Raw blueberries are keto-friendly and good for people with diabetes. They have only 10 g of sugars per 100g. Other common blueberry products have a much higher sugar content, though. Better avoid them.
How many carbs are in blueberries?
Raw blueberries have 14.5 g of carbs per 100g. Most of which are sugars. Blueberries are rich in fiber as well.[1]
A cup of raw blueberries has 21.5 g of carbs, while a handful (about 10 blueberries) has only 2 g of carbs.
Frozen sweetened blueberries have a higher carbohydrate content. They contain 22 g of carbs per 100g. Hence, they have 51% more carbs!
Dried blueberries have the highest carbohydrate content among popular blueberry products. They contain 80 g of carbs per 100g! They contain almost 6 times more carbs than raw blueberries!
Other popular blueberry foods high in carbs are jam, syrup, pie, and muffin. In fact, blueberry muffin and pie have 50 and 33 grams of carbs per 100g, respectively! These are sweets. They contain too much added sugar. People on keto, diabetics, and people who want to lose weight should avoid them.
On the other hand, blueberry juice is relatively low in carbs. It contains only 9.4 g of carbs per 100 mL.
How much sugar is in blueberries?
Raw blueberries have a low sugar content. They contain only 10 g of sugars per 100g. Wild blueberries have even less sugar.
| Sugars (g) per 100g | |
| dried blueberries | 68 |
| blueberry muffin | 27 |
| blueberry syrup | 21 |
| frozen, sweetened blueberries | 20 |
| raw blueberries | 10 |
| wild blueberries | 7 |
| blueberry juice | 7 |
Blueberry juice is also low in sugars. It has about 7 g of sugars per 100 mL. An 8 fl oz glass of blueberry juice has about 16 g of sugars.
Other fruit juices have a much higher sugar content. For instance, apple, pomegranate, orange, and grapefruit juices have more sugars per 100 mL than blueberry juice.
On the contrary, avocado is low in both carbs and sugar! Only lemon juice is low in both sugar and calories. Drinking lemon juice is great for a hypocaloric diet for weight loss. Most noteworthy, as all citrus fruits, lemon juice is particularly rich in vitamin C.
Dried blueberries have the highest sugar content among other popular blueberry foods. They contain about 68 g of sugars per 100g. Actually, all dried fruits (e.g. raisins, dates) are high in calories and sugar. Hence, most people can consume only small portions of dried fruits without gaining weight.
Frozen sweetened blueberries, blueberry syrups, muffins, and jams are also high in sugars, as they contain added sugar.
What’s the best time of the day to consume dried blueberries?
Actually, there is a great time to consume a small portion of dried blueberries, blueberry juice, or any other sugar-high blueberry-based food. That’s after strenuous exercise.
Sugar will help replenish muscle glycogen stores. Moreover, antioxidants in blueberries promote muscle recovery!
You could eat raw blueberries before bed, though. They promote a good night’s sleep.
Do blueberries have more sugar than other berries?
Blueberries are the richest common berries in sugars. Other berries contain less sugar per 100g! Raw cranberries have the least amount of sugar among berries, as well as most other favorite fruits.
| sugars (g) per 100g | |
| blueberries | 10 |
| blackberries | 4.9 |
| strawberries | 4.9 |
| raspberries | 4.4 |
| cranberries | 4.3 |
All berries have beneficial effects on management and prevention of diabetes. Mainly due to their antioxidant properties. We can consume moderate amounts of raw berries as part of a healthy, well-balanced diet.[2]
Can people with diabetes eat blueberries?
Certainly, people with diabetes, people on keto, and people who want to lose weight should only consume whole foods rather than fruit juices, dried fruits, or other highly processed foods with added sugar.
Only fresh unsweetened blueberries are suitable for people with diabetes.
Actually, the American Diabetes Association labels blueberries, as all berries, superstar foods for diabetes![3]
Strawberries are good for diabetes as well. They’re low in sugars, but high in fiber, minerals, and antioxidants, like vitamin C.
Blueberries have anti-diabetic properties. They contain compounds that may improve postprandial glucose management and insulin sensitivity. In fact, raw blueberries can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.[4,5]
Blueberries have many health benefits, as they’re excellent dietary sources of many powerful antioxidants. First, they’re a good dietary source of vitamin C. Moreover, they’re particularly rich in flavonoids (mainly anthocyanidins), polyphenols (procyanidin), phenolic acids, pyruvic acid, and chlorogenic acid.[6]
Will blueberries spike blood sugar?
Raw blueberries don’t spike blood sugar levels, as they have a relatively low sugar content, while they’re high in fiber and antioxidants, like anthocyanins, which control glucose levels.
Hence, raw blueberries have a very low Glycemic Load of 4. Foods with a Glycemic Low lower than 10 don’t spike blood sugar. They’re great for people with diabetes as well.[7]
How many blueberries can people with diabetes eat a day?
As a rule of thumb, people with diabetes shouldn’t consume more than 15 g of carbs per serving. This amount is found in 100g of raw blueberries, or 2 tbsp of dried blueberries.[8]
So, people with diabetes can eat a 1/2 cup of raw blueberries a day. It contains about 11 g of carbs, of which 7.3 g are sugars.
Always consult your physician before changing your diet.
Is blueberry keto-friendly?
People who follow a ketogenic diet should consume up to 50 g of net carbs a day. However, there are strict ketogenic diets, which further limit the carbohydrate intake to 20 g of net carbs a day.[9]
Actually, blueberries, as all berries, are keto-friendly. People on keto can eat a 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries. This amount contains less than 8 g of sugars.
Raw or frozen unsweetened blueberries are great ingredients to keto smoothies as well.
Also, fresh blueberries are good for weight loss. They can satisfy your sweet tooth with a few calories, control hunger, and prevent cravings for fattening foods.
Other blueberry products, such as dried or sweetened blueberries, as well as blueberry juice, syrup, jam, pie, or muffin aren’t keto-friendly, though. They contain too many net carbs per serving.
Furthermore, you can take advantage of the health benefits of blueberries year-round without the extra carbs by consuming organic blueberry extracts or powders. You can find them on iHerb.
