Cranberries for diabetes: benefits and harms for diabetics, recipes

Diabetes mellitus belongs to the category of diseases that pose a threat to health and life with their complications. For diabetes, cranberries are an excellent remedy that will improve your well-being and prevent the development of complications.

The usefulness of cranberries is beyond doubt, for many years it has been recommended for the treatment of many pathologies, and all due to the biologically active substances that are contained in its composition.

For diabetics, cranberry is an irreplaceable berry in the structure of therapeutic and preventive nutrition, helps to strengthen the human immune system, increases its barrier functions, and prevents the development of many infectious pathologies.

You need to find out if it is possible to eat cranberries with type 2 diabetes mellitus, what are its beneficial properties and contraindications for diabetes? What are the most effective cranberry-based recipes, and what is the glycemic index of the berry?

What is the berry good for?

Even in ancient Rome, cranberries were called life-giving berries. And this is quite justified, since it has not only a rich vitamin composition, but is also a drug. It contains many vitamins of group A, B, PP and others.

The amount of vitamin C is much higher than in lemon. The sugar substances that make up the berry are represented by fructose and glucose, and sucrose is completely minimal. It contains many different acids of organic origin: citric, benzoic, malic, oxalic. The glycemic index of the berry has 45 units.

Benzoic acid is a natural preservative that allows you to preserve the beneficial properties of cranberries even when exposed to hot water.

Cranberries in type 2 diabetes have the following beneficial effects:

• Due to the high content of vitamin C, the benefits of the berry are in resisting respiratory and colds, as a result of which it protects the body from pathologies of viral etiology.
• If you make a cranberry-based tea, then this drink quickly reduces the temperature of the body. By increasing the volume of urine and increased sweating, the body is cleansed of toxins, decay products and toxic substances.
• Cranberries have a low glycemic index, so they can be consumed almost every day without fear that sugar will rise after meals.
• The berry is useful as a means of helping to strengthen the vascular walls of blood vessels, it takes part in the regulation of blood clotting, helps to normalize metabolic processes.
• If you eat berries regularly, then blood pressure indicators stabilize, and with increased blood sugar, it normalizes its level to target values.
• It has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

It is worth noting that dried berries have an even lower glycemic index, which is 25 units.

Cranberries with type 2 diabetes mellitus are a useful berry in any form, it does not lose its properties when dried and boiled.

How to eat berries correctly?

Despite the fact that the glycemic index of fresh berries is not very high, it is not extremely low either, so it is recommended to eat cranberries in a certain dosage. It is enough to eat up to 100 grams of berries per day to lower blood sugar. In this case, the glycemic index of products that are included in the general menu is taken into account without fail .

To diversify your diet, on the basis of the berry, you can prepare a sugar-free cranberry juice. Take a few glasses of fresh berries, rinse, place in a container and add two liters of water. Boil.

The dishes are covered with a lid, and the fruit drink needs time to infuse, and the liquid has received all the useful substances. Such a drink for diabetes can be drunk every day, but not more than three glasses a day.

Cranberry juice can be obtained from the berry, which lowers the concentration of glucose in the blood. And it is accepted as follows:

1. Cranberry juice should be drunk every day.
2. The maximum dosage is 150 ml.
3. The duration of the therapeutic course is from 2 to 3 months.

Some diabetics mix cranberries and granulated sugar, and then use this mixture a few tablespoons a day. It is worth saying that such a recipe helps healthy people, but diabetics are still advised to refrain from eating granulated sugar.

Diabetes type 1 and type 2 have many dietary restrictions, but sometimes you want to treat yourself to a delicious dessert.

On the basis of healthy berries, you can make berry jelly:

• Take 100 grams of berries, 500 ml of water and 15 grams of gelatin.
• Bring water with berries to a boil, add gelatin slowly.
• Put in a cold place.

A delicious dessert will not have a high glycemic index. You can also make smoothies at home. To prepare it, mix cranberry and carrot juice in equal proportions, then add low-calorie yogurt.

Smoothie not only helps against diabetes, but also normalizes general health, nourishes the body with vitamins and nutrients. It can be used as a light snack. Cranberries and carrots are a great combination. For those who are negative about carrots, fresh apples can be substituted.

Many are interested in how to preserve the berry? It can be dried, dried, frozen. During storage, it does not lose its qualities and useful properties.

Flax seeds are equally beneficial for diabetes. 

Contraindications

As shown above, cranberries are a healthy berry that can be consumed by people with type 2 diabetes. However, in a number of situations, it is categorically not recommended for use, as it can cause significant harm to health.

Despite the fact that cranberries are vitamins for diabetics, they should not be eaten if there are severe liver pathologies in the anamnesis. It is forbidden to include in the menu if people have increased acidity of gastric juice. 

When there are problems with the digestive or gastrointestinal tract, then it should not be consumed fresh, only processed. This is based on the fact that it contains various organic acids that stimulate irritation of the mucous membrane of internal organs.

Cranberries are not compatible with sulfa drugs. You can not eat berries with gout. Arterial hypotension is also a contraindication, since the berry can provoke a sharp decrease in blood pressure indicators.

It should always be remembered that any home treatment should be discussed with the attending physician, and the product we are considering is no exception to the rule.