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Banana is a sweet fruit, which, according to some sources, it is undesirable to enter into the diet of diabetic. However, the glycemic index of the product is 51 points, which is 20 less than the permissible values for diabetes. In addition, the banana contains substances that are essential for the patient to maintain normal metabolism, strengthen internal systems.
Chemical composition and benefits for diabetics
Tropical fruit is rich in valuable items:
- amino acids (essential and non-essential);
- organic acids;
- vitamins: group B, E, C, PP, as well as retinol;
- trace elements (phosphorus, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, potassium and others);
- vegetable proteins;
- starch;
- tanning components;
- dietary fiber;
- fructose, etc.
Useful components stimulate the production of the hormones of “happiness” - serotonin and endorphins.
The qualitative composition allows you to use a banana in therapeutic diets, shown in violation of the pancreas, pancreatitis, etc.
In diabetes, it is also important to protect the heart and blood vessels from the damaging effects of accumulated glucose and ketone bodies. Tropical fruit contains 50% of the daily dose of potassium and magnesium, which strengthen the myocardium, clean the vascular walls from cholesterol and lipid plaques. Regular consumption of an exotic fetus reduces the risk of heart failure, coronary heart disease, heart attack, pathologies of the coronary vessels.
Also bananas for diabetes produce the following effects:
- Regulate pressure in the arteries, which can fluctuate every time with an increase in sugar.
- Positively affect the work of the brain, preventing the destruction of nerve cells, deterioration of attention and memory.
- Promote the production of necessary enzymes for digestion.
- They provide cell regeneration, which is important in the development of skin pathologies (with diabetes, wounds can heal worse, so they need outside help).
- They saturate tissues with oxygen.
- Maintain metabolism and water-salt balance, which may be disturbed by hyperglycemia.
- Normalize the liver and kidneys, prevent the development of nephropathy and polyuria, swelling.
- They restore digestion and intestinal peristalsis, thereby facilitating the absorption of beneficial components.
- Reduce the risk of malignant processes that diabetics are exposed to on the background of acidosis (cell oxidation).
- Thanks to pyridoxine (vitamin B6), the body is less susceptible to stress and physical exertion.
- Vitamin C helps to strengthen the immune system, which naturally decreases in a diabetic.
- Normalize the production and outflow of bile.
And, of course, a significant advantage is the absence in the banana of simple carbohydrates and fats, which give excess body weight with the rapid release of energy. That is, after eating a moderately high-calorie tropical fruit (105 kcal per 100 g), fructose and glucose are released gradually, without raising blood sugar to critical levels.
How to use
Nevertheless, the fruits have a high GI, so eat them with diabetes must be carefully.
- Properly combine a banana with other foods.Endocrinologists and nutritionists advise eating a tropical fruit separately, and not in the form of sweet desserts, cakes, salads, ice cream, etc. You can combine the fruit with fresh citrus, sour apple, kiwi, some berries. Using a blender, you can make a smoothie out of them (without the addition of milk and sugar).
- Eat bananas mature, because green fruits contain a significant amount of starch, which slags the body. At the same time, dried bananas are not suitable, since due to the evaporation of moisture, the GI increases by 100 g, which makes it impossible to use the fruit in diabetes.
- Bananas can be consumed as a puree, baked or steam dish.
- Do not wash down the fruit with liquid, even plain water. But 30 minutes before a snack, you can drink a glass of water to speed up metabolism.
- For 1 reception it is not recommended to eat the whole fruit. Divide it into 3 parts and consume during the day.
- Bananas do not eat on an empty stomach. It is advisable to eat a less carbohydrate and more healthy meal for diabetes 1–2 hours before a snack.
- Eat a sweet fruit in the morning, when the body still has the opportunity to adjust the sharp release of carbohydrates and glucose.
- Before use, thoroughly rinse the rind of the fruit under running water. The preservative “phenol” is often found on the surface, which through the hands falls on the pulp and can subsequently cause poisoning.
How can bananas harm
Diabetics with an insulin-independent compensated form of the disease can safely eat bananas, but not abuse them. In the insulin-dependent form, a few pieces of fruit per day can greatly impair health, since a sharp release of glucose and fructose will lead to a critical increase in plasma sugar levels. Symptoms of hyperglycemia may develop:
- Constant feeling of hunger that will lead to chaotic eating of food during the day.
- Dehydration and thirst, which is not satisfied even with huge portions of water (more than 5 liters per day).
- Polyuria (frequent visits to the toilet, including at night).
- Renal dysfunction, which leads to the accumulation of fluid in the body and the formation of edema.
- Angiopathy, against the background of which the vessels suffer, the work of the brain and the peripheral CNS is impaired.
- Slow wound healing, the formation of trophic ulcers, corns and cracks on the skin.
- Drying of the skin and mucous membranes.
- Exacerbation of systemic diseases, allergies.
Due to the increased risks of diabetes, doctors prohibit eating bananas for patients with:
- poorly compensated for type 1 diabetes;
- obesity of different types;
- kidney or liver dysfunction;
- atherosclerotic disease;
- pathologies of the cardiovascular system, blood flow;
- violation of trophism and tissue structure (poor healing, tendency to dermatitis, etc.).
The optimal dose for a diabetic is considered to be 1-2 pieces per week, while not forgetting that one fruit must be divided into several parts.
Bananas have a moderate GI, so that they can and even need to be used in the diet of a diabetic. It is important to control the amount of fruits eaten, monitor the body's response and do not forget to regularly measure the indicators of sugar.
Video: the benefits and harm of a banana for diabetics
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