Peaches - Carb Counts and Health Benefits of Peaches

Peaches are a great summer treat, but are you wondering how many calories and carbs they have? When you have type 2 diabetes, it's important to keep track of your carbohydrates to keep your blood glucose levels in your acceptable range. Peaches are a carbohydrate, but they're also packed with vitamins, fiber and lots of antioxidants. Make fresh peaches part of your healthy lifestyle.

Calorie, carbohydrate and fiber counts for peaches:

1 small (2" dia.) peach:

Calories - 31, Fiber - 1.2 grams, Carbohydrates - 7.5 grams

1 large (2-3/4") peach:

Calories - 61, Fiber - 2.4 grams, Carbohydrates - 15.0 grams

1 cup peach slices:

Calories - 69, Fiber - 2.5 grams, Carbohydrates - 16.2 grams

Another way to gauge the effect of peaches on blood sugar is the glycemic index. The glycemic index is a way of measuring how quickly a carbohydrate enters the bloodstream and how high it raises blood glucose levels.

The glycemic index is a scale from 1 to 100, with higher glycemic numbers indicating foods that raise blood sugar higher and faster than foods with lower glycemic numbers.

The glycemic index for peaches is 28 to 56 depending on the size of the fruit. This makes peaches a healthy choice for people with diabetes.

More information on carbohydrates and fruit...

• Counting Carbs? Know the Carbs in Your Fruit
• Calorie Count - a free service from About.com Health

_Source:

Kaye Foster-Powell, Susanna HA Holt, and Janette C Brand-Miller (2002).International Table of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 76:5–56