Last Updated on March 18, 2021 by Dr Sharon Baisil MD
Keeping healthy is the first step towards beating diabetes. Diabetes is a drastically growing condition that affects many individuals’ lives and brings in disturbances in everyday routines and habits. Diabetic patients must abide by certain norms and restrictions to assists in managing diabetes efficiently.
These restrictions can often be difficult to find out and follow. But it is important to know them as they will help take control of your blood sugar issues.
Today, we will look at another such norm and find out all about it. We are going to discuss the kinnow fruit. Are you wondering …?
- Is kinnow fruit good for diabetic patients?
- Can diabetic patients consume one kinnow fruit a day?
- What are the nutritional facts for kinnow fruit?
- What are the benefits of eating kinnow fruit?
Etc.
We will have a look at these questions and provide you with their answers. This will help you to make the right choices that suit your body and its diabetic needs.
Before we get started with the diabetic details, let us get to know it better. Let us begin with the basics.
What is a Kinnow fruit?
Kinnow is one of the tangerine hybrid fruits. It is a mandarin hybrid, to be precise. The mandarin orange is a special and distinct type of orange treated as a different species. It is grown in different parts of the world and enjoyed like various other citrus fruits.
The kinnow fruit is known, grown, and famous for its high yield. A kinnow tree produces more fruits when compared to other orange varieties. It is also juicer than the regular mandarin orange.
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Further hybrid studies and practices have also given rise to seedless versions of the kinnow fruit.
In appearance, the kinnow looks similar to the mandarin orange. It is round with a flat top and bottom. The color of this fruit is bright orange. They are moderately sized.
The kinnow fruit has skin that is easier to peel off. The inside of the fruit also resembles the orange. It is a sweet and sour-tasting fruit with more juiciness.
As a citrus fruit, the kinnow is also popular for its vitamin C presence and other health benefits. We will have a detailed look at these nutrients and their benefits as we move further in this article.
Let us first find out whether people diagnosed with diabetes can have kinnow fruits or not. This will help you make the correct food choices according to your diabetic conditions, levels, and other limitations.
Is the kinnow fruit good for diabetic patients?
Diabetes or blood sugar issue is a chronic affective disorder that starts with the body’s metabolism and impacts the overall health and functioning. But to your luck, the kinnow fruit is one such supplement that can help save the body from these problems.
The kinnow fruit is a citrus agent that is rich in several useful and healthy nutrients. These nutrients can provide the body with necessary nourishment without harmful consequences on the body’s blood sugar levels.
As a fruit, the kinnow is very light and easy on the stomach. It is also very fulfilling as it contains roughage to help the body maintain a healthy and proper metabolism.
The kinnow fruit, just like orange, is also rich in fiber. Fiber is essential nutrition for anyone who is suffering from diabetes.
The role of fiber in the body is to keep digestion properly functional. The absorption and release of sugars in the body are controlled well when the metabolism is slow. The fiber in the body slows the pace of breakdown and release of nutrients, leading to a controlled release of sugars in the blood flow.
Too much sugar or a heightened rate of digestion leads to a sudden and excess rise in the body’s blood sugar level. This can be a harmful situation for diabetics and must be avoided.
The availability of fiber in the fruit also makes it an appetite-satisfying fruit. It can end unhealthy cravings and reduce hunger along with supplying a good reserve of minerals and vitamins to the body.
Moreover, the diabetic body is very vulnerable to catching other diseases and ailments. The symptoms experienced by diabetic individuals are higher and more severe than that compared to the symptoms that other experience. This is because of a reduced and more taxed immune system of the body.
Vitamin C and many other prime minerals and vitamins obtained from the kinnow fruit can help boost the immunity of the body. In addition to this, the antioxidant found in this fruit also encourages and regulates health efficiently.
We will move onto the many other benefits of eating kinnow fruit later. Before that, let us answer another important question helpful to patients with blood sugar issues.
Can diabetic patients consume one kinnow fruit a day?
Well, to answer your question directly – YES!
It is safe for diabetic individuals to have one whole kinnow fruit in a day. It is not harmful, nor will it cause any dangerous spikes in the body’s blood sugar level.
One kinnow fruit is usually enough to supply good nutrients to the body. It is also safe to have a kinnow fruit every day.
Make sure that you are consuming the whole fruit and not including kinnow fruit juices. Juices are mainly enriched with added sugars, preservatives, and other artificial flavors. These can cause damage to the body and heighten blood sugars beyond safe limits.
One kinnow fruit a day is a great choice for the craving to snack onto something sweet. You can have this as an alternative to unhealthy junk food, as an evening snack, bedtime snack, etc.
We clarified that having a kinnow is safe for diabetics. However, make sure not to overdo the quantity of this fruit. Stick to one fruit a day to ensure safe blood sugar levels within control.
What is the glycemic index of the kinnow fruit?
The measure of a particular fruit on a scale of 0 to 100, based on its carbohydrate-content, is known as the food’s glycemic index. It is a way to calculate the later consequences that a specific food item can have on the body.
As the glycemic index study considers the carb and sugar levels, it is a great determiner for diabetic patients to find out if or not a food is suitable for their diets.
The glycemic index is appointed to each food, and then they are classified into safe, moderately safe, and unsafe categories according to their glycemic scores. Here is a table representing the three different glycemic index categories:
| Sl. No. | Glycemic Index categories | Glycemic Index ranges |
| 1. | Low Glycemic Index (safe for diabetics) | 0 to 55 |
| 2. | Medium Glycemic Index (safe when taken in controlled quantities) | 55 to 69 |
| 3. | High Glycemic Index (unsafe for diabetics) | From 70 and above |
Based on the above classifications, you can check out whether or not to choose a particular food to eat.
Let us have a look at what the glycemic index of the kinnow fruit is.
As we have discussed before, the kinnow fruit is a healthy choice for diabetic individuals. That means that this fruit will have a glycemic index that is safe for the body as well.
Like the mandarin orange, the glycemic index of the kinnow fruit is lies within 40 to 45. This is a low margin and hence safe for anyone with blood sugar issues. You can include this fruit in your daily meals without any worry.
Let us now find out about its nutrients.
What are the nutrition facts for the Kinnow fruit?
Knowing about the basic building blocks of a food item, that is, its nutritional profile, one can easily determine how healthy and beneficial food is.
To find out the same for the kinnow fruit, let us have a closer look at the kinnow fruit nutrients.
The table below represents the types and amounts of nutrients found in 100 grams of kinnow fruit.
| Sl. No. | Nutrients found in 100 grams of kinnow fruit | Amount available |
| 1. | Calories | 50 |
| 2. | Carbohydrates – Sugars – Dietary fiber | 11 g – 9 g – 2 g |
| 3. | Fats | 0 g |
| 4. | Proteins | 1 g |
| 5. | Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| 6. | Potassium | 200 mg |
| 7. | Vitamin A | 2% DV |
| 8. | Vitamin C | 110% DV |
| 9. | Calcium | 4% DV |
| 10. | Iron | 2% DV |
With this table, we can deduce that the fruit is low in calories and fats and very high in vitamin C.
Let us now see what the benefits of this fruit on the body are.
What are the benefits of eating Kinnow?
- The major benefit of adding kinnow to your diet provides Calcium. This is a very important nutrient to keep the teeth and bones healthy. Kinnow has a lot of Calcium when compared to many other fruits.
- It is a zero-fat food and can promote weight loss and management.
- The fiber in kinnow aids in proper digestion and efficient metabolic function.
- The vitamin C in kinnow boosts immunity and offers protection to the body.
- The fruit is filled with anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant elements.
- It is also great for relieving acidity, intestinal issues, constipation, etc.
- The peel of the kinnow has a medicinal as well as cosmetic value.
References
- https://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/415383885
- https://recipes.timesofindia.com/articles/health/lesser-known-facts-about-kinnow-fruit-and-its-health-benefits/photostory/64917206.cms?picid=64917228
- https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-15-7285-2_21
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15538362.2020.1792390
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13197-019-03670-4
- http://op.niscair.res.in/index.php/JSIR/article/view/41494
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1745-4514.2010.00395.x
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- https://www.actahort.org/books/1299/1299_14.htm
- https://www.thehealthsite.com/fitness/diet/reasons-why-you-should-eat-mulberries-k0517-494640/
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