Passion fruit prevents risks of heart diseases, strengthens bones and boosts immunity. But can diabetics eat passion fruit? Does passion fruit control blood sugar?
A nutritious choice, passion fruit is an excellent source of fiber as well as vitamins C and A while being low in calories. Although it is a healthy dietary choice for people of all ages. Passion fruit is said to boost immunity, improve heart health, strengthen bones, improve sleep, reduce risks of cancer and respiratory problems.
But is passion fruit good for diabetics? Does it control blood sugar levels? What are the passion fruit benefits for diabetes? How to eat passion fruit for diabetes? This article will give you a clear understanding on how passion fruit can help manage diabetes better.
Contents:
Passion Fruit: Nutritional Profile
Single passion fruit contains the following nutrients:
| Calories: 17 |
| Carbohydrates: 4.2 g |
| Fat: 0.1 g |
| Fiber: 1.9 g |
| Protein: 0.4 g |
| Vitamin C: 9% |
| Vitamin A: 8% |
Passion fruit contains a rich source of iron, potassium, magnesium as well as calcium. It also contains plant compounds such as polyphenol, which further includes Piceatannol. Piceatannol helps improve insulin levels and hence prevent diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes in men.
Advantages of Passion Fruit For Diabetes
- The peel of yellow passion fruit contains a fiber called Pectin, which is capable of reducing insulin resistance, thus proving beneficial for health.
- Health benefits of passion fruit also include its Low GI (Glycemic Index), making it a good choice for diabetes.
- The abundance of vitamins A & C makes passion fruit help keep the blood sugar levels stable, making it well-suited for diabetes.
- The sugar content of passion fruit is significantly low, thus adding to the list of benefits of passion fruit for diabetes.
Ways To Consume Passion Fruit For Diabetes
1. Passion Fruit Juice
Blend the flesh & seeds of 1 passion fruit along with some water on low power to not pop the seeds. Strain the juice and add ½ a cup of water and squeeze a lemon if you want. Mix well and refrigerate. No more than one glass of juice should be consumed in a day. As a diabetic patient, it is advised not to add any extra sugar to the juice to enjoy its full benefit.
2. Passion Fruit Flour
This can be made only with the yellow passion fruit. Peels of the fruit are dried and simply milled to a fine powder. This is beneficial for diabetes due to the high presence of the soluble fiber Pectin that improves insulin sensitivity.
3. Passion Fruit Leaves
The passion fruit is so nutrient-dense that none of its parts are useless, even the leaves! Passion fruit leaves are beneficial for diabetes due to their ability to lower blood sugar levels. These leaves can be consumed as part of salads, over rice, as Sambola, in pasta, and can even be used to make passion fruit tea!
Best Time To Consume Passion Fruit For Diabetes
There are various myths regarding the right time to eat passion fruit. The truth is that passion fruit can be consumed at any time of the day. However, for someone with a sugar problem, it is preferable to eat fruits along with meals that are good in carbohydrates, fats, and fiber. Eating fruit on an empty stomach or separately can cause the blood sugar to fluctuate, thus proving to be problematic.
Risks of Over Consuming Passion Fruit For Diabetes
- It is recommended that 2 to 3 passion fruits a day should be consumed at most. This is because overconsumption can prove to be dangerous.
- The pulp of the fruit contains cyanogenic glycoside, which is a chemical that can potentially cause cyanide poisoning.
- This toxin is highest in the unripe passion fruit. The riper the fruit, the safer it is to consume.
- If passion fruit is consumed beyond the limit, it can cause diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems in the individual.
Other Health Benefits of Lettuce For Diabetes
- It is high in antioxidants, thus helping keep the body clean and toxin-free.
- Due to the presence of suitable quantities of vitamin C, passion fruit benefits the immune system by increasing the absorption power of iron.
- Because passion fruit is low in sodium and rich in potassium, it promotes heart health.
- Passion fruit is loaded with riboflavin and niacin, and Piceatannol that keeps thyroid levels in check.
- The fruit is a great way of promoting mental well-being as well. The presence of alkaloids and other phenolic compounds helps act as a reliever of stress and anxiety.
- Passion Fruit is known to be a Superfood due to its ability to reduce the risk of cancer and destroy cancer cells in the body.
- Osteoporosis is also believed to be prevented due to the presence of minerals in passion fruit. These help maintain bone density and facilitate a speedy recovery.
Don’t Have Time To Read?
- Passion fruit is a highly nutritious, fiber-rich, and low GI fruit that can be easily added to the diet of a diabetic person.
- The presence of vitamins A & C, the soluble fiber Pectin, potassium, and Piceatannol makes it well-suited to a sugar patient.
- It can be consumed in the form of a juice, passion fruit flour, passion fruit leaf iced tea, Sambola, or simply as it is.
- As a patient of diabetes, the best way to consume passion fruit is to have it along with foods that are rich in fiber, fats, and carbohydrates to ensure that blood sugar doesn’t increase.
- The safest way to consume passion fruit is to ensure it is ripe. Else it can cause cyanide poisoning.
- The upper limit of consumption would be 2 to 3 times a day. If consumed more, passion fruit can cause bloating, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal issues.
- Along with being low calorie, the fruit helps prevent diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes in men. The fruit also helps boost the immune system, improve cardiovascular health, prevent cancer, reduce risks of osteoporosis, and even control anxiety levels and insomnia.
- Use Phable Care App to consult India’s leading diabetologists, order medicines, book lab tests, integrate Accu-Chek instant and other devices to get real-time remote care from the comfort of your home. Let’s treat diabetes together.
Friendly Asked Questions
Absolutely! Due to the presence of fibers such as Pectin, compounds such as Piceatannol, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and magnesium, the fruit helps reduce insulin resistance. Along with this, high levels of vitamins A & C and low GI make the fruit ideal for glucose patients.
Although the fruit is highly nutritious, it can prove to be dangerous. Sometimes, people are allergic to the fruit, which can cause problems. Unripe passion fruit can be a potential cause of cyanide poisoning. Hence, the fruit should be consumed in ripe form only.
The best time to consume lettuce is before meals because it increases vegetable intake by 23%. Eat lettuce before your meal to fill yourself up and to minimise the amount of high-calorie food you may eat during the rest of the meal and as part of the main dish. This also helps in reducing your overall caloric consumption and is ideal for people who want to shed weight or keep their weight in check.
On average, one should not consume more than 2 to 3 passion fruits a day. Overconsumption can lead to bloating, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal issues.
Passion Fruit contains a natural sedative known as Harman. This alkaloid causes one to feel sleepy, thus aiding in insomnia and similar conditions. It is present mainly in the leaves, and the flower of the passion fruit also has a soothing and calming effect.
It is perfectly fine to have passion fruit seeds. Not only is it okay, but it is also healthy due to the high presence of magnesium, potassium, fiber, and vitamins.