Many people eat fruit infrequently, but tend to have larger portions when they do eat them, so some people find that it is easy to overdo the dried fruit, grapes and tropical fruits. It is very unlikely that you need to reduce your fruit intake but you could keep a food diary to check how often and how much fruit you are eating. For people who follow a low-carb diet, it is important to identify the sources of carbs that are not healthy and cut those down first. It is better to reduce your intake of chocolate, sugary drinks, cakes and other snacks than whole fruit when trying to restrict your carb intake to help manage your blood glucose levels. A portion of fruit, such as a medium apple, generally contains about 15 to 20g carbs, a chocolate muffin has 55g carbs and a 500ml ordinary fizzy drink has 54g carbs. The amount of carbohydrate you eat has the biggest effect on your blood glucose levels after eating. This is different to the free sugar in drinks, chocolate, cakes and biscuits, as well as in fruit juices and honey. But the sugar in whole fruit does not count towards free sugars, so it is not this type of sugar we need to cut down on.

You might think that the sugar content of fruit means that you can’t eat it. They also provide fibre, minerals and vitamins. This is because fruit and vegetables are associated with lower risk of heart disease and certain types of cancers. You're probably aware of the five-a-day target, and this is equally important if you’re living with diabetes or if you’re not. Everyone should be eating more fruit and vegetables.

Clementine oranges and diabetes