Can People With Diabetes Eat Peaches?

If you have diabetes, it's important to limit certain high-carb foods to keep your blood glucose levels stable. This can be confusing when it comes to fruit, which is both nutritious and high in natural sugars (a type of carb). Take peaches, for instance — are peaches good for people with diabetes?

Here's everything you need to know about diabetes and peaches, including whether or not peaches are OK for people with diabetes and if you should add them to your diet.

Diabetes is a group of conditions (including type 1 and type 2 diabetes) that affect your body's ability to balance your blood sugar, according to the Mayo Clinic. It occurs when a hormone called insulin isn't able to regulate the amount of glucose in your bloodstream, which can lead to potentially dangerous blood sugar spikes and crashes.

To avoid these extreme fluctuations, it's important to eat a nutritious diet full of low glycemic index (GI) foods (that is, foods that won't cause blood sugar spikes). According to the Mayo Clinic, this involves eating a variety of whole foods such as:

• Fruits
• Vegetables

• Legumes like lentils, peas and beans
• Whole grains like spelt, buckwheat and oatmeal
• Low-fat dairy products like milk and cheese
• Heart-healthy fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines
• Beneficial sources of fat like avocados, nuts and olive oil

At the same time, it's important to limit or avoid foods that could throw your blood sugar levels out of whack, such as:

• Sources of trans and saturated fat like red meat, processed meats, butter and coconut oil
• High-cholesterol foods like egg yolks and organ meats
• High-sodium foods like fried or fast food
• Refined carbs like those in baked goods

If you count peaches among your favorite foods, you're probably wondering if peaches are good or bad for people with diabetes.

Fortunately, if you love this sweet fruit, you need not worry — typically, people with diabetes can eat peaches.

Remember, fruit is a nutritious part of a balanced diabetes diet, according to the Mayo Clinic. Indeed, most fruits have a low GI rating due to their fructose and fiber content, meaning they're less likely to mess with your blood sugar levels than high-GI foods like white rice or melon, per the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

In other words, peaches are a good choice for people with diabetes, because they aren't likely to spike your blood glucose.

Just remember to stick to eating peaches that are fresh, frozen or canned without any added sugar, according to the ADA. That way you can avoid any unnecessary or processed carbs that may affect your blood glucose levels.