Is kiwi fruit OK in OWL?
 

I bought a huge flat of kiwi's yesterday at Costco and didn't even think that they might not be OK to have. Thought I would check with the experts before eating them :) Anyone know if they are OK?

Depends on how many carbs you're limiting yourself to.
Frankly, my apricots and nectarines are ripening soon so I'm going to be going way up on carbs, but keep the calories under control, so you might want to do something similar until you've finished off your flat of kiwi's.

glycemic index is key
 

Glycemic Index of Sample Fruits
Apple GI is 38
Banana GI is 55
Cantaloupe GI is 65
Cherries GI is 22
Grapefruit GI is 25
Grapes GI is 46
Kiwi GI is 52
Mango GI is 55
Orange GI is 44
Papaya GI is 58
Pear GI is 38
Pineapple GI is 66
Plum GI is 39
Watermelon GI is 7 (Corrected to show GI of 70, not 7. Tofi)

It looks like the kiwi is higher then grapes or apple (apple does me in) but lower then cantaloupe-go figure. Use in moderation mixed with berries or hold off until maintenance.

Now that's a fruit I havn't thought of in a while. I use to enjoy it with yogurt.

A medium-sized kiwi has approx. 11.3g carbs / 2.6g fiber / 8.7g ECC. Although kiwifruits may be higher GI than an apple, they are lower in effective or "net" carbs ... 9g vs. 18g for a medium apple. Thus, their overall glycemic load is lower.

If you decide that kiwis can fit into your OWL program, try to have some fat/protein along with it, such as whipped heavy cream, ricotta cheese, an ounce of almonds etc. This will slow absorption and reduce glycemic impact more than if consumed alone.


Doreen

I understand having the fruit with protein but if you eat a high GI fruit with fat won't the GI tell your body to store the fat? I thought it would be better to have just fruit and protein and/or separate them time wise from the ingestion of fat?

The fat slows the absorbtion of the carbs. This way you don't get a sudden sugar spike followed by a sudden insulin spike. Instead of a peak, you get more of a rolling hill as it graudally increases then tapers off, not getting nearly as high.

If the GI on watermelon is so low then why is it SOOOO bad for my friend who is a diabetic to eat? Last Summer we went to a picnic and I brought a watermelon and he said he couldn't eat it cuz it was the worst fruit for his blood sugar. Maybe it's high carb but I don't think it's as bad as some other fruits, is it? I miss that stuff. It's my favorite fruit. Annie

GI for watermelon is 70 not 7