Can a diabetic eat Jam?
Well, Jams are really high in sugar and can cause quick spikes in blood sugar levels. So, ideally a diabetic is better off avoiding jam if they can. In case you want to eat jam very badly, then you must really watch your blood sugar levels. A diabetic can only eat little amount of jam. Moreover, when you eat jam, it is important that you check your blood sugar levels to see how badly jam raises your blood sugar levels.
I keep a blood glucose meter with me and find it very helpful. It is very easy to check your blood sugar levels at home with help of simple blood glucose meter like this. As jam has high glycaemic index (GI), I find it very helpful to check blood sugar levels before and after eating jam. This helps to understand how badly my blood sugar levels change after eating jam.
An alternative is to go for low-sugar or sugar-free jam versions to reduce the amount of sugar that gets into your body. Sugar free jam is lower in calories and sugar. So, for a diabetic and for a person wanting to lose weight, sugar free jam can be a better alternative than jam.
What is jam made of?
To make jam, one generally starts by cutting or crushing whole fruit. The next step is to heat the fruit with water and sugar until the jam sets or jells so it can be bottled. Pectin, either natural or added enables the setting of jam.
Does jam offer any health benefits?
Jam does have small amounts of vitamins, antioxidants, amino acids and minerals from the fruits. However, boiling is part of the jam making process and the high heat does mean lot of nutrition is lost. For example, strawberry jam can only give you 10% of vitamins than the whole fruit.