Today is World Diabetes Day. Multiple people in our family live with diabetes. Growing food to help with diabetes management was one of the reasons for our orchard.
When someone has diabetes, their body struggles with healthy blood sugar levels. When blood sugar isn’t at a healthy level, mood, fatigue and clear thinking are day-to-day struggles. Without proper management, diabetes can lead to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves. People living with diabetes manage their condition through diet, physical activity, stress management, lifestyle choices and medication. One of the keys is eating a diet which promotes blood sugar regulation naturally.
There are many research studies which have found that plant compounds in many berries help with blood sugar regulation. This includes haskap! Haskap berries help the body with turning carbohydrates into glucose (sugar) more effectively. More specifically, compounds responsible for the deep purple-blue colour of haskap activate sugar and fat metabolism pathways in the liver and muscles. These compounds are called anthocyanins and are one of the antioxidants found in haskap berries. In fact, haskap berries have been found to have higher anthocyanin levels and therefore be better at helping with this process than blackberries, black raspberries or wild blueberries. These are impressive little berries!
Of course, people living with diabetes should always consult their medical practitioner when making significant changes to their diet. We hope you’ll consider adding haskap!
Our Novembrrrr Sale continues in our online shop, with 15% off frozen berries (code “HaskapYum”) and 25% off orders of 20lbs or more (no code required, select bulk option). Free delivery options are available. You can always reach out if you have any questions! www.labelleviefarm.ca/shop
Our friends at #haskapontario are doing a great job teaching about many different health benefits of haskap. Today, they shared a bit more about how haskap may potentially help with managing diabetes:
Here is a link to a Journal of Functional Foods article about potential health benefits of haskap: https://plaidshirtfarms.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Haskap-Review-.pdf