Passing by an odd-looking vegetable in the farmer’s market or produce section of the grocery store, you glance at it, but keep going. What is that, you ask yourself? It’s a kohlrabi, that’s what it is, and it’s definitely worth a try!

Kohlrabi (pronounced coal-Rob-ee), is one of the newest superstars of the cruciferous veggie family. Once, a rather rare spotting in local market, it is now poised to grab the superfood crown away from kale.

Kohlrabi has big light green or purple bulbs with leaves that are attached to the outside of it. It’s an odd looking vegetable for sure. The bulb is delicious if you skin off the tough outer skin and slice it up and eat it raw, or you can make slaw out of it. It has a crunchy taste a bit like a broccoli stem, but milder and sweeter. The leaves are edible too, with a taste reminiscent of collard greens, only with a milder taste.

Like other members of this famous star-studded family, kohlrabi is full of phytonutrients that protect your health by fighting cancer, lowering inflammation, and protecting your heart.

Kohlrabi contains a large amount of vitamins A, C and K, as well as B-vitamins. It also contains copper, manganese, iron, potassium, dietary fiber and calcium, and is rich in phytochemicals and carotenes as well. With this amazing supply of nutrients, it’s not surprising that kohlrabi offers immense benefits for your body. Some of those healthy benefits include:

• Digestive health
• Stable blood sugar
• Helps with weight loss
• Fights heart disease
• Helps lower blood pressure
• Fights cancer

Cancer-Fighting Food

The cruciferous vegetable family is known for its cancer-fighting abilities and kohlrabi is no slouch in this area. Cruciferous vegetables contain compounds known as glucosinolates, which are well-known for their ability to fight breast, cervical, colon, lung and other cancers. These glucosinolates also support detoxification, protecting your cells’ DNA, and preventing dangerous cell mutations like cancer.

Like the rest of the cruciferous family of collards, kale, radishes, arugula, broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts, this little darling kohlrabi contains myrosinase, which turns its sulfur-filled compounds into cancer-fighting bombs. These glucosinolates also transform into indoles, which prevent estrogen in the body from enhancing cancer cell growth.

Eating a diet high in cruciferous vegetables has been associated with a lowered risk of many cancers, so it’s a safe bet to include kohlrabi in your diet on a regular basis.

However, when it comes to eating cruciferous veggies for their cancer-fighting potential, eating them raw or lightly cooked is best, says Dr. Paul Thornally, a food scientist at University of Warwick. Cooking cruciferous vegetables too long destroys the valuable myrosinase enzyme that fights cancer. Shredding also causes these vegetables to degrade more quickly, so if you are making slaw, shred right before eating.

Cardiovascular Health and Blood Pressure

By now we should all be aware that a diet high in fresh, organic vegetables helps fight heart disease for a number of reasons. All vegetables, especially cruciferous veggies have tons of powerful antioxidants that fight free radicals, protect the heart and blood vessels and lower inflammation.

One large study of adults ranging in age from 25 years to 74 years showed that there is an inverse association of fruit and vegetable intake with the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in the general U.S. population.

And the Journal of Nutrition showed that this analysis of several studies proved vegetable consumption lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease. By adding more vegetables like kohlrabi in your diet, you can certainly improve your heart and your health.

One of the most important indicators of potential heart disease is an inflammatory compound found in the body called “C-Reactive Protein” (CRP). Eating vegetables, which are high in antioxidants, especially beta carotene, like kohlrabi, reduces CRP. Lowering your level of CRP lowers your chances of heart disease and other harmful inflammatory diseases.

Many people who have high blood pressure are also at a higher risk of heart disease and strokes. Hypertension is a very common health issue that has an increased risk as you grow older. Often people have high blood pressure and don’t even know it. There are several good ways to lower blood pressure naturally, including a diet rich in vegetables like kohlrabi.

Kohlrabi contains a high levels of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant which protects against high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, cancer and inflammation in the blood vessels. Kohlrabi contains more vitamin C than an orange, which is over 100% of the recommended daily allowance. This all-purpose vitamin helps to keep the immune system strong, build collagen, help with healthier skin and gums, and fight diseases. So if you feel a cold coming on, grab a few kohlrabi and munch away!

Keeps Blood Sugar Low and Aids in Weight Loss

Kohlrabi and other cruciferous vegetables contain large amounts of fiber, as well as water, which makes you feel full, while the nutrients in kohlrabi satisfy your body. This prevents you from eating higher calorie, starchy, sugary processed foods that can make you gain weight.

Kohlrabi is very low in sugar or carbohydrates, so its delicious crunchy texture makes it a great substitute for crackers or chips for dipping. Its high fiber will also fill you up, while maintaining a low level of glucose. Next time you feel the munchies coming on, slice up a few kohlrabi and use them to dip into hummus or guacamole for a delicious snack that doesn’t make your blood sugar go up. This study of men in Finland showed that higher intakes of fruit, berries and vegetables that included kohlrabi resulted in a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.

Where to Find Kohlrabi

While kohlrabi used to be a rare sighting, it is starting to grow in popularity, because of its mild, slightly sweet taste and it’s store of amazing phytochemicals that protect your health.

Look for kohlrabi in the early spring and summer months and fall. There are several different varieties available, with the most common one being the light green globes. My favorite is the purple one, although when you peel away the tough outer skin, it’s a creamy white inside, no matter what color the outside is.

If the leaves are intact and the kohlrabi is fresh, the leaves are edible and delicious, much like collard greens with less bitter taste. You can lightly stir fry the greens, add it to soups or stews or even chop it up and add to your favorite salad or smoothie.

The bulb can be sliced up and eaten raw, or shredded into a slaw. This recipe for kohlrabi slaw with cilantro, jalepeno and lime looks amazing!

Kohlrabi is also delicious and mild cooked and can be added to stir fry, soups or your favorite dish. Dr. Josh Axe has this delicious curried cauliflower soup with kohlrabi in it, that you will absolutely love.

Enjoy your new favorite superstar vegetable!

Reference
https://eatandbeatcancer.com/2013/07/13/anti-cancer-foods-an-unusual-vegetable/
https://foodfacts.mercola.com/kohlrabi.html
https://draxe.com/kohlrabi/

The post How This Odd-Looking Vegetable Can Do Amazing Things for Your Health (Kohlrabi) appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

Want to max out your nutritional needs in one fell swoop? Well this salad fills the bill! Full of fresh, raw, bursting with nutrition ingredients, a massive amount of vitamins, minerals, and all the antioxidants you can eat in one meal. Not to mention, it contains oodles of vitamin K, vitamin C, magnesium, healthy fats, and protein.

Top it all off with plenty of cleansing cilantro. Cilantro (or coriander as it is sometimes called) has been used as a medicine for years and years and is often used to detox and cleanse the liver, balance the blood sugar and remove dangerous metals from your system, like mercury, aluminum, arsenic and lead. While these metals can build up in your body to toxic levels, eating plenty of cilantro will actually help to clean them out of your system. Cilantro contains a substance that will bind to heavy metals in the body and carry them right out. So, if you happen to eat lots of fish like tuna, be sure to add cilantro to your meals.

Cilantro is also widely known as an aid for diabetes. It helps to lower blood sugar, improve insulin sensitivity, and in turn, lower your triglycerides. One study on rats showed treatment with 200mg of coriander significantly increased insulin secreting beta cells (in the pancreas). In another study published in the Journal of Food Sciences, cilantro was shown to promote healthy liver function and stable blood sugar. Cilantro is also very effective at calming nerves, and soothing anxiety.

Top off your salad with avocado, tomato, roasted pumpkin seeds and some chopped jalapeno and you have an absolutely winning combination!! Enjoy—it’s a proven crowd pleaser!

Dressing

¼ cup chopped shallots

¼ cup fresh lime juice (juice of 1 lime)

½ cup or more fresh cilantro chopped

2-3 cloves of finely minced garlic

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Dressing Directions

Combine first four ingredients in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Salad

3 cups of thinly sliced red leaf lettuce (preferably organic)

3 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage

2-3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

½ roasted red bell pepper (you can usually find these already roasted in the store or see below on how to roast your own)

½ roasted yellow pepper

Half (or more) firm avocado, peeled and diced

¼ cup minced red onion

Half can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 small jalapeno, de-seeded, de-ribbed and minced

2 small tomatillos, hulls removed and chopped (green Mexican tomatoes)

¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds

½ cup crumbled queso anejo, or feta cheese (optional)

2-4 cooked chicken breasts, cooked and sliced in thin strips, or shredded with a fork

(Grilled chicken tastes best for this recipe.)

Salad Directions

Combine salad ingredients in large bowl and toss in dressing just before serving. Place cut or shredded chicken on top. Serves 4-6.

To roast peppers: heat oven on ‘broil’. Slice peppers in half; remove stem and seeds. Place skin side up on flat pan in oven near heat. Roast for 4-7 minutes until skin begins to turn black. Remove and cool. When cool, slide off blackened skin and slice peppers in thin strips.

You should also know that this recipe is an almost perfect low-glycemic meal for Diabetics, due to it’s blend of fiber, healthy fats, antioxidants, and a reasonably low amount of sugars and carbs that impact blood sugar.  Speaking of Diabetes, make sure to read this page next:

1 Simple trick to REVERSE your Diabetes (hint: it’s NOT cinnamon or any supplement)

The post Chicken Fiesta Salad with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling & Mike Geary
Co-authors of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

According to the U.S. Centers for Chronic Disease:  from 1980 through 2011, the number of Americans with diagnosed diabetes has more than tripled (from 5.6 million to 20.9 million.

In the United States alone (as of 2012 statistics):

• 29.1 million Americans have diabetes–21 million are diagnosed diabetics, and 8.1 million (this number may be grossly underestimated) are undiagnosed diabetics.
• And, another 86 million Americans age 20 and older have “pre-diabetes”. Many of these people will develop full-blown diabetes in 5 years or less.

• There are about 2 million new cases of diagnosed diabetes per year and that number is rising every year.

And–recent estimates show the number of Americans with diabetes will increase dramatically in the next 25 years — from the current 29.1 million to 44 million in 2034. Nearly 1 out of 4 people in the US currently have a condition called “pre-diabetes.” Most people don’t have a clue they have this condition—or how to prevent it.

Diabetes is one of the world’s most preventable epidemics

Type 2 Diabetes can be totally preventable, and virtually reversible—by making simple and inexpensive diet and lifestyle changes, and by learning an awareness of the foods and drinks that contribute to this condition. Hint: It’s probably NOT what your physician has told you about diet. Major health complications frequently associated with diabetes include:

• Heart disease and stroke
• High blood pressure
• Blindness
• Kidney disease
• Nervous system disease
• Wounds, infections, and amputations
• Dental disease
• Pregnancy complications and birth defects

Conventional type 2 diabetes treatment is a huge money making machine, so your chances of being ‘cured’ by the conventional medical system are slim to none. A diabetes patient is a long-term patient with the big profits for the healthcare system.

Conventional treatment treats only the symptoms of high blood sugar, instead of going after the true cause of this disease. However, a scientific study of over 33,000 people showed drug treatment of Type 2 Diabetes is often ineffective and dangerous. Glucose-lowering drugs actually have been shown to increase the risk of death—and they don’t prevent the dangerous complications of diabetes! And diabetes patients often get lulled into a false sense of security, thinking they don’t really need to watch their sugar and carbohydrate intake—the drugs will take care of it. Even if you monitor and maintain glucose control, this illness can age you prematurely and shorten your life.  The chance of your diabetes worsening over time under conventional medical care is almost a certainty, since the medications that are used to control blood sugar, also cause weight gain.

Some of the drugs (according to Mayo Clinic, 2016) used for type 2 diabetes control include:

• Metformin (Glucophage, Glumetza, others). Generally, metformin is the first medication prescribed for type 2 diabetes
• Sulfonylureas
• Meglitinides
• Thiazolidinediones
• DPP-4 inhibitors
• GLP-1 receptor agonists
• SGLT2 inhibitors
• Insulin therapy

Side effects of these medications include: Low blood sugar, upset stomach, skin rash, weight gain, dizziness, kidney complications, heart failure, heart attacks, fractures, bladder cancer, pancreatitis, urinary tract infections.

These medications seem to do more harm then good. In one large study, called the ACCORD study, that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2008, the 10,000 patients who were being treated with insulin or blood sugar-lowering drugs were monitored and evaluated for their risk of heart attack, strokes and death. The National Institutes of Health actually had to stop the study after three and a half years because the aggressive medical intervention was leading to MORE deaths, heart attacks, and strokes. A sad but true fact: There is more money in treating diabetics with insulin and diabetic drugs than in curing diabetes with diet and lifestyle changes.

None of these medications address the real, underlying causes of type 2 diabetes—such as poor diet, lack of exercise, poor sleep and more. Diet is the single most important factor that leads to high blood glucose levels, insulin stability issues, metabolic dysfunction, high levels of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. And, diet can reverse this condition as well.

One of the biggest problems, however, is that the conventional dietary recommendation for diabetics – the high carbohydrate/low fat diet – is actually the opposite of what turns this condition around. Nearly all Type 2 diabetics need to eliminate most grains and sugars, and include more protein, green veggies and healthy sources of fat.

Can a Paleo Diet Fight Diabetes and Restore Health?

A diet high in nutrient-dense, healthy fats, and grass fed meat, wild caught fish, free range chicken, and oodles of fresh, raw vegetables and fruits, is the best and healthiest way to regain your body’s natural balance, prevent diabetes, diabetes complications, cancer and related cardiovascular disease. Studies show it as an effective treatment for type 2 diabetes and other metabolic dysfunction. One study which compared the Paleo diet with the conventional diet recommended to diabetics, found that the Paleo diet lead to more weight loss, stable blood sugar, lower triglycerides, lower blood pressure, and better body mass index.

This study compared a Paleo diet with a low-fat diet in obese, women and found that the Paleo diet led to greater fat loss and metabolic improvements than the low-fat diet. And this study, found similar findings as well. The Paleo diet also decreased the amount of fat stored in the liver by 50%!

Paleo/Primal diets are also about adopting a simpler healthier lifestyle which includes sitting less, getting more high intensity exercise, good sleep, and getting outside more. The “side effects” of following a Paleo diet include fat loss, more lean muscle, clear glowing skin, reduced aging, lower cholesterol, improved energy, better moods, better digestion and gut health, less allergies and inflammation, better joint health, improved immune function and increased insulin sensitivity.

Which do you want? Medication with unhealthy side effects and a lifelong dependence on the medical system or better health through a healthy Paleo diet?

As always, check with your doctor before starting or stopping any new treatment plan—including what I’ve suggested in this article. This is not intended to be medical advice, and is not a substitute for being under the care of a physician.

If you’re ready to finally REVERSE your Type-2 Diabetes, but aren’t ready to go “full Paleo” yet?  Click here to read this short article and uncover the simple fat loss secret to quickly, and naturally, REVERSE your Type-2 Diabetes

References

Kresser, C. (2015). Pills or Paleo? Preventing and Reversing Type 2 Diabetes. Retrieved from https://chriskresser.com/pills-or-paleo-preventing-and-reversing-type-2-diabetes/

Kresser, C. (2014). Why Paleo should be Ranked #1 of all Weight Loss Diets. Retrieved from https://chriskresser.com/why-paleo-should-be-ranked-1-of-all-weight-loss-diets/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19604407

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23414424

The post How the Paleo Diet can Prevent or Reverse Diabetes appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Catherine Ebeling & Mike Geary
Co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

I love cherries! Dried, fresh, frozen, tart or sweet…in smoothies, on salads, even in main courses. They are an excellent sweet healthy snack full of antioxidants, and fat burning ingredients.

Cherries contain some unique and pretty awesome bioactive components that can help prevent cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and other inflammatory diseases—as well as prevent muscle soreness, and help you sleep. Not only that, cherries are an extremely effective treatment for arthritis pain, gout, hemorrhoids, and allergies.

Cherries have boatloads of antioxidants in them that fight free radical damage and protect our cells’ DNA. Free radicals are linked to many diseases including cancer, heart disease, and dementia. Cherries also contain the super-nutrients quercetin, hydroxycinnamates, potassium, carotenoids and melatonin. Even sweet cherries have a healthy low glycemic index of 22, making them a healthy food for people trying to keep their blood sugar stable.

Anti-Inflammatory

Cherries are one of the best anti-inflammatory foods you can eat. These little red powerhouses contain phytochemicals called “anthocyanins” that give them their deep red color. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University found that the powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins in tart cherries were as effective at decreasing inflammation as the anti-inflammatory drugs Ibuprofen, aspirin and Tylenol. Another study published in the Journal of Natural Products showed that anthocyanins and cyanidin isolated from tart cherries worked better than aspirin. And many studies have shown that Tylenol and Ibuprofen can be extremely harmful to the liver and very toxic, so eating foods that are anti-inflammatory is far better for your health.

In fact, cherries can even help your workouts. Cherries have been proven to get rid of the aches and pains from an intense workout. They can actually reduce muscle soreness as well. This study published in Journal of International Society of Sports Nutrition looked at cherries’ power to reduce muscle damage and soreness from working out.  54 runners ran a 16 miles race, while drinking tart cherry juice or a placebo. The group drinking the cherry juice reported a significantly smaller increase in pain compared to the placebo group, which was attributed to cherries’ anti-inflammatory effect.

Arthritis and Gout

Over 33 million Americans have osteoarthritis. Arthritis can physically affect the joint, creating friction and lots of pain when the cartilage wears down. In one study done at the Osteoarthritis Research Center with 58 osteoarthritic patients who drank two 8-ounce bottles of tart cherry juice for six weeks, Western Ontario McMaster Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores decreased significantly after the tart cherry juice treatment. The WOMAC index is standardized questionnaire used by health professionals to evaluate patients with osteoarthritis of the knee and hip, including pain, stiffness, and physical functioning of the joints.

Gout is another type of arthritis that is extremely painful, usually affecting the big toe. Uric acid crystals build up in the toe joint, causing major inflammation, swelling, redness and serious pain. High uric acid levels in the body can also be associated with diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease. A large study of 633 people with gout were treated with cherry extract over a two-day period showing a 35% lower risk of gout attacks. When cherry intake was combined with allopurinol, a prescribed medication for gout and kidney stones, the risk of gout attacks was 75% lower.

Anti-Cancer

Anthocyanins from cherries, especially sour cherries have such strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, they inhibit tumor development in mice and the growth of human cancer cells. On a study done with mice with a genetic risk of colon cancer, a diet of tart cherries and anthocyanins helped prevent colon cancer and tumor growth. This study also showed that these two compounds from cherries reduced the growth of human colon cancer cells as well.

One other study done on humans with cherry extract showed a reduction in the growth of colon cancer cells and human breast cancer cells as well.

Sleep Soundly with Cherries

Cherries also help you sleep more soundly because they are one of the only foods that contain a natural substance called ‘melatonin’. Melatonin is a hormone in the body that regulates sleep cycles and helps you sleep deeply. Tart cherries contain the highest levels of melatonin. It only takes two tablespoons of concentrated tart cherry juice to promote good quality, deep sleep necessary for healing and repair of the body.

Melatonin contains powerful antioxidants that helps reverse aging as well. What’s more, a good night’s sleep helps to reduce cortisol which helps you burn fat better as well! In a study published in the European Journal of Nutrition, 20 volunteers consumed either a placebo or tart cherry juice concentrate for seven days. As a result of this treatment, total melatonin content was significantly elevated in the cherry juice group.

Healthy Hearts

Tart cherries can also protect the heart and reduce the risk of strokes. Research done at University of Michigan shows tart cherries activate something called PPAR (peroxisome proliferator activating receptors) in the body. These receptors are connected to glucose and fat metabolism and can help reduce heart attacks and cardiovascular disease. There are prescribed medications that do the same thing, but they come with serious side effects, such as increasing the risk of heart attacks and stroke!

While sweet cherries are effective, tart cherries contain even more of the powerful antioxidants that burn fat, help with muscle aches and soreness and help you sleep more soundly. Enjoy cherries in your next smoothie, on top of your breakfast oatmeal, throw in a salad, or just plain for a sweet, satisfying snack! One of my favorite snacks is frozen organic cherries mixed with raw almonds, and sprinkled with a little bit of cinnamon.  Give it a try!

(Mike’s cherry-infused cocktail tip: I have a sour cherry tree in my yard, so I get literally 1000’s of tart cherries every July… My favorite way to use all these sour cherries is to fill a bunch of mason jars with cherries and then add rye whiskey to the top of each jar, so that the sour cherries are infusing in the whiskey.  I let the jars sit at least for a couple weeks before I start drinking the cherry-infused whiskey, although many of the jars will soak for months before we get around to beginning to drink them.  

Each night after dinner, I like to take 1 shot of the cherry-infused whiskey, add a few shakes of organic digestive bitters, and a splash of sweet vermouth, and enjoy a super-healthy cocktail that’s a healthier version of a manhattan. The antioxidants and natural melatonin get extracted very effectively from the cherries by the alcohol (the cherries become white over time as the whiskey extracts all the phytonutrients) and help you fight inflammation, joint pain, and can help to get me to fall asleep easier from the natural melatonin.  I used to have knee pain years ago, but I think this combination of having 1 drink per day of my cherry-infused whiskey and my 1 mug per day of bone broth has completely eliminated my knee pain.  My joints have never felt better since I’ve been doing this nightly ritual!)

And some more tips on sleeping better, using tart cherry syrup and other tips too:
Drink tart cherry syrup and THIS tea to sleep deeper (plus 5 tips for insomnia)

Now you know cherries are one of the best anti-inflammatory foods you can eat. They are as effective in decreasing inflammation as those anti-inflammatory drugs you buy over the counter.

But cherries are not the only anti-inflammatory food out there, and you probably have this one food in your household right now.

Before you go… Our friend and favorite Doctor, Dr. Joshua Levitt, ND would like to share some of his trade secrets he has learned over the years…

This food kills knee, hip & back pain

As a naturopathic physician, for the better part of the last 20 years my main job has been to keep my patients’ joints moving freely…

Or to free them up when they’re stuck.

Today, I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned over all these years…

And let you in on a “trade secret” that will help your joints feel like they just got an oil change.

Read Now: 6 Anti-Inflammatory Foods for Your Knees, Hips, and Back

References:

Axe, J. Dr. Benefits of Cherries: Weight Loss, Gout Healing & Less Inflammation. Dr. Axe Food is Medicine. Retrieved from https://draxe.com/benefits-of-cherries/

Cherries, Dec 2007. Life Extension Magazine. Retrieve from
http://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2007/12/sf_cherries/page-01

Kang SY, Seeram NP, Nair MG, Bourquin LD. Tart cherry anthocyanins inhibit tumor development in Apc(Min) mice and reduce proliferation of human colon cancer cells. Cancer Lett. 2003 may 8;194(1):13-9.

Kuehl, Perrier, Elliot, Chesnutt. (April 2010). Efficacy of tart cherry juice in reducing muscle pain during running: a randomized controlled trial. Retrieved from https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-7-17

Olsson ME, Gustavsson KE, Andersson S, Nilsson A, Duan RD. Inhibition of cancer cell proliferation in vitro by fruit and berry extracts and correlations with antioxidant levels. J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Dec 1;52(24):7264-71.

Tall JM, Seeram NP, Zhao C, Nair MG, Meyer RA, Raja SN. Tart cherry anthocyanins suppress inflammation-induced pain behavior in rat. Behav Brain Res. 2004 Aug 12;153(1):181-8.

Schumacher, Pullman-Mooar, Gupta, Dinnella, Kim, McHugh. (August 2013). Randomized double-blind crossover study of the efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23727631

Wang, Nair, Strasburg, Chang, Booren, Gray, DeWitt. (Feb 1999). Antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities of anthocyanins and their aglycon, cyanidin, from tart cherries. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10075763

The post Five Good Reasons to Eat More Cherries (Plus a Healthy Cherry-Infusion Cocktail Recipe!) appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

Today’s blog, republished from my friend Danette May, is going to give you some great information on one of nature’s perfect foods…

by Danette May, Fitness Expert DanetteMay.com

If you’re not heeding the old adage of an ‘apple a day’, you need to read this.

Many studies point to the beneficial effects of apples. This includes their antioxidant effects, and positive impact on heart health.

As if that wasn’t enough, they regulate blood sugar too!

This is good news, because it is the single biggest factor that helps keep body weight healthy. Interesting!

How exactly do apples help fight obesity?

It is all because of two factors in apples – fiber and phenolic compounds.
Studies show that both fiber and phenolic compounds in apple protect against many diseases.

Especially, the non-digestible fiber part of the apple resists digestion by stomach juices. They dodge the digestive acids and enzymes too, and reach the colon. This is where the gut bacteria thrive.

Gut bacteria feed on these non-digestible fiber and produce short chain fatty acids. Otherwise called SCFA’s, these are the result of the fermentation by gut bacteria.

Short chain fats have many benefits like:

• Sustained energy
• Stable blood sugar
• Improving satiety and keeping you full

BUT…It’s important to choose the right variety

Granny Smith apples are what you should reach for to get the best weight loss effect. Studies show that Granny Smith varieties have more non-digestible compounds than other types.

They found that when obese mice were fed the Granny smith variety their gut flora changed to that of lean mice. A gut flora that is the same as lean mice, helps lower the risk of disorders accompanying obesity.

Choose clean apples

Beware of pesticide residue and wax coating:

The Environmental Working Group reports that apples are high in pesticide residues. Another thing to note is the petroleum-based waxes used as a coating on apples.

So, keep it clean, choose an organic apple over conventional ones.

Here are 4 easy ways to eat more of this variety:

1. Freeze for a quick snack: Wash, cut and slice them up. Freeze them in ziploc snack bags so it is easy to grab and go as a healthy snack.

2. Bake: Granny smith apples are tart and firm. This makes it great for baking recipes like apple cobbler, apple crisp (healthy apple crisp recipe here), and pie.

3. Make apple sauce: Homemade chunky apple sauce makes a great topping for pancakes too!

4. Enjoy with probiotics: Eat cubed granny smith apples with a probiotic like Greek yogurt. You will be able to boost your healthy gut bacteria in few delicious scoops a day.

Not to forget, eating whole fruit is always beneficial and helps to promote weight loss.

Yours in Health,

Danette May
(The original article source is here)

Other notes on apples nutrition:

The average apple contains about 3-5 grams of fiber, and about 20-26 grams of total carbs depending on size.  I like to look at not only glycemic index of certain carb sources, but also ratio of fiber to total carbs as a good indicator of how they will affect your blood sugar.  Apples are a good choice for a healthy carbohydrate source when kept in moderation.

Apples are also a good source of polyphenols that help to prevent heart disease, protect your brain health, and lower blood pressure.  In addition, although type 2 diabetics can do a lot better on a higher fat, lower carbohydrate diet overall, apples are one of the better sources of carbohydrates for diabetics since they have a slow effect on blood sugar instead of abrupt.

Now that you know apples can help fight obesity these powerful fruits are almost in a class of their own. Apples along with grapes (especially when made into red wine) are some of the most healthiest and fat-fighting fruits in the world.

Some red wines are more powerful at fat-burning than others and help boost your metabolism. Take this short quiz to find out.

Quiz: Which Red Wine Boosts Metabolism?

Although hard alcohol like vodka, whisky, gin and tequila can increase belly fat…

Prominent scientists from Greece have found that one of the following red wines actually increases fat-burning when you drink it a certain way.

But which one? Is it…

The post Is there one type of apple that helps you lose more weight than others? appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.