It is a well-known fact that dry fruits and nuts have considerable health benefits and are often recommended to people for maintaining a healthy life. However, when you are a diabetes patient, you have to be extremely careful of what you eat and what you do not.

In this article, we shall discuss the effects of eating the otherwise healthy nuts for a diabetes patient. So, come and join in for the article “Are Dry Fruits Good or Bad For Diabetic Patients?”

Benefits of Eating Dry Fruits and Nuts for Diabetes?

The following are the major benefits that eating dry fruits and nuts offer to the people who suffer from diabetes.

– Nuts can be a great source of losing weight. Dry fruits and nuts help to lose belly fat. The high fiber content in dry fruits make you feel fuller for a longer period of time and that is how they can go a long way in helping to deal with type 2 diabetes

– Nuts contain a lot of monounsaturated fats. These are the type of fats which are considered as a healthy option for the diabetes patients. The high levels of monounsaturated fats in nuts go a long way in reducing the levels of bad cholesterol in a diabetic patient

– Besides, dry fruits such as pecans have a high quantity of nutrients and minerals namely iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, potassium, as well as manganese making it a great food for all the diabetic patients.

– Nuts also reduce the level of triglycerides in the body of the diabetes patients. Thus, dry fruits are very good for controlling several heart-related conditions which are one of the most common complications of diabetes

– Studies have also suggested that eating raisins regularly and as a replacement of snacks can go a long way in reducing the postprandial levels of glucose in the body by as much as 23 percent

– The high fiber content present in dry fruits and nuts goes a long way in helping the digestive tract to function in a smooth and an efficient manner. This is particularly true of dried plums and prunes as they hugely contribute in giving the diabetes patients a normal bowel function. It also helps to avoid constipation

– Dry fruits such as figs help to destroy the free radicals which have far-reaching adverse effects on the health of a diabetes patient

– Finally, eating dry fruits and nuts can help improve the lipid profile of a diabetic patient while also reducing the HbA1c levels thereby contributing to effective diabetes management

– Dry fruits also help in managing stress and that is an important contributor to effective diabetes management.

Hence, dry fruits and nuts should be included in the diabetic diet in order to ensure that the condition is effectively managed. Having said that, different types of nut have different qualities and the effect of each nut is different on your body and diabetes. The following paragraph explains in detail about each type of nut and their simultaneous effect in the body of a diabetes patient.

Which are the Best Dry Fruits for Diabetes Patients?

The following dry fruits are considered very healthy for people who suffer from diabetes:

Almonds

Almonds are the best type of nut if you are looking forward to shedding all those extra calories. Not only that, almonds help to lose weight as well as reduce the levels of total cholesterol you have in the body. It is a good source for smoothening the digestive tract.

The different ways in which you can have almonds is to soak them in water overnight, peel the skin and have the same next morning. You could also use the nut as a garnish in various preparations. Almonds can be had without even soaking them in water.

Cashew Nuts

These are highly beneficial for the health and is responsible for stabilizing the blood pressure in the body. The benefits of the cashew nuts come from it having a low load of glycemic index and it also is high in proteins and magnesium.

Cashew nuts are best had raw. However, you can include them as part of various curries too.

Dates

Dates are another nut which helps in stabilizing the level of blood glucose. The high in fiber dry fruit also aids the smooth functioning of the patient’s digestive tract.

Eat dates in its raw form or make it into a puree to use it as a sugar replacement

Walnuts

By promoting sleep, walnuts help in reducing stress which is a great way to deal with diabetes. Walnuts also help in reducing weight and promote effective diabetes management.

Eat walnuts in their raw form or make a paste to add in a number of recipes and various other preparations.

Figs

Figs are a great way of improving the functioning of the digestive tract. By destroying the free radicals produced in the body due to diabetes, figs are a great food item for effective diabetes management.

Like the other type of dried fruits, you can have figs in their raw form, add the same in milk or your porridge to eat.

Pistachios

Rich in vitamin A and E, pistachios are great for maintaining the health of a diabetes patient. They have anti-inflammatory properties and help a great deal in building up the immunity of the body. Not only that, pistachios go a long way in maintaining healthy levels of hemoglobin which is required for a diabetes patient.

You can have pistachios in their raw form or include them in the form of apaste in various snacks and preparations.

Raisins

Raisins are considered to be great energy boosters and the various vitamins and nutrients present in this dry fruit also go a long way in lowering the levels of bad cholesterol in the body of a diabetes patient. The high fiber content further helps a diabetic patient by helping the process of weight loss to a great extent.

Eat raisins in their raw form or add them to various dishes and preparations.

Hence, including dry fruits is good for diabetes patient provided you do not go overboard with the total consumption of these nuts. Also, remember that you should not add too much of salt or other preservatives as that shall combat the health benefits of eating dry fruits. Dry fruits also have a lot of calories as explained below. So, just be mindful of including them in your regular diet.

What is the Number of Calories That Dry Fruits Have?

Dry fruits, as seen above, are good for the overall health of the diabetes patient. However, the high-calorie content makes the diabetes patient weary of eating nuts. For example, if you are taking in 100 grams of almonds, you are basically including around 576 units of calories. Now, this is really too much for people with diabetes. Therefore, you need to include the same as part of your regular meal plan and you should take care not to go overboard with the consumption of dry fruits and nuts.

We hope that the above article has been helpful in providing you some knowledge about the relationship between diabetes and nuts. We hope that the article has been able to give an answer to your question as to whether or not eating nuts and dry fruits are good for the overall health of a diabetic patient. If you take appropriate care and include dry fruits in your meal plan after proper supervision from your medical expert. Dry fruits can be a very healthy food item to include in a diabetic diet!!