Low-GI Fruits for Stable Blood Sugar

Transitioning to a low-GI diet can be tricky, especially if you have a sweet tooth. For many of us, sweet treats have become a crutch, a delicious shot of energy to haul our tired bodies through the day. The problem is, the longer we carry on eating this way, the higher our blood sugar levels, the less energy we have, we become depleted in many key nutrients, normal body processes go awry and our health declines.

A low-GI diet is perfect for resetting your body – balancing hormones, stabilising blood sugar, boosting energy, improving mental clarity, shedding deadly visceral fat around your midsection and reducing your risk of diabetes and related disease. Some people have managed to reverse type-2 diabetes with diet alone!

Replacing sugary snacks with high-fibre, low-GI fruits is simple and smart, particularly if you add in a fat portion – think acai bowls with coconut yoghurt, or a fruit smoothie, boosted with coconut milk, chia seeds and flax meal. These options taste sweet and will give you an energy boost, but they won’t spike your blood sugar in the way that refined carbs do. Instead, you’ll receive a sustained energy release, and the fat component will fill you up.

Top Ten Low-GI Fruits

The right low-GI fruits will fill your belly without burdening your body; you can eat a cup or so and maintain stable blood sugar. You’ll find the glycaemic index and glycaemic load (GL) values for the fruits listed below. GL considers the amount and quality of carbohydrates present in food. 

Strawberries

Strawberries are bursting with sweetness and high in vitamin C. Conventionally grown berries are contaminated with high amounts of pesticides, even after washing, so it’s best to choose organic. If you can’t source the organic variety, rinse thoroughly and soak in water, with a splash of apple cider vinegar, for fifteen minutes to clean thoroughly.

Strawberries tend to go mouldy when moist, so it’s best to wash them right before eating. Don’t expect them to keep longer than 2-3 days – organic strawberries aren’t treated with fungicides to keep them *looking* fresh for long periods.

Like all berries, strawberries are an antioxidant powerhouse, fighting inflammation to keep you well. With a GI value of 41 and low GL of 3, strawbs are a sweet, low-GI fruit treat.

Grapes

Grapes have a moderate GI of 53, but a GL of 5, so they won’t spike your blood sugar unless you eat a lot. Grapes contain vitamin K, are antioxidant-rich and have been found to amp up glutathione levels in the blood, a master free radical fighter.

Again, organic grapes are best, due to high pesticides within the skin. In fact, all fruit and veg with edible skin should be sourced organically. Conventionally grown grapes are preserved with sulphur dioxide, which can cause asthma symptoms in sensitive people.   

Apples

Apples make for a quick, easy and nutritious snack. Eat whole or slice thinly and smother with nut butter, for a decadent, fatty treat. Apples are high in fibre and vitamin C, filling you up, warding off illness and maintaining stable blood sugar. Apples are both low-GI and low-GL, sitting at 39 and 5, respectively.

Apple fibre is present in many gut health supplements on the market. There is much research underscoring the benefits of apple phytonutrients in enhancing friendly gut bacteria. These phytonutrients are found in the apple’s skin, so they’re best unpeeled.

Dried apricots

This one may come as a surprise, as dried fruits are typically sugar-rich, but dried apricots are the exception, with a GI value of 32 and a GL of 9. Dried apricots contain more carbs than a fresh apricot, but they do make for an easy low-GI fruit treat, with no chopping required - add them to a salad or a nut and seed mix, for extra nutrition.

Cherries

Cherries remind me of Christmas in Australia, and what better for a guilt-free Christmas treat? Cherries are bursting with antioxidants, combating oxidative stress within the body. They are a very low-GI fruit, at 20, with a low-GL of 6.

Grapefruit

I’m not a great fan of grapefruit’s taste, but it packs a nutritional punch. Add grapefruit to salads and smoothies, to balance its sour taste, while feeling the force of its benefits – a whopping 59% of your daily vitamin C needs, fibre, potassium and vitamin B1. This multitasker has an incredibly low GI of 25 and GL of 3.

Grapefruit helps to detox your liver and may interact with medication you’re taking, so be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you make it a diet staple.

Pears

Pear is great solo or in salads – a favourite of mine is pear and walnut tossed with leafy greens and a sprinkling of goat cheese or feta, if you tolerate dairy. Pears are equally delicious stewed or used in baking.

Pears have a GI of 38 and a GL of 4. They’re high in fibre, cleaning your digestive tract and stabilising blood sugar. Pears are best eaten skin-on, as almost half of their fibre content resides there. There are several studies showing that pears and apples, in combination, increase sensitivity to insulin (great for the insulin resistant among us!) and lower a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes.

Oranges

Oranges are famous for their vitamin C content but that’s not all these bright balls of sunshine are good for – oranges are high in fibre, folate and vitamins B1 and B3. If you drink orange juice, don’t choose pulp-free – you’ll miss out on a nice portion of fibre. To receive all the nutrients available in fruits, they’re best eaten whole. Oranges are part of the citrus family, which appear to reduce our risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. They have a GI of 40 and a GL of 5, so you’d need to eat a lot to spike your blood sugar.  

Lemons

Lemons contain a good whack of vitamin C and folate. While not many of us would eat them in whole form, they have myriad health benefits. Like all citrus, lemon is thought to reduce heart disease and stroke, due to its vitamin C and antioxidant content. Lemon is also linked to a lowered risk of obesity and type-2 diabetes. Its GI is 20 and GL is extremely low, at 1.8.

A squeeze of lemon in water, before breakfast, will kickstart your metabolism and detoxify your organs. Lemon is great spritzed on fish or baked in a pot roast – the flavour infuses the meat and vegetables and is so delicious. Check out this lemon cupcake recipe for a low-GI sweet treat.

If you crave fizzy drinks, sub your usual softie for a sparkling mineral water with lemon. While not sweet, it is ultra-refreshing, and your body will recognise the small hit of sugar in the lemon, helping to satiate sugar cravings.

Kiwi Fruit

Kiwi Fruit is a great snack for school or work, and easily portable thanks to its thick skin. Kiwi has a GI of 52 and a GL of 7. Although it borders on moderate-GI status, it will kick those sugar cravings to the curb and its high fibre content will fill you up. Kiwi fruit contains more vitamin C than oranges, alongside vitamins K and E. This wonder fruit has been shown to stabilise blood sugar and improve gut health.

Low-GI fruit for a nutrient-packed sugar hit

Snacking on low-GI fruits is a tasty way to nourish your body and deliver slow-burning energy that satisfies sugar cravings. Compared to processed carbs, which are deficient in key nutrients, low-GI fruits are full of antioxidants, vitamin C and fibre, reducing your risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke and gut issues.

If you’re new to a low-GI diet, begin swapping sweet treats for these fruits and notice how much better you feel. If you’d like additional support on your low-GI journey, Balance My Sugars will be your blood sugar bible, providing easy-to-follow meal plans, recipes and lifestyle advice to overhaul your health, by the simplest possible means.

For personalised one-to-one guidance, I’d love to see you in my practice. I use applied kinesiology, supplemental medicine, nutritional coaching and chiropractic to alleviate physical imbalances and get you back at your best. Book online via my homepage for personalised care.