Most fruit is naturally low in fat and cholesterol. What’s more, fruit also provides you with essential nutrients such as potassium, dietary fiber and vitamin C. So if you want to live a healthy lifestyle, snacking on fruit is ideal. But some fruits can be relatively high in sugar. Find out more about low-sugar fruits below so you can maintain a balanced, low-sugar lifestyle.

Avocados

It may seem odd but avocados are actually classed as fruits. They contain just 1 gram of sugar on average, so they’re ideal if you’re cutting down on unhealthy foods. Although avocados are low in sugar, they are high in natural fats — which means that they still taste satisfying and nutritious. 

Berries

If you want a sweet, healthy treat, most berries will satisfy your cravings. Raspberries, for example, often taste sweet, but they contain just 5 grams of sugar per cup. They’re also high in fibre, so they will help to fill you up too.

Strawberries are also surprisingly low in sugar — at just 7 grams per cup. In addition to this, strawberries contain over 100% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin C, so they’re the ideal healthy snack. Try our simple chocolate-dipped strawberries recipe so you can have an indulgent snack even if you’re avoiding sugar. 

Blackberries are also a sound go-to healthy snack. At just 7 grams of sugar per cup, you can enjoy blackberries without worrying too much about your sugar intake. They’re also packed with antioxidants and fibre, so they’re full of goodness that will keep you feeling full and happy until your next meal.

Other enticing low-sugar berries you can try include blueberries, boysenberries, fresh currants, gooseberries, loganberries and cherries. Cranberries are another tasty low-sugar berry that you can add to healthy meals, but if you’re making cranberry sauce remember to make it with good quality, healthy sweeteners. Pre-made sauces like this often contain high amounts of sugar — so it’s best to avoid them when possible. 

Melons 

Most melons are low sugar, too. Cantaloupe and honeydew melons are especially sweet and delicious, even though they only contain 8g of sugar per 100 grams. Watermelon can also be a tasty and refreshing snack, but it is surprisingly high in sugar. With 18 grams of sugar in an average wedge of watermelon, it’s one of the most sugary fruits you can eat. 

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is surprisingly low in sugar — with just  1 gram of sugar per 100 grams — it’s a sensible alternative to other high-sugar treats. It’s easy to prepare as part of a desert, too. All you have to do is stew or microwave the rhubarb and add some cream, greek yoghurt, or sweetener to create your delicious dessert. Most tinned rhubarb, however, is saturated in unhealthy high-sugar syrups, so stick to fresh rhubarb where you can. 

How to Avoid a Sugar Spike

Eating plenty of fruit is a great way to introduce vitamin C, potassium, fibre and folic acid into your healthy lifestyle. However, consuming fruit can also lead to a sugar spike, where your body could start to crave more sugar.

To avoid this, it’s important to have savory foods with your fruit whenever this is possible. Adding indulgent foods such as cheese, cream, nuts, and greek yoghurt to your fruit bowl will ensure that you don’t crave sugar during the day. Prosciutto with melon is also an appetising sweet-savoury combination that works well as part of a low-sugar lifestyle. 

What to Avoid

Whichever fruit you love the most, fresh fruit will always be better for you than pre-packaged food. Frozen fruit, for example, is often sweetened with extra sugar, which takes all of the goodness away from the fruit you’re eating.

If you’re sticking to a low-sugar lifestyle, there are certain high-sugar fruits you should avoid, too. Pineapple, pears, bananas, apple, prunes and raisins, for example, are all high in sugar, so they should be replaced by low-sugar fruits as much as possible.