Berries! They Help You Lose Weight And Balance Your Blood Sugar!
Dr. Beth’s Favorite Foods:
Berries! They Help You Lose Weight and Balance Your Blood Sugar!
Yes, these special fruits may actually help deter diabetes. Diabetes may be the biggest threat to Americans’ collective health over the next few decades, with rates rising at an alarming pace. According to the National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 23.6 million children and adults in the United States – 7.8% of the population – have diabetes.
Out of this estimated total, about 5.7 million people with diabetes don’t even know they have it, as their cases are undiagnosed. Worse, some 57 million people have the cluster of metabolic signs called pre-diabetes, and 1.6 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in adults annually.
The main problem is excessive intake of refined sugars and starches from sodas, corn syrup, sweets, white-flour breads and pastries, crackers, chips, various snacks, not to mention fried food.
These types of foods cause blood sugars to spike. Repeated “spikes” in blood sugar levels increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome (pre-diabetes) and diabetes. Conversely, blunting of blood sugar spikes in response to meals is believed to reduce the risk of developing diabetes.
Being overweight and having type 2 diabetes go hand in hand. Just by shedding some of those excess pounds by correcting some poor eating habits can completely REVERSE your diabetes! No more shots or medications…. or the side effects that come with!
So…. want an easy way to lose weight, balance your blood sugar levels and even ward off disease and aging? EAT lots of berries!
Polyphenols from these little fruits can blunt blood-sugar spikes after meals, protect against some common health problems like diabetes, heart disease, cancer and possibly certain effects of aging.
Polyphenols act as antioxidants. They protect cells and body chemicals against damage caused by free radicals, reactive atoms that contribute to tissue damage in the body. For example, when low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is oxidized, it can become glued to arteries and cause coronary heart disease.
Polyphenols can also block the action of enzymes that cancers need for growth and they can deactivate substances that promote the growth of cancers.
A Finnish clinical trial found that a mix of sugar-sweetened berries delayed rises in blood sugar in response to a meal, versus the same meal with added sugar.
In addition to containing polyphenols, These delicious sweet fruits have a VERY low glycemic index, contain no fat, lots of fiber and very few calories: Check this out:
One cup of raspberries = just 64 calories = 8 grams fiber
One cup of strawberries = just 49 calories = 3 grams fiber
One cup of blueberries = 84 calories = 4 grams fiber
One cup of blackberries = 62 calories = 8 grams fiber
I know what you are thinking…. Berries are expensive.
Yes, they can be so here are some ways to budget them in!
First of all, think of all the money you will be saving by not buying pop and all that garbage from the gas station!
Second: Frozen is OK! They are just as nutritious and much more affordable!
Just thaw them out and add to wholegrain cereal, yogurt, cottage cheese, make smoothies, etc. On weekends, put them into your pancake batter and put a scoop on top as well with a dollop of Greek yogurt! Yum!
Third: Buy in bulk!
Personally, I like to stock up in the summer when they are fresh and on sale. I freeze what I can to enjoy later. Also, I like to buy my frozen berries in bulk from my local natural foods coop group where we buy together once a month at wholesale prices. I watch for them to go on sale, and then get a case!
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Dr. Beth Ley Knotts, Nutritionist
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