Cranberries for type 2 diabetes

Cranberries for type 2 diabetes are not so much a delicacy as an essential element of the diet. It has been scientifically proven that daily consumption of this berry not only stimulates the pancreas and stabilizes hormonal levels, which are disturbed in diabetes, but also normalizes metabolism and, most importantly, lowers blood sugar levels.

Vitamin composition

Cranberries contain a large number of nutrients needed by people with diabetes. It includes:

• organic acids (benzoic, ascorbic, citric, quinic);
• vitamins C (in terms of vitamin C content, cranberry is second only to black currant), E, ​​K1 (aka phylloquinone), PP;
• B vitamins (B1, B2, B6);
• betaines;
• pectins;
• catechins;
• anthocyanins;
• phenols;
• carotenoids;
• pyridoxine, thiamine, niacin;
• minerals (phosphorus, iron, potassium, manganese, calcium, iodine, zinc, boron, silver);
• chlorogenic acids.

Thanks to such a rich vitamin composition, cranberries are not inferior to many drugs, if not superior to them, in terms of their effect on the human body. The fact is that almost every medication has its own contraindications and side effects, which is why they are not available to everyone. The same cannot be said about cranberries - it is recommended for eating with diabetes of any type and does not cause any side effects, and the list of contraindications for the berry is extremely small.

Benefits of cranberries for diabetes

Cranberries have a wide range of beneficial properties, due to which regular moderate consumption of this berry has a number of positive effects on the human body, namely:

• normalizes kidney function;
• strengthens the walls of blood vessels;
• improves digestion and improves impaired metabolism;
• lowers blood pressure;
• has a strengthening effect on the immune system;
• inhibits the breakdown and absorption of glucose;
• has a regenerative effect on the cells of the body;
• reduces the risk of developing glaucoma;
• improves vision by stabilizing intraocular pressure;
• increases the effectiveness of antibacterial drugs, which allows you to minimize the consumption of antibiotics in type 2 diabetes;
• has an antiseptic effect on the body and reduces the intensity of inflammatory processes.

Contraindications

The high content of ascorbic acid in cranberries imposes a number of restrictions on the use of this product in food.

Possible contraindications:

1. Patients with type 2 diabetes with stomach ulcers should limit the use of berries, since ascorbic acid can provoke the development of ulcers.
2. Products with a high acid content are contraindicated for duodenal ulcer, colitis, gastritis.
3. In no case should you abuse foods containing cranberries for people with kidney stones.
4. Excessive consumption of berries is not recommended for people with type 2 diabetes with a pronounced tendency to food allergies.

In what form to use for diabetes

Cranberries can be consumed in almost any form.Not only fresh berries are useful - they retain their useful properties well even after processing. In the treatment of type 2 diabetes, it is allowed to eat dried berries, frozen, soaked. Moreover, jelly is made from them, fruit drinks, cocktails, juices, fresh juices are made, and berries are also added to herbal and fruit teas.

Juices

You can squeeze juice from cranberries. One-time or irregular use of juice will not have a significant effect on the body - cranberry pomace is usually drunk in courses of 3 months. In this case, the daily dose of the drink is on average 240-250 ml.

Kvass

No less useful is cranberry kvass, which is very easy to prepare. The recipe for cranberry kvass is as follows:

• 1 kg of cranberries are thoroughly ground (for this you can use a wooden pestle and a colander or sieve);
• the squeezed juice is insisted for some time, after which it is poured with water (3-4 l) and boiled for 15-20 minutes, no more;
• the cooled juice is filtered through a fine sieve;
• sweeteners (about 500 g) are poured into the strained juice of berries and boiled for the second time;
• boiled juice is diluted with yeast (25 g), previously dissolved in warm water;
• the resulting solution is thoroughly mixed and poured into glass containers (jars, bottles).

After 3 days, kvass is ready for use.

Honey jam

Cranberries and honey combine well with each other, complementing each other's beneficial properties and forming an unusual combination of taste. Best of all, these two products are combined in the form of honey-cranberry jam, which is cooked according to the following recipe:

• 1 kg of berries intended for cooking are carefully sorted out and washed before immersion in water;
• the selected cranberries are poured into a saucepan and poured with water;
• the berries are boiled under a closed lid until completely softened, after which the resulting mass is ground through a sieve or colander;
• pounded berries are mixed with honey (2.5-3 kg) until a homogeneous consistency is formed;
• walnuts (1 cup) and finely chopped apples (1 kg) are added to the mixture.

Cranberry jelly

You can also make cranberry jelly from fresh berries. For this you will need:

• 2 cups cranberries
• 30 g gelatin;
• 0.5 l of water;
• 1 tbsp. l. liquor;
• elastic molds.

The cranberry jelly recipe looks like this:

• the washed berries are kneaded with a spoon until they become a thick gruel and rubbed through a sieve;
• the resulting berry gruel is poured with boiling water and boiled for 10 minutes;
• the boiled mass is filtered and diluted with xylitol, after which the berries must be poured with gelatin;
• the mixture is boiled again, cooled and poured first with sweet syrup, and then with liqueur;
• the resulting mass is whipped with a mixer, poured into molds, which are then placed in the refrigerator.

If you wish, you can coat the resulting cranberry jelly with a layer of ice cream or cream.

Cocktail

Beak juice goes well with other drinks. Possible cocktails:

• a mixture of cranberry and carrot juice;
• a combination of cranberry juice with yogurt, milk or kefir;
• cranberry juice diluted with neutral celery juice.

Cocktail proportions: 1: 1.

The optimal dose of drinks: no more than 100 g per day.

Cranberry juice for type 2 diabetes

When processing berries, part of the nutrients is inevitably lost, however, when making fruit drinks from cranberries, these losses are minimal. A two-month course of cranberry juice stabilizes the blood glucose level and contributes to the overall strengthening of the body.

The process of making cranberry juice is very simple:

• a glass of fresh or freshly frozen berries is thoroughly ground through a sieve with a wooden pestle;
• the squeezed juice is drained and diluted with fructose in a 1: 1 ratio;
• pomace of berries is poured into 1.5 liters of water and boiled;
• the cooled berry mass is cooled and filtered, after which it is diluted with juice.

With type 2 diabetes mellitus, cranberry juice is recommended to be drunk in a course for 2-3 months, and both hot and cooled drinks are equally useful. The daily norm of fruit drink is 2-3 glasses, no more. At the end of the course, you need to take a short break.

Conclusion

Cranberries for diabetes are not a panacea at all, and it is impossible to cure it only through regular consumption of berries. Despite its rich vitamin composition and an extensive list of useful properties, it cannot replace the insulin necessary for the body. However, its combination with other drugs and products not only improves the overall well-being of diabetics, but also prevents numerous complications of this disease.

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