Is Guava Fruit Good for Diabetes? Let’s Find Out!

Table of Content

• Glycemic Index of Guava

• What are the Guava Effects on Diabetes?

• Is Guava Fruit Good for Diabetes?

• Does guava raise blood sugar?

• Benefits of Guava for Diabetic People

• How to eat guava for Diabetes?

• Risks of Guava for People with Diabetes

• Other Health Benefits of Guavas

• Take-Home Points

• FAQ on Is Guava Good for Diabetes?

Introduction 

Guava is a nutritious and delicious fruit, that is indigenous to Mexico, Central America and Southern America. Guava has free sugars but does guava raise blood sugar? Studies have shown the hypoglycemic effects of guava if eaten without peel.

Diabetic patients need to follow strict dietary changes to maintain their blood glucose levels. They should eat low-glycemic foods to maintain their blood glucose.

Guava has high fibre content which also contributes to maintaining blood glucose levels. The question arises: Is guava good for diabetes? Or can we use guava for diabetes? Apart from these questions, We’ll also cover how to eat guava for diabetes and other benefits of guava etc.

Glycemic Index of Guava

The glycemic index of food is one of the factors that one should consider while choosing foods for diabetes and not the only factor, portion size and nutritional balance are also important.

The glycemic index is a numeric value that shows how fast a food will get absorbed in the gut and increase blood sugar. Foods with high glycemic index are absorbed faster and an increase in blood glucose is seen faster as compared to foods with lower glycemic, they are absorbed slower and a slower rate of rise in blood glucose is seen.

Foods with low glycemic index are preferred in diabetics. The Glycemic index of Guava is 12-24, therefore there is a very minimal spike in blood glucose levels. One can use guava for diabetes patient

What are the Guava Effects on Diabetes?

Is guava good for diabetes? Although there is no direct evidence suggesting the link of guava for diabetes, studies have shown that Guava without peel is effective in lowering blood glucose, and LDL (bad cholesterol) levels and elevating HDL (good cholesterol) levels. Here’s guava for diabetes and how that helps.

1. High fibres: Guava contains high amounts of fibres, which slows its digestion in the gut and leads to sustained release of sugar, not causing spikes in blood glucose. Apart from the effects of blood sugar, fibres present in guava also help in relieving constipation.

2. Low Glycemic Index: Glycemic index of guava is low. One can include guava in their healthy balanced diet for diet diabetes and guava can aid in preventing sudden spikes of blood glucose.

3. Vitamin C: Guava has more vitamin C than oranges. Studies have shown that people with low amounts of Vitamin C intake are more prone to diabetes, furthermore, some studies have also shown that supplementation of Vitamin C helps in Diabetes by lowering blood glucose and reducing blood pressure in Hypertension. 

4. Low Sodium and High Potassium: Diabetes is a risk factor for heart disease. Guava being low in sodium and high in potassium gives a heart-healthy effect. Therefore, the benefits of guava for diabetes patients are not only limited to maintaining blood glucose but also it is heart-healthy.

Is Guava Fruit Good for Diabetes?

After discussing guava's effect on diabetes, the question arises Is guava fruit good for diabetes? Yes, Guava fruit is good for diabetes because it has a low glycemic index, has lots of fibre, Vitamin C and low sodium content.

• Apart from these guava, contains a very minimal amount of calories making guava for diabetes good.

• Vitamin C content in guava helps in boosting immunity and acts as a natural antioxidant.

• Low sodium and high potassium content in guava make it diabetic friendly which is also heart-healthy.

• Apart from these benefits of guava for diabetes, it also helps in controlling cholesterol levels.

Apart from guava fruits, studies have also shown guava leaf extract has hypoglycemic and antihyperlipidemic effects. 

• Guava leaf extract can inhibit alpha-glucosidase enzyme which breaks down starch to release free sugar.

• Guava leaf extract can be consumed after meals to reduce spikes in blood glucose levels.

• Guava leaf extract helps in lowering bad cholesterol and elevating good cholesterol.

• Studies have shown aqueous extract of guava leaf has shown to increase insulin levels and decrease blood glucose.  

Is guava good for diabetes with peel?

Guava fruits should be consumed without peel, as a study has shown that guava peel contains sugar molecule which causes an increase in blood glucose

Does guava raise blood sugar?

Guava has a low glycemic index and high fibre content, Guava fruit should be eaten without peel, since the peel of guava contains free polysaccharides which raise blood sugar. Here are some points to consider for guava's effect on diabetes.:

1. Guava has a low glycemic index, which cannot lead to sudden peaks in blood glucose.

2. Guava has high fibre content, which relieves constipation and leads to sustained release of glucose into the blood.

3. Guava has low sodium content, and studies have shown the anti-hypertensive effect of guava.

4. Guava contains low amounts of calories, hence can be used by diabetics.

5. Studies have shown Guava fruit without peel, is more beneficial and doesn’t lead to an increase in blood glucose but eating without peels gives a hypoglycemic effect.

Benefits of Guava for Diabetic People

There are many other benefits of Guava for diabetic people apart from its hypoglycemic effect. Here are the benefits of guava for diabetic people:

1. Rich in fibre: Guava is rich in fibre, which helps in the maintenance of blood glucose and cholesterol levels.

2. Improves digestion: Guava improves digestion as it contains high amounts of fibre which takes longer to digest and it is good for the gut.

3. Weight management: Due to its low calorie content it becomes helpful in weight control. High fibre content in guava gives a feeling of satiety in turn helps in weight management.

4. Vitamin C: Guava contains four times more vitamin C than oranges, which is a potent antioxidant that helps in better sugar control and compensates the free radicals which cause damage to the body.

How to eat guava for Diabetes?

There can be many ways of eating guava, eating guava in its natural and raw form is best. How to eat guava for diabetes? Here are some of the which you can use:

1. Eat guava raw: Guava is consumed best in its raw form, you can peel the guava and then consume it, as a peel of guava can cause an increase in blood glucose.

2. Guava leaf extract: Guava leaf can be boiled in water to obtain guava leaf extract, leaf extract has shown benefits in lower blood glucose, blood cholesterol and Blood pressure.

3. Guava smoothie: Guava smoothie can be made by mixing milk with guava, dates and banana, this will provide you with essential nutrients.

4. Mix guava with Chia seeds: Mix guava with chia seeds, by soaking chia seeds overnight, and mixing it with yoghurt and guava to make chia seeds pudding.

5. Adding Guava to Salad: You can add guava to your salad to make it more nutritious. You can add guava, carrot and honey to make a perfect blend.

6. Guava Juice: You can blend guava into a blender and enjoy it by adding some mint, ice, chilli powder and salt.

Risks of Guava for People with Diabetes

There can be risks of guava for people with diabetes if eaten in the wrong way or if you have allergies:

1. If eaten without peel, guava can cause an increase in blood glucose.

2. In some, Guava seeds can cause diarrhoea or irritable bowel syndrome, as these seeds are natural laxatives and eating too much can cause diarrhoea.

3. Guava contains low calories, therefore after eating one craves more.

Other Health Benefits of Guavas

Apart from the benefits of guava for diabetes patients, there are other benefits of guavas which are heart health, antioxidant effects, anti-hypertensive effects etc. Here are some other benefits apart from diabetes and guava:

1. Antioxidants: Guava contains phytonutrients like carotenoids, polyphenols, and vitamin C which are antioxidants that help in cellular repair and DNA damage.

2. Heart healthy benefits: Guava has antio which contributes to heart health. Guava can lower HDL(bad cholesterol) and increase LDL(good cholesterol). Guava helps in blood pressure reduction also because of high potassium and low sodium content.

3. Anticancer properties: Some studies have shown antioxidants present in guava can contribute to anticancer properties of cancer.

4. Boosts immunity: Vitamin C present in guava leads to an immunity boost. 

5. Rejuvenates skin: Vitamins and Antioxidants present in Guava help in rejuvenating the skin, also antioxidants can help delay ageing and wrinkling of skin.

Take-Home Points

1. Guava is a nutritious and delicious fruit, which is indigenous to Mexico, Central America and Southern America. 

2. Is guava good for diabetes? Guava has a low glycemic index. Diabetic patients need to follow strict dietary changes to maintain their blood glucose levels. They should eat low-glycemic foods to maintain their blood glucose.

3. Studies have shown the hypoglycemic effects of guava if eaten without peel.

4. The Glycemic index of Guava is 12-24, therefore there is a very minimal spike in blood glucose levels.

5. Guava has a low glycemic index, high fibre and vitamin C which makes guava good for diabetes.

6. Guava does not cause a spike in blood sugar levels if eaten without peel.

7. Apart from the effects of guava on diabetes, there are other benefits which include improving digestion, heart-healthy effects, anticancer properties, antioxidant properties etc.

8. You can eat guava as a raw fruit by peeling, making smoothies, chia seeds pudding etc.