There are two types of sugar: natural sugars and added sugars. Natural sugars are found in foods such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and some grains. Added sugars are sugars that have been added to foods and beverages during processing or preparation (such as table sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup).
On one hand, there’s nothing wrong with eating vegetables that contain naturally occurring sugar. On the other hand, if you’re trying to reduce your carbohydrate intake and/or lose weight, you may want to avoid adding extra carbs from sweetened vegetables.
Vegetables that are high in natural sugar include carrots, beets, sweet potatoes and yams. Vegetables with added sugar include corn and peas but not corn on the cob or green beans because they aren’t processed or canned using added sugar like these three vegetables are.
Vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet. They contain fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. However, many vegetables also contain sugar. These vegetables may not be great for diabetics or those trying to lose weight.
Check out this list of vegetables that are high in sugar:
Fruits with Sugar
Vegetables with Sugar
Cabbage (1 cup) – 3 grams of sugar
Carrots (1 cup) – 8 grams of sugar
Spinach (1 cup) – 3 grams of sugar
Broccoli (1 cup) – 5 grams of sugar
Potatoes (1 medium potato) – 10 grams of sugar
Vegetables high in sugar
Vegetables can be very low in sugar but some of them are high in sugar. It is not easy to find out which vegetables are high in sugar.
The following fruits have a higher amount of sugar compared to other foods:
Bananas – 1 banana contains 16 grams of sugar.
Oranges – 1 orange contains 15 grams of sugar.
Pineapple – 1 cup contains 17 grams of sugar.
Grapes – 1 cup (100 grams) contains 17 grams of sugar.
If you’re trying to eat low sugar, the first place to look is at fruit. Fruit is naturally sweet, but it’s also high in fiber and water and relatively low in calories. Most fruits contain about 10% sugar by weight, but some are higher than others.
Here are the top 10 fruits with the highest sugar contents:
1) Grapes: About 23 g per cup (about 3/4 pound) of grapes.
2) Watermelon: About 20 g per cup of watermelon cubes.
3) Cantaloupe: About 18 grams per cup of diced cantaloupe chunks.
4) Papaya: About 15 grams per cup of cubed papaya pieces.
5) Kiwi: About 12 grams per medium kiwi fruit (about 2 ounces).
6) Pineapple: About 12 grams per cup of diced pineapple rings (about 6 ounces).
7) Peach: About 11 grams per medium peach (about 2 ounces).
8) Mango: About 9 grams per large mango (about 1 pound).
The following are high-sugar fruits:
Bananas
Apples
Oranges
Grapes
Pineapples
Mangos
Watermelons
Cherries
Pears
The following are low-sugar vegetables:
Asparagus
Broccoli (raw)
Cabbage (raw)
Cauliflower (raw)
High Sugar Fruits:
1. Papaya
2. Mango
3. Pineapple
4. Watermelon
5. Pomegranate
6. Cherimoya (custard apple)
7. Banana (ripe)
8. Guava
9. Lychee (ripe)
10. Passion fruit (ripe)
11. Persimmon (ripe)
Tomatoes are a low-sugar fruit that can be enjoyed by diabetics. Tomatoes are also good sources of vitamins A, C, and K.
The sugar content in tomatoes varies depending on the variety of tomato and where it was grown. The most common varieties of tomatoes found in grocery stores have a high sugar content, but some older varieties contain lower amounts of sugar.
Broccoli is another vegetable that can be enjoyed by diabetics because it has a low sugar content. Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin B2 and folate. It’s also rich in fiber and contains protein, making it an excellent source of nutrients for diabetics who need to watch their carbohydrate intake.
Low Sugar Fruits
While fruits are generally high in sugar, there are some low sugar fruits. These include:
Blackberries. Blackberries have a low glycemic index and contain 2 grams of sugar per cup. The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly blood glucose levels rise after eating something. The lower the number, the slower it rises.
Blueberries. Blueberries have a glycemic index between 40 and 50, which means they raise blood sugars slowly. They also contain less than 1 gram of sugar per cup (0.7).
Strawberries. Strawberries have an even lower glycemic index than blueberries at 30-40, so they raise blood sugars slowly too (0.6 grams per cup).
Low Sugar Vegetables for Diabetics
There isn’t a lot of research into low sugar vegetables for diabetics but here are some that might help you keep your blood glucose under control:
Broccoli has a glycemic index between 13 and 16, which means it raises your blood glucose gradually over several hours rather than quickly like other foods do (2 grams per cup). It’s also high in fiber and vitamin C, both of which help regulate blood glucose levels too.
Tomatoes are a very low-calorie food, but they do contain some sugar. The amount of sugar in tomatoes depends on how ripe they are, as well as the variety. The more ripe they are, the higher the sugar content will be.
The amount of sugar in tomatoes also varies depending on how you prepare them. Raw tomatoes have more sugar than cooked ones; however, cooking also reduces the total amount of vitamins and minerals present in tomatoes. So it’s best to eat them raw whenever possible.
Tomatoes also contain natural sugars called “sucrose” or “fructose,” which is found in most fruits but also added to many other foods like breads, cereals and soda pop.
Tomatoes also contain some carbohydrates and fiber (1). Fiber helps lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes by slowing down digestion and keeping you full longer after a meal (2).
Tomatoes are a fruit, and like most fruits, they do contain sugar.
The amount of sugar in tomatoes varies depending on the variety, but it’s generally less than 1 gram per 100 grams. A medium-sized tomato is about 100 grams, so you’d have to eat two or three of them to get 1 gram of sugar.
Tomato juice has more sugar, because it’s made from crushed tomatoes. One cup (236 ml) of tomato juice contains 2 grams of sugar — that’s about 3 percent of the daily value for sugar intake set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
You can reduce the amount of sugar in tomato juice by using unsweetened tomato juice instead. You can also reduce it by diluting the juice with water or adding another ingredient such as lemon or lime juice if you’re making a cold soup or salad dressing (although this may change the flavor).
Tomato is an excellent source of vitamin C and copper, and a good source of potassium and vitamin A.
Tomato Nutrition Facts
One medium tomato contains:
85 calories
2g total fat (1g sat fat)
15mg sodium
21g carbohydrate (16g sugars)
3g fiber
1g protein.