Why We Should Eat Less Durians

You know the durian season is back when people make a beeline to purchase them. While there are many health benefits from eating durians for healthy individuals, the same benefits may not apply to everyone. Patients with chronic diseases need to be aware.

Diabetes

People with diabetes must limit their daily durian intake. As a rule of thumb, diabetic patients should not eat more than two durian seeds a day. This is because durians have naturally high sugar content. It contains simple sugars like sucrose, fructose and glucose that diabetic patients may experience a rise in their blood sugar level and their vision may turn blurry and feel nausea.

Chronic Kidney Disease

Durians also contain higher content of potassium as compared to bananas. Although potassium helps muscles to work, including controlling heartbeat and breathing, patients with chronic kidney disease need to be extra careful when consuming durians. When extra potassium is not removed from your blood because of a weak kidney, it may lead to high potassium or hyperkalemia. High potassium in your blood can cause a heart attack or death. However, most patients will not have or feel any symptoms until it’s too late and this may lead to worsening heart health.

Obesity

Those who need to watch their calories intake should practice self-control. While durians do not contain harmful saturated fats, eating an average sized one kilogram durian yourself could still rack up 1,350 calories, or 68 per cent of a daily 2,000 Calories recommended for adults. In fact, durians contain higher fat content than other fruits. Eating three to four durian seeds is equivalent to consuming a bowl of rice. Patients with weak stomach may also feel discomfort, and may result in diarrhea or constipation.

Healthy persons should also consume durians in moderation despite its known benefits. Scale back on quantity if you feel stuffed or bloated. Eating healthy is about having a healthy balanced diet.

Bon appétit!