Diabetes can be a tricky disease to handle due to the various complications that the disease can bring about in various organs and parts of your body. The best way to control and effectively manage the same is through the diet. In this article, let us try to find out the answers to the question” Do Raisins Affect Blood Glucose Levels?”

Nutritional Profile of Raisins

Before understanding and reaching to a conclusion as to whether or not raisins will have a positive or negative effect on your blood glucose levels, it is important to first carefully study and analyze the presence of various nutrients in the body.

• A handful of raisins are known to contain around 15 grams of carbohydrates
• The Glycemic Index score of raisins falls somewhere in between 49 to 64. This implies that the raisins have a value that is in between. It is not very high and neither is it too low.

Hence, as is concluded by the experts, until and unless large quantities of raisins are not had by a person who has diabetes, there should not be a significant effect on his or her blood glucose and blood sugar levels.

Effect of Raisins on Blood Glucose Levels

As per the various studies conducted by experts in different parts of the country, raisins can have a positive effect on those who eat it in diabetes. Some of the advantages of eating raisins in diabetes come from the factors that are mentioned in the points that follow:

=> A study conducted by researchers indicate that raisins are a food product that has a low value of the glycemic It also contains a good quantity of fiber as well as antioxidants. All these properties play a very significant role in maintaining good health. You are also benefitted in the sense that your kidneys and heart are in sound health, which is very important in case of a diabetic diet.

=> The major antioxidants that are present in abundance in raisins include the polyphenols and phenolic acids. These antioxidants, in turn, go a long way in helping to better the effects on inflammatory diseases that diabetes is known to bring around.

=> A clinical study conducted by various experts also concluded that when you are someone who has diabetes, eating raisins within the recommended quantity can help in bringing about improvements in the blood lipid profile. This is very important as it keeps several cardiovascular diseases at bay.

=> Further, a few studies also indicate the fact the eating raisins help to improve the body’s sensitivity to the all-important hormone insulin. This is important as when your body effectively utilizes insulin, it is only then that your diabetes is well-managed and is kept under control.

=> You should also eat some amount of raisins a few hours just before exercising. This goes a long way in giving you both energy and good health. In fact, eating raisins is considered much better than eating a candy snack or an energy bar before exercising.

=> Another important thing to note here is that when you eat raisins instead of candy bars and other snacks that are essentially high in the overall content of sugar, replacing them and eating raisins can actually give you a number of health benefits.

Finally to conclude, as per a new study conducted by experts, if you eat raisins thrice in one day, you can get a number of health benefits as it reduces the post-meal glucose levels to a significantly low level.

What is the Minimizing Effect of Raisins?

The raisins are known to have a minimizing effect on food. what does this mean?This implies that if you are a person which has diabetes and if you are eating food that has a high value of the glycemic index, you should combine your food intake along with raisins and other food varieties that have a low glycemic index. This will balance out the total value of the glycemic index that you might have. In turn, you need not worry about any kind of spike in the level of blood glucose after you have had your meal. If you eat within the recommended quantity, you definitely will be better off and also you should not worry about any kind of blood glucose increases.

Recommendations

You should not go overboard with the consumption of raisins. Raisins do contain some amount of fat and sugar in the form of fructose. Hence, you should be careful while including the same in your diabetic diet.

As is clear from the above article, you can include raisins in your diabetic diet as it does have the property of reducing the levels of blood glucose in your body. However, as is the case in all other food products, you need to consult your doctor and follow his or her recommendations while including the same in your meal plan.