Food Sources of Glucose
Glucose is one of the simplest types of sugar and the main source of energy your body uses. With the help of the hormone insulin, cells are able to pull in glucose from your bloodstream to use as fuel.
Glucose is one of the simplest types of sugar and the main source of energy your body uses. With the help of the hormone insulin, cells are able to pull in glucose from your bloodstream to use as fuel. Nearly all carbohydrate-containing foods, from fruits to breads, have some level of glucose, although fruits are usually the highest sources. Since glucose can elevate your blood sugar quickly, if you are diabetic, you may want to avoid regularly consuming foods high in glucose.
Dried Fruits
Dried fruits are some of the richest glucose sources you can eat. One packed cup of raisins gives you more than 45 grams. Prunes and dried apricots each have nearly the same amount of glucose in 1 cup. Dried figs are slightly lower, providing about 37 grams of glucose in a 1-cup portion.
Fresh Fruits
Typically all types of fruits have some level of glucose. A cup of kiwi slices has almost 10 grams; the same amount of plums provides closer to 9 grams. A cup of diced papaya has 6 grams and a large 5-ounce pear contains under 5 grams. One cup of diced honeydew, a raw tangerine and a 4-ounce apple each contain 3.5 to 4.5 grams of glucose. For about 3 grams of glucose, you can have a 5 1/2-ounce peach or 1 cup of freshly sliced strawberries.
Syrups and Liquid Sources
You'll get more than 30 grams of glucose from one-quarter cup of honey. The same amount of molasses has just 10 grams. Nectars are full of the natural sugar, giving you approximately 15 grams in each 1-cup serving. No matter what type of juice you prefer, you'll be getting glucose into your system. Unsweetened grape juice contains more than 17 grams per 8 ounces, blended apple juice offers about 9 grams, orange juice provides nearly 6 grams and vegetable juice has 3.5 grams in an 8-ounce glass.
Other Foods
Grains, beans, vegetables and nuts all contain glucose, but not typically very much. Usually bread contains 0.5 gram of glucose or less per 1-ounce slice. Navy or pinto beans also offer less than a half-gram of glucose for a 1-cup serving. A cup of broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, baked sweet potatoes, cucumber slices or chopped spinach each have less than 0.5 gram of glucose, as do most other types of vegetables. Nuts, including almonds, peanuts and cashews, naturally contain glucose too, although you'll get less than 0.2 gram of glucose from a half-cup serving.
Glucose in Your Diet
Glucose doesn't have a set recommendation, although it does take up some of your daily carb allotment for the day. Carbs as a whole, including starches and other types of sugars, should account for 45 to 65 percent of all of the calories you consume, notes the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010. Because carbohydrates offer 4 calories per gram, based on 2,000 calories, you can have 225 grams to 325 grams of carbs every day.