Written By: Shraddha Rupavate | Updated : September 25, 2014 4:23 PM IST
When it comes to diabetes, eating anything sweet can be risky because it can cause a sudden spike in blood sugar levels. And fruits being naturally sweet in nature are mostly avoided by most diabetics. But, that's not a desirable thing to do.
'A lot of misconceptions about eating specific fruits and avoiding others exist in people with diabetes. A diabetic who has well-controlled sugar can have all kinds of fruits but in limited quantities. Fruits are no doubt sweet because of natural sugars present in them but they also provide loads of other nutrients like vitamins, fibre and antioxidants, which are highly beneficial for diabetics,' says Dr Pradeep Gadge, consultant diabetologist.
If you look at the nutritional value of papaya, you will see that it is low in sugar (8.3 gm in one cup of sliced papaya). Despite the low sugar content, it is sweet. This makes it a perfect fruit for all diabetics to consume. Further, it is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C and fibre. Vitamin C along with other antioxidants in papaya help diabetics to stay away from heart disease. Here are some more health benefits of papaya
Papaya is fairly rich in minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium. Studies show that papaya extract can slow down the progression of type 2 diabetes, where the pancreas lose their ability to produce and secrete insulin completely.
All in all, papaya is surely a recommended fruit for diabetics. But you need to speak to your doctor to know the quantity you can consume. Dr Pradeep says fruits and their quantity are recommended depending on the stage of diabetes a person is suffering from.
Enjoy this healthy papaya recipe: Papaya orange smoothie.
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