Despite its sugar content, fruit can be a healthy part of a diabetes-friendly diet.
“Fruit does contain natural sugar, but it also comes packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that make it very different from added sugar,” says Amy Kimberlain, RDN, CDCES, the founder of Amy’s Nutrition Kitchen in Miami. But some types of fruit are healthier than others, and will spike your blood sugar without contributing much additional nutritional value.
While most fruits can fit into your diet with some careful planning, you’re better off limiting or avoiding certain ones if you have diabetes, says Kimberlain.
Cranberry Juice Drink
If you’re looking for juice, Kimberlain recommends sticking with 100 percent fruit juice, which doesn’t contain any added sugar. “Even though it's natural, juice has little to no fiber, so the sugar [from the fruit] is absorbed quickly,” she says. It’s also easier to consume a lot of juice than to eat whole fruit. Your best option is to have a small glass of 100 percent fruit juice with a meal like breakfast that contains protein and fat (like a vegetable omelet) to slow digestion and better balance your blood sugar.
Dried Pineapple
If you have diabetes, it’s recommended that you limit your consumption of dried fruit, says Kimberlain. “Because the water is removed, the portion size is much smaller, making it easy to eat the equivalent of several servings of fruit in just a handful and leading to larger blood sugar spikes,” she says.
Kimberlain recommends pairing a smaller amount of no-sugar-added dried fruit (0.5 oz) with nuts like almonds to add protein, healthy fats, and fiber to a snack that creates a more balanced blood sugar response.
Green Smoothies
Smoothies can be vehicles for health-promoting ingredients, but they can also be packed with carbohydrates and sugars, including added sugars, says Kimberlain. All smoothies are susceptible to this problem, but it’s more obvious when they contain ingredients like frozen yogurt, chocolate syrup, or sherbet. Green smoothies that contain kale or spinach may sound healthy, but sometimes smoothie makers hide sugary juices or other high-sugar ingredients to balance the taste of the greens.
“While a smoothie technically [contains] whole fruit, blending breaks down the fiber, and combined with fruit juice, it can raise blood sugar faster than expected,” says Kimberlain.
Bananas
Frozen Acai Bowls
Acai is a berry from the Amazon with a flavor reminiscent of tea. In addition to buying acai bowls from juice bars and smoothie shops, you can find packs of frozen, blended acai in the freezer section of many supermarkets to make acai bowls at home. One potential issue: Acai is often blended with added sugar to sweeten up the berry, and that’s before adding toppings like honey and sweetened granola.
If you’re going to have acai puree, choose an unsweetened option to avoid added sugar.
Grapes
Grapes are often demonized because they’re sweeter than other options, says Kimberlain. “In practice, what matters more is portion size, overall balance of the meal, and how your individual blood sugar responds,” she says.
Kimberlain recommends consuming a small portion of grapes, measuring out the amount that fits into your eating plan, and enjoying them alongside yogurt or nuts.
Canned Fruit Cocktail in Syrup
Canned fruit is a convenient and affordable way to access fruit when it’s not in season or when fresh options aren’t budget friendly. But people with diabetes need to be careful when consuming canned fruit.
Jennifer Frediani, PhD, RD
Medical Reviewer
Jennifer K. Frediani, PhD, RD, ACSM-CES, is a nutrition scientist, exercise physiologist, and registered dietitian with over two decades of experience in clinical research, education, and lifestyle intervention. She's an assistant professor, research track, at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, adjunct faculty in the nutrition and health sciences program at the Rollins School of Public Health, and a member of the Winship Cancer Institute.
Dr. Frediani earned her PhD in nutrition science from Emory University, and a master’s in exercise science and a bachelor’s in nutrition and dietetics from Georgia State University. Her doctoral research focused on body composition and dietary assessment among tuberculosis patients in the Republic of Georgia, and her postdoctoral work explored nutritional influences on pediatric liver disease.
She has published widely in journals such as Nature Scientific Reports, The New England Journal of Medicine, Clinical Nutrition, and Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases.
At Emory, she directs adult clinical studies for the NIH RADx initiative, overseeing trials on novel diagnostics for infectious diseases. She also leads the development of Emory’s fully online master of science in clinical nutrition program, designed to prepare future registered dietitian nutritionists through integrated coursework and supervised experiential learning.
Her research focuses on weight-neutral lifestyle interventions to improve cardiometabolic outcomes, with a special emphasis on dietary assessment, physical activity, and metabolomics.
Frediani’s teaching philosophy centers on creating inclusive, student-driven learning environments that foster critical thinking and professional growth. She is passionate about reducing weight stigma in clinical care and promoting sustainable, individualized approaches to food and movement.
Outside of work, Frediani is an avid runner and food enthusiast who travels the world to explore culinary traditions and cultural foodways. She believes that everyone deserves to enjoy food that nourishes both body and soul — without shame or restriction.
Jessica Migala
Author
Jessica Migala is a freelance writer with over 15 years of experience, specializing in health, nutrition, fitness, and beauty. She has written extensively about vision care, diabetes, dermatology, gastrointestinal health, cardiovascular health, cancer, pregnancy, and gynecology. She was previously an assistant editor at Prevention where she wrote monthly science-based beauty news items and feature stories.
She has contributed to more than 40 print and digital publications, including Cosmopolitan, O:The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Woman’s Day, Women’s Health, Fitness, Family Circle, Health, Prevention, Self, VICE, and more. Migala lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, two young boys, rescue beagle, and 15 fish. When not reporting, she likes running, bike rides, and a glass of wine (in moderation, of course).