sugar with its high fiber content. And you just might prevent having a stroke.