Can you eat pineapple if you have diabetes?

In this article:

• Pineapple and diabetes
• Benefits
• GI of pineapple
• Adding pineapple to your diet
• The bottom line

In this article

• Pineapple and diabetes
• Benefits
• GI of pineapple
• Adding pineapple to your diet
• The bottom line

When choosing a food to snack on, fruit is a healthy, sweet treat—even if you have diabetes. Some people mistakenly believe you shouldn’t eat anything that tastes sugary if you live with this condition, including fructose-packed produce. That’s just not true, experts say.

Fruits are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. However, “fruit contains carbohydrates and can raise your blood glucose, so count it as part of your meal plan,” says Toby Amidor, a registered dietitian and author of Diabetes Create Your Plate Meal Prep Cookbook.

That includes pineapple, which people with diabetes can enjoy in moderation while still keeping their blood sugar levels under control. Here’s what you need to know about the pros and cons of eating pineapple if you have diabetes.

Can people with diabetes eat pineapple?

There’s a reason that pineapple tastes so sweet and delicious: It’s high in natural sugars. A cup of pineapple chunks, or about 165 grams of fruit, contains about 16 grams of sugar.

But that doesn’t mean you need to avoid it altogether. In fact, there’s no definite recommended daily limit to the amount of pineapple you can eat. However, you need to be aware of the sugar and carbohydrate content and account for it when planning your meals and snacks.

“I’d much rather you eat a bowl of pineapple than a bowl of ice cream,” says Ruth Brocato, MD, a family medicine physician with Mercy Personal Physicians at Lutherville in Maryland. “Just don’t overdo it.”

Is pineapple good for diabetics?

Pineapple doesn’t just taste delicious. Eating pineapple offers numerous potential health benefits for people with diabetes, such as:

Low in calories

Like many other kinds of fruit, pineapple is relatively low in calories. One cup of raw pineapple chunks contains about 82 calories–and no fat or cholesterol. Knowing the calorie count is important because weight management can be a challenge for some people with diabetes. Additionally, tracking calories can help people with diabetes maintain better control over their blood glucose levels.

Rich in vitamins and minerals

Pineapple is a good source of vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for people with diabetes, including:

• Manganese: Pineapple is very high in the trace element manganese, which your body needs for bone health, blood clotting, blood sugar regulation, and calcium absorption. It helps support your immune system and keep your metabolism functioning. According to Amy Margulies, a registered dietitian and owner of the Rebellious RD, manganese can also support insulin production and protein digestion. Additionally, a manganese deficit can actually impair glucose tolerance and raise the risk of developing metabolic syndrome.
• Vitamin C: Pineapple has a high vitamin C content. Also known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C can help reduce inflammation, prevent damage from free radicals, and support healthy blood vessels—an important point for people with diabetes because diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Additionally, research suggests that ascorbic acid can help manage diabetes by increasing antioxidant levels in the body and helping with insulin resistance. However, more research is needed to confirm if vitamin C supplementation could be useful for improving glycemic control.
• B vitamins: Pineapple is also a good source of several B vitamins, such as niacin, thiamine, B-6, and folate. “B vitamins are crucial for people with diabetes, as they play a vital role in the body’s metabolic processes, which this chronic condition disrupts,” says Margulies. For example, B-6 supports a healthy immune system and nervous system, as well as healthy brain development. At the same time, folate, or folic acid, is essential for healthy red blood cell development and healthy cell function. Folic acid is also recommended for pregnant people to help prevent congenital disorders.

Pineapple also contains small amounts of other vital minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, and potassium.

High in fiber

A cup of pineapple provides about 10% of your daily dietary fiber needs, according to the Cleveland Clinic. That’s important because fiber can help you maintain better control of your blood sugar levels. “When you have diabetes (and even when you do not), the fiber content in fruits helps to decrease the impact of the sugar content in the fruits or how quickly the natural sugar in the fruit will raise your blood sugar level,” says Margulies.

Also, most people do not get enough fiber in their diets, and fiber helps support heart health and a healthy digestive system. One note: you need to eat the actual fruit to get the fiber benefits. Fruit juice, including pineapple juice, is typically much lower in fiber than the whole fruit.

Contains bromelain

The enzyme bromelain in pineapple may be associated with decreased inflammation. There is a strong connection between inflammation and cardiovascular disease, and people with diabetes are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

In addition, bromelain can help reduce pain and swelling and aid digestion. In fact, in traditional medicine, pineapple was used to help treat indigestion and reduce inflammation for infections and injuries. According to some research, this enzyme may also help with arthritis pain.

Aids weight loss

Weight loss is often recommended for people with Type 2 diabetes. Some animal-based research suggests that pineapple may have anti-obesity properties. However, more research is needed in humans.

Researchers are also continuing to look into other potential benefits of pineapple. One recent study suggested that pineapple waste (peels, leaves, and stems) may actually be useful as a precursor for a new drug to help manage diabetes.

Glycemic index of pineapple

The glycemic index describes how quickly carbohydrates in foods affect blood sugar levels. It’s a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the value assigned to pure glucose (sugar).

• High GI: 70 or higher
• Medium GI: 56–69
• Low GI: 55 or lower

The higher the GI, the more drastically the food will raise your blood glucose levels. That’s why many experts recommend eating low glycemic index fruits as a general rule. “Whenever possible, it is better to select fruit that has a lower glycemic index, including fruits like blueberries, blackberries, or apples,” says Maria Teresa Anton, MD, an endocrinologist and educator at the Pritikin Longevity Center.

The glycemic index of fresh pineapple ranges from about 51 to 66, making it a moderate GI food. Yet, “it is the portion that matters and the foods you eat it with,” says Amidor. When eaten in moderation as part of a balanced diet, it can be a healthy treat for people with diabetes.

How to enjoy pineapple if you have diabetes

If you have diabetes, you can enjoy pineapple and still keep your blood sugar and insulin levels from rising too sharply with the following strategies:

• Eat pineapple along with a source of protein or fat. “Fresh pineapple, when eaten with a protein or fat source such as yogurt, cottage cheese, or walnuts, can help manage portion control and mitigate blood sugar spikes,” notes Michelle Routhenstein, a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, and owner of Entirely Nourished. Amidor suggests making a pineapple, spinach, almond milk, and Greek yogurt smoothie. “The result is one fruit exchange and 23g carbs, which is a reasonable amount of carbs for one meal,” Amidor says.
• Watch your serving size. Dr. Anton usually recommends that her patients stick to a half cup of higher GI fruits to prevent sugar spikes.
• Go easy on dried fruit. You can still get health benefits from eating dried pineapple, but it tends to be higher in calories (and natural sugars) than the fresh version. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) cautions that you can rack up 15 grams of carbs from just two tablespoons of dried fruit.
• Read labels on canned pineapple. Pineapple may be floating in pineapple juice, but it may also be canned in syrup, which tends to be higher in calories and sugar. If you opt for canned fruit, the ADA recommends looking for words on the label such as “packed in its juices,” “unsweetened,” or “no added sugar.” “Avoid any syrups, even the light syrups, as they contain extra sugar,” says Margulies.

“Having a piece of fresh fruit or fruit salad for dessert is a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth and get the extra nutrition you’re looking for,” says Amidor.

The bottom line

If you love to eat pineapple, good news: Pineapple can definitely fit into a healthy diabetes diet, including yours. You just have to think in terms of moderation.

Remember to watch your portion sizes and make sure that you account for the fact that pineapple’s natural sugar content will affect your blood glucose levels. Eating a smaller portion size, perhaps a half cup, and pairing it with a healthy fat or protein can give you all the health and taste benefits without sending your blood sugar soaring. If you have specific questions about how to enjoy pineapple as part of your balanced diet or diabetes management plan, talk to a health professional.