Managing Diabetes
What Fruits are Good for People Living with Diabetes?
Published: Jul. 1, 2026
Updated: Jul. 8, 2026
7 min read
Fruit is part of a well-rounded diet, but it can also cause spikes in blood sugar. Here's what you need to know about what fruits are best for people with diabetes and how to incorporate fruit into your diabetes meal plan.
Fruits are an important part of a well-rounded diet. They are also delicious and can make a good substitute for more sugary options like candy or pastries when you're craving something sweet. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends using the Diabetes Plate Method as a simple, practical guide for building balanced meals: fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables, one quarter with lean protein, and the remaining quarter with quality carbohydrates, which includes fruit.1
Fruits contain essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and water—all of which contribute to our overall health.² Studies have shown that consistently eating approximately one cup of fresh fruit may help prevent the progression of type 2 diabetes (T2D).2 Eating fruits alongside a variety of other whole foods helps to ensure that you have the fuel you need to function.
People living with diabetes need to keep in mind that fruit is also a source of sugar and carbohydrates, which can impact their blood sugar levels, also known as glucose. Eating fruit may lead to higher blood sugar levels.2 It's important to understand which fruits are best for those living with diabetes—as well as when and how to eat them—to help keep your glucose levels within your target range (generally defined as 70–180 mg/dL)3 depending on the time you’re checking.
How Fruit Affects Your Blood Sugar
Most types of fruit contain sugar as well as carbohydrates. When we eat certain fruits on their own, it can cause a spike in blood sugar.2,4 Frequent spikes in blood sugar decrease time in range (TIR), which can lead to an increase in A1C.5 Eating a lot of fruit without also including protein and healthy fats in your diet can increase blood sugar levels over time.2
However, the way that fruit influences blood sugar is complex. Many fruits are also a great source of fiber, which slows down the digestion and absorption of glucose in the body, helping to prevent hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, and increasing insulin sensitivity.6 Fiber from fruits and vegetables has been shown to support heart health and reduce the risk of T2D.6
When you're looking to incorporate more fruit into your diet, be aware that fruit juices are not the best option for doing so. Fruit juice has higher amounts of sugar than the whole fruit it's made from and lacks the fiber that helps slow glucose absorption. While fruit juice might be suitable for treating a low glucose event, drinking fruit juice regularly may keep blood sugar levels high, increasing A1C over time.7 The ADA recommends prioritizing whole fruit over juice wherever possible.8
Fruit smoothies may be a better option, as long as you're mindful about the ingredients you're using. Pairing fruit with protein-rich additions like nonfat Greek yogurt or healthy fats like ground flaxseed can help balance the carbohydrate content and prevent a rapid rise in blood sugar.9 Keep in mind that using fruit juice or yogurt with added sugar as a base for your smoothies can increase the sugar content.9 Many smoothies sold at stores use fruit concentrate or puree as their main ingredient and therefore have more sugar and less fiber than a smoothie you might make at home.9
Fruit Portions That Support Your Overall Health
When it comes to choosing fruits to incorporate in your diet, the ADA recommends focusing on portion size and counting carbohydrates as the most reliable way to manage blood sugar.8 One standard serving of fruit contains approximately 15 grams of carbohydrates. Examples of a single serving include:8
- One small piece of whole fruit (about the size of a tennis ball)
- 1 cup of berries or chopped melon
- About 15 cherries or grapes
- Half a medium banana
- ½ cup (4 oz) of 100% fruit juice
- ½ cup (4 oz) of canned fruit in its own juice or water
- 2 tablespoons of dried fruit
The ADA also highlights "superstar foods", nutrient-dense options that support diabetes management and overall health. Among these, berries and citrus fruits stand out as top fruit choices. Berries are packed with antioxidants, vitamins C and K, manganese, potassium, and fiber. Citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits are excellent sources of vitamin C, fiber, folate, and potassium. For both, the ADA recommends choosing whole fruit over juice to retain fiber and nutritional benefits.10
Glycemic Index Guide for Fruit Selection
When choosing fruits for your diet, focus on options with a lower glycemic index (GI). The GI is a numerical scale (1-100) that ranks carbohydrate-containing foods and beverages based on how quickly and significantly they raise blood glucose levels. Low GI fruits won't spike your blood glucose as dramatically as high GI options, which cause rapid, substantial increases in blood glucose. This makes low GI fruits ideal for your diet.
The Dexcom G7 and Dexcom G7 15 Day allow you to track how each fruit affects your glucose levels. However, it’s important to work with your healthcare team, including your diabetes dietitian and healthcare provider, to identify which low GI fruits align with your personalized plan.
Best Low-GI Fruit Options
Include these regularly in your diabetes meal plan:
- Apples and pears
- Unripe (green) bananas
- Berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries)
- Cantaloupe and honeydew melon
- Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits, lemons)
- Stone fruits (apricots, peaches, plums)
Medium and High-GI Fruits:
Consider eating these less frequently or avoiding them
- Ripe bananas (yellow with brown spots)
- Dried fruits (figs, cranberries, raisins)
- Pineapple
- Grapes
- Kiwis
- Watermelon
Best Fruit Choices for People with Diabetes
Fruit is available in many forms—fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and juice—and each can have a place in a diabetes-friendly diet depending on what's in season, what fits your budget, and how you plan to enjoy it. The American Diabetes Association offers some helpful guidance on getting the most out of your fruit choices:9
- Pair fruit with a protein or healthy fat—like apple slices with peanut butter—to help slow digestion and keep blood sugar more stable.
- Fresh, in-season fruit tends to offer the best combination of flavor and value.
- Frozen fruit is a great budget-friendly alternative that holds onto most of its nutritional value.
- When buying canned fruit, look for options packed in water or their own juice, and steer clear of varieties with added sugar or heavy syrup.
- Dried fruit can be easy to overeat—the serving sizes are much smaller than you might expect, so always check the label for carbohydrate content before digging in.
- Jellies and jams are best used sparingly—think of them more like a sugary condiment than a fruit serving. They tend to be high in carbohydrates and low in fiber, which can cause a quick rise in blood glucose.
If you're looking to incorporate more fiber into your diet, raspberries, pears, and apples with the skin are great options.11
Learn Which Fruits Are Right for You
Each of our bodies is unique, and everyone reacts to food in different ways. Even though certain popular diabetes diets may be recommended to you, it's important to pay attention to how the foods you eat affect you. Understanding how your glucose levels change when you eat fruit can help you figure out which fruits are a good choice for you, and which aren't, with the help of your healthcare team.
One of the best ways to get a better idea of how your meals affect your glucose levels is to use a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system like the Dexcom G7 or Dexcom G7 15 Day. CGM systems allow you to see your glucose levels change in real time. With this information at your fingertips, you can see how a fruit impacts your glucose levels immediately or in the hours after eating it.
CGM systems also give you insight into your glucose data over time. With the Dexcom G7 app*, the Trends tab brings your historical glucose data into one place—making it easy to explore patterns and trends over days, weeks, or months.
This means you can look back at your data to spot patterns and better understand how certain habits may be impacting your glucose levels. For example, if you eat an apple as a snack in the middle of the afternoon every day, you can review your data over a couple of weeks to see if there’s a noticeable change in glucose around that time.
With these insights, you and your healthcare team can have more informed conversations and make adjustments that may better support your goals. Want diabetes-friendly recipes of the foods that you love? Check out our SpikeSavvy Bites recipes to explore a healthy take on favorites like pizza, pancakes, and more.
It's important to remember that eating fruit is just one piece of a very complex network of factors that influence your glucose levels. It can be hard to isolate individual factors in your diabetes management plan. When you eat a fruit and what you eat it with can change the way it affects you. Other elements like sleep, stress, medication, and even how hot or cold it is outside can impact your glucose levels—even if you're consuming foods that you eat all the time.
There are many variables beyond your diet that contribute to your glucose management and A1C. Learn more about what can affect your A1C and a few tips for reaching your glucose management goals.
*Compatible smart devices sold separately. To view a list of compatible devices, visit https://www.dexcom.com/compatibility 1 What is the Diabetes Plate? American Diabetes Association Diabetes Food Hub. Accessed April 2026. https://diabetesfoodhub.org/blog/what-diabetes-plate 2 Park HA. Fruit Intake to Prevent and Control Hypertension and Diabetes. Korean J Fam Med. 2021;42(1):9-16. doi:10.4082/kjfm.20.0225 3 Dexcom. What is a normal blood glucose level? Accessed April 2026. https://www.dexcom.com/faqs/what-is-normal-blood-glucose-level 4 Dholariya SJ, et al. Biochemistry, Fructose Metabolism. StatPearls Publishing. Updated October 17, 2022. Accessed April 2026. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK576428/ 5 Vigersky RA, et al. The Relationship of Hemoglobin A1C to Time-in-Range in Patients with Diabetes. Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics. 2019;21(2):81-85. doi:10.1089/dia.2018.0310 6 Fiber: The Carb That Helps You Manage Diabetes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/healthy-eating/fiber-helps-diabetes.html 7 Hypoglycemia. Mayo Clinic. Published November 28, 2023. Accessed April 2026. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypoglycemia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373689 8 Fruit. American Diabetes Association. Accessed April 2026. https://diabetes.org/food-nutrition/reading-food-labels/fruit 9 Can I Eat Fruit If I Have Diabetes? American Diabetes Association Diabetes Food Hub. Accessed April 2026. https://diabetesfoodhub.org/blog/can-i-eat-fruit-if-i-have-diabetes 10 Diabetes Superstar Foods. American Diabetes Association. Accessed April 2026. https://diabetes.org/food-nutrition/food-and-blood-sugar/diabetes-superstar-foods 11 Chart of High-Fiber Foods. Mayo Clinic. Updated January 5, 2021. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/high-fiber-foods/art-20050948 12 Dexcom G7 15 Day CGM System. Dexcom. Accessed April 2026. https://www.dexcom.com/en-us/all-access/dexcom-cgm-explained/new-g7-15-day-cgm 13 42 Factors That Affect Blood Glucose?! A Surprising Update. DiaTribe. Updated September 29, 2022. https://diatribe.org/42-factors-affect-blood-glucose-surprising-update