Is there too much sugar in a banana? One medium banana is about 15 grams of sugar. If you have diabetes, it is important to be mindful of the amount of carbs you are consuming. Eating foods that have a high amount of carbs will raise your blood sugar levels.
Is there too much sugar in a banana? iStock-photo credit: Simon Preshous
It is important to know that you can potentially experience high blood sugar spikes after eating any high carbohydrate foods. And these high blood sugar levels can be unhealthy, particularly with someone who has diabetes.
The riper a banana is the more sugar it contains. It is important to know that the larger the banana the greater effect it has on your blood sugar levels. The size effect is called the glycemic load. A 100% fully ripe banana has a glycemic load of 62 and anything more than 20 of a GI is considered high.
If you have diabetes, you can eat a banana and not have any unhealthy blood sugar levels. Anytime you are following a diet that consists of fruits and vegetables you will always lower the risk of major chronic health diseases, and all studies suggest this.
Bananas contain Vitamin C, potassium, Vitamin B6, and fiber, which are important vitamins and minerals that can help reduce the risk of chronic health diseases. And this is because of the high antioxidant effect. One of the most important things about eating bananas is the fiber content in it. Studies show that fiber can help lower blood sugar levels.
The American Diabetes Association recommends eating bananas and other fruits for fiber nutrient benefits.
The Bottom Line is eating bananas is healthy and it is not going to hurt as far as sugar intake even if you have diabetes. Why? Because it is a natural sugar and it has a lot of important vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C, potassium, Vitamin B6, fiber, etc. And these antioxidants can help lower the risk of most chronic health diseases.
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References
1) The American Diabetes Association- https://diabetes.org/food-nutrition/reading-food-labels/fruit
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7) Falcomer AL, Riquette RFR, de Lima BR, Ginani VC, Zandonadi RP. Health Benefits of Green Banana Consumption: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2019 May 29;11(6):1222. doi: 10.3390/nu11061222. PMID: 31146437; PMCID: PMC6627159.
