Fruit is always a complicated subject for people with either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Some types of fruit are fine while others should be avoided. One fruit that is often overlooked are cranberries. Most of the time, cranberries are associated with cranberry juice. But fruit juices are famous for being high in sugar.
So, is it safe for a diabetic to have cranberries?
Yes and no. Cranberries are naturally tart, partly due to the fact they require acidic soil in order to grow. Manufacturers then attempt to make up for this by adding sugar... a lot of it! But this makes the cranberry juice too sweet due to the high sugar content, for diabetics. In fact, just a half of a cup of cranberry juice contains a whopping 16 grams of sugar.
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Unsweetened cranberry juice. The way around this is to purchase unsweetened cranberry juice concentrate. Then, you simply add it into drinks, or even food, to get the benefits without the added sugar content.
Once you get past the sugar concern, cranberries have a lot to offer diabetics. In relation to blood sugar levels, cranberry powder has been shown to reduce the absorption of carbs by up to a huge 40 percent. Plus, they have also been shown to slow down the digestion of those carbs into the body. This takes care of the two main concerns with carbs.
Cranberries are also good for the bladder. Older diabetics often suffer from an increased risk of bladder infections brought on by damage to the bladder nerves. Cranberries are a natural remedy in reducing the risk of developing these infections.
Believe it or not, they're good for the circulatory system, too. Cranberries reduce cholesterol while also reducing the risk of heart disease.
Let's face it: nothing is better than a good and versatile food that helps to fight off disease. Cranberries do just that. They contain natural antioxidants that fight disease. But not just any old antioxidants, some of the highest levels of any type of fruit... including blueberries. This is of particular importance to people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes whose body routinely suffers from extremely high levels of oxidative stress.
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Atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup within the walls of arteries, is another common condition of diabetes. It can also be combated with cranberries. And cranberry in a powder form is great for lowering low-density cholesterol (LDL), or the "bad kind", while raising the "good" stuff, high-density cholesterol (HDL).
In the end, cranberries in their natural state can be added to salads or other dishes, as a natural garnish. Just be careful when buying it in the liquid form.
How do you start to create a healthy lifestyle today so you can avoid the many diabetic complications?
For nearly 25 years Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body.
The answer isn't in the endless volumes of available information but in yourself.
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