Many of us grew up being encouraged to drink a glass of orange juice with breakfast, and that habit often stuck with us as adults. But for people with diabetes, juice is usually one of the first things our healthcare team suggest cutting back on because it can raise blood glucose (blood sugar) quickly.
Fruit juices have lots of carbs without the benefits of fiber and other nutrients from the actual fruit. For instance, an 8-ounce glass of orange juice contains 29 grams of carbs. Grapefruit juice has less, ~19 grams carb per 8 ounces. If your diabetes management plan calls for 30 grams of carbs a meal, there’s not much left for you to eat after a glass of juice.
Benefits of Eating Citrus
When you live with diabetes or prediabetes, informed food choices are essential to managing your health. Consider this option: Enjoying a small tangerine which contains 10 grams of carbs.
Additionally, eating that orange provides fiber, which helps us feel full for longer, and slows down the absorption of carbs.
Better Ways to Enjoy Citrus
You don’t have to give up citrus juice completely. Just enjoy it in small amounts and try using it in new ways, like adding a splash to meals or recipes. For instance, a single tablespoon of orange juice has ~2 grams of carbs. A tablespoon of lemon or grapefruit juice is even less, ~1 gram carb.
But what can you do with a tablespoon of citrus juice? Try making a vinaigrette! Our Triple Citrus Vinaigrette uses all three fruit juices (check with your healthcare team if you’re on a statin drug that prohibits you from eating grapefruit).
Squeeze fresh lemon, lime, or orange juice on poultry or seafood before baking, roasting, or grilling. You can also mix a tablespoon of lemon or lime juice with vinegar to make a vinaigrette to add a blast of brightness.
Heading into the winter months, oranges, clementines, and mandarins make for a great snack option. If you don’t like to eat them plain, consider incorporating them into a recipe like arugula salad with mandarin oranges, fish tacos, or pineapple mandarin orange salsa.
For a more robust meal, you can slow roast thinly sliced lemons, limes, or oranges, along with sliced fennel, and jalapeño peppers to make a fragrant bed for pieces of cod, salmon, or any other fish you love.
Don’t forget the zest of fresh citrus! Alone or combined with the juice, orange, lime, or lemon zest can be the basis of a beautiful marinade for chicken.
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