Complete Dry Fruits List For Diabetics

Dehydrated Fruits, or, more commonly known as Dry Fruits, known for their wholesome values, really long shelf life, and great taste, have been in use since the Mesopotamia Civilization. Owing to their origins from the fruit family, however, there is a common diabetic misconception that, dry fruits for diabetic patients, is extremely harmful and should be avoided. Science today has enough material to prove that, if one has the right list of dry fruits for diabetics to eat in right quantities, it can actually help in controlling diabetes.

What Are Dry Fruits?

As the name suggests, dry fruits are fruits (and nuts) from which majority of the natural water is taken out, either using Sun’s natural heat (Natural Process) or using specialized tumblers to dry them quickly (called Dehydrators). Owing to the dehydration process, these fruits enjoy a naturally long shelf life and a very high concentration of Sugar. Also, these fruits, which either carry seeds or, are sometimes the seeds themselves that give life to plants, are a vibrant source of nutrients which benefit humans as well.

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease when the blood glucose level in one’s body goes too high. This could occur

• When the insulin secretion by the pancreas is not adequate to help these sugars from food get absorbed into cells to give energy to the body. This is also called the Type 1 Diabetes
• When the pancreas does its work, however, the body itself is not able to process blood sugar. This is the standard occurrence of diabetes, also called Type 2 Diabetes
• Another way of diabetes affects women during the time of their pregnancies only, called Gestational Diabetes

How Can Dry Fruits Help Diabetic Patients?

Dry fruits are extremely rich sources of fibers, Vitamins, Minerals, and Antioxidants. Also, the majority of dry fruits also have a low to medium level Glycemic Index (GI). This makes a majority of them to feature in the list of dry fruits for people with diabetes to eat. Also, know the foods that you can eat and is bread good for diabetes.Some of the benefits include

• Being rich in fiber, dry fruits help in reducing the need to eat regularly, thus reducing the risk of overeating and binge eating of unhealthy food.
• Dry fruits are packed with Vitamins and antioxidants, providing the human body with nutrients that help in functioning better
• Some studies even show that a small portion of nuts (also referred to as super foods) after lunch helps the body to retain the energy faster and keep one active to work.
• Exercise is an integral part of controlling diabetes. Dry Fruits can help provide the energy to the patients in the morning so that the body can be motivated to take that extra effort.

Dry Fruits List For Diabetics

Science has shown that any dry fruit made out of soft fruits are generally great for Diabetic patients as they are high in fiber and low in GI. While Diabetes can consume the majority of dry fruits, some of the most common once are listed below with their benefits

Walnuts

A great source of Fibre, good fats, and proteins, walnuts can potentially prevent one from binging on unnecessary food. This not only helps in controlling hunger, thus helping with weight-loss, walnuts are also a great source of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA). This helps reduce inflammation, thus helping with managing diabetes and, in some cases, even Alzheimer’s disease.

Almonds

One of the greatest sources of fiber, almonds help keep a good digestive system, helping control blood sugar levels. An excellent source of magnesium, almonds also help in improving the quality of bones, muscles and nerve functioning and helps with blood pressure as well.

Berries

Excellent source of fiber and antioxidants, berries are considered to be an excellent super food for diabetes. Just add them to non-fat yogurt, and they make an excellent dessert for people with diabetes, provided the urge to gobble these tempting cuties as is.

Pistachios

Another source for fiber, pistachios can be used as dressing over salads and soups. They also make an excellent substitute to breadcrumbs on roasted meats. The mother of a plant, these seeds are a naturally power-packed ingredient. With enough nutrients to provide life to plants and trees, even after many years, these seeds can be used either directly in the morning with your cereals, or as dessert ingredients with non-fat yogurt. These nutrient bundles can also be consumed as power bars or energy bars to help as evening snack between two meals.

Dried Apples, Prunes, Apricots

Rich in minerals and vitamins, together with fiber, these natural foods are great substitute to add some flavor to food without adding additional sugars.

Some Of The Most Common Dry Fruit Dishes For Diabetics

• Trail Mixes: Made from a variety of nuts and seeds, these mixes are great as mid meals or evening snacks. Not only do they help kill the immediate hunger, but they are also great sources for proteins, that help in maintaining the muscle and bone functions and fibers.

• Home-Made Energy Bars: Energy bars are another high source of proteins that help with your evening hunger pangs. These can also be used in the morning before exercises to energize the body. While readymade energy bars in the market have added sugars which are not healthy for diabetics, the ones made at home can be made using natural ingredients and by adding a little of natural honey is rich in sucrose which is then mixed with dry fruits for sugaring taste.

• Dry Fruits As Salad Dressing And Desserts: Dry fruits are naturally sweetened and usually do not require any additional sugar content, in turn, helps the patients with diabetics. This is the primary reason they make an excellent choice for people with diabetes as desserts or as dressing over salads.

A good substitute to binging, with regulated consumption, dry fruits for diabetic patients are ideal for weight control, sugar level regulation and are a good source of proteins and minerals. Limiting the quantity to one portion per day can potentially help keep one healthy and hay.