Most diabetics know a diet rich in fruit and vegetables lowers blood sugar.
But some fruits may cause more trouble than they re worth.
When you think of the color RED, you might imagine some very healthy fruit choices.
But that doesn't mean that any and all types of red fruit are good for your blood sugar balance.
So let's look at some potentially dangerous red fruits
which might actually worsen your glucose control.
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Now, before you go seeing red, sit back and relax,
because we'll tell you everything you need to know about...
THE 4 WORST RED FRUITS FOR DIABETICS
Number 4. Maraschino Cherries
Sorry, a cherry in your martini doesn't count towards your daily fruit serving.
But is it just that sugary syrup which makes these the wrong cherries to pick?
There's more to these bad berries than the added sugar found within their preservative syrup.
Maraschino cherries are manufactured by soaking fresh cherries in a bath of bleaching brine, which
utilizes several chemicals linked to allergic reactions and even blood vessel and lung damage.
Meanwhile, while the sugar content of a fresh cherry is about 8 to 16 percent of
its total soluble weight, a typical maraschino cherry s sugar content is closer to 40 percent!
This is due the high fructose corn syrup usually found within maraschino syrup.
Plus, while it is the red skins of red fruits which supply diabetes-fighting anthocyanins
and carotenoids, processed maraschino cherries actually have their red skin
stripped away, leaving little to no nutritional value left.
Instead, these sticky, sugary cherries get their fluorescent red hue
from Allura Red food coloring, also known as Red Number 40.
This coloring is approved for use in foods,
and you can find it in sports drinks, candies, condiments, and even some cereals.
But new research suggests that this artificial dye contains cancer-causing contaminants,
and may damage stomach, liver, and kidney cells.
However, scientists believe that, in most cases, you would have to eat huge
amounts of maraschino cherries to notice the negative effects of Allura Red on your health.
Still, between their lack of nutrients, huge sugar load, and potentially dangerous chemical
additives, better to be safe than sorry, and avoid maraschino cherries. So if you love these little
red flavor-bursts, stick to unprocessed, naturally grown, pesticide-free organic cherries.
Number 3: Dried Cranberries
Yes, fresh cranberries are a healthy, diabetes-friendly fruit choice.
But naturally tart berries never sell as well as sweeter ones.
That's why food corporations love to manufacture dried cranberries,
as these packaged treats often contain huge amounts of addictive added sugars.
Even when simple sugars are not added, the process of drying fruits concentrates their natural sugar
content. A 1 cup serving of one of the top brands of fresh cranberries contains 12 grams of total
carbohydrates, with just 4 grams of sugar. But that same serving size of DRIED cranberries?
Try a staggering 90 grams of total carbs, with over 70 grams of sugar!
In fact, a leading brand of dried cranberries reports
that it stuffs over 100 grams of added sugar into every cup.
You can still find organic, less-processed dried cranberries, without any added sugar.
However, you should make sure not to over-indulge in any dried fruit. While
they will give you fiber and the same wealth of nutrients found within their fresh counterparts,
their highly concentrated levels of carbohydrates might still skyrocket your blood sugar,
while their multiplied amounts of calories can work against your weight loss goals.
Plus, eating too many dried cranberries will raise stomach acid levels, which
can lead to an upset stomach, diarrhea, and may increase the risk of developing kidney stones.
Number 2: Red Grapefruit
Whether the flesh of a grapefruit is red, pink, orange, or yellow,
you need to be very careful of grapefruit when you take certain prescription drugs.
Nearly half of oral prescription medications are absorbed via an enzyme group called
cytochrome P450. But these enzymes can limit the effectiveness of certain drugs inside the body.
To counteract this effect,
pharmaceutical companies often increase the dosage of their pills.
However, grapefruit chemicals called FURANOCOUMARINS,
compounds found naturally within grapefruit, can stop cytochrome P450 from working.
That means eating red grapefruit in conjunction with some meds may cause
your body to absorb double, triple, or even quadruple the appropriate dosage,
which, of course, can be extremely dangerous to your body.
So, it's best to avoid red grapefruit if you take oral medication for diabetes, high cholesterol,
high blood pressure, heart problems, or digestive disorders, like Crohn's disease.
However, if you are not currently take prescription meds, you can still add
grapefruit to your menu. Grapefruit is one of the lowest-calorie fruits, and it offers fiber, along
with a wealth of diabetes-fighting nutrients, including vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium.
And studies show that grapefruit can help reduce blood sugar and aid weight control.
But, again, if you take most any medication related to diabetes,
you'll probably need to avoid red grapefruit.
Are you ready to uncover the WORST red fruit choice? Hold on just a sec,
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Now, it's time for today's Worst Red Fruit... Number 1: Non-Organic Strawberries
Strawberries are possibly the most delicious and beloved dessert fruit,
and they certainly offer a wide range of beneficial nutrients. Unfortunately,
to gain those benefits, you need to avoid the most accessible and inexpensive types of strawberries.
Organic AND non-organic strawberries contain plenty of heart-healthy,
diabetes-fighting ingredients in the form of plant phenols, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Strawberries are so delicious and nutritious, in fact, that this red fruit is not just loved by
humans - pests, viruses and harmful bacteria are quite attracted to this heart-shaped sweet treat.
That's why most conventionally-grown strawberries are treated with an assortment of pesticides,
which helps food corporations cultivate larger amounts of their product
year-round, instead of just seasonally.
This has led to Americans consuming 4 times as many
strawberries annually as they did 40 years ago.
Unfortunately, the chemicals in and on non-organic strawberries
can worsen diabetic symptoms, and they may lead to other health complications.
PHTHALATES, found in most plastics, are also used in many herbicides.
Phthalate absorption is associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes.
Herbicides containing glyphosate are associated with human gene and cell toxicity,
immune dysfunction, infertility, and cancer.
Strawberry growers often treat their fields with these poisonous chemicals before they plant their
product, thus polluting the soil. And strawberries are particularly at risk for toxin absorption, as
they grow close to the ground, so they are exposed to chemicals which drift down from larger plants.
That s why it shouldn't come as a shock to learn that a 2021 Chinese study found that over
97% of strawberry fruits contain detectable levels of pesticides.
Plus, humans make pesticides and fungicides even more harmful
by adding a range of toxic ingredients and mixing them into FORMULATIONS,
which are meant to improve the properties of these chemicals for handling and storage.
While the Environmental Protection Agency claims that pesticide formulations are not harmful to
our health, a recent study concluded that 8 out of 9 formulations are up to ONE THOUSAND times
more toxic than the active ingredients in single-residue pesticides and fungicides.
Meanwhile, the Environmental Working Group found that, while most produce,
on average, contains 2.2 pesticides per sample, conventionally-grown strawberries are treated with
7.8 different pesticides per sample, and some can contain upwards of 10 types of pesticide.
Some of the pesticide residue can be wash away,
but we can't remove the toxins which strawberries have absorbed.
That's why the EWG has listed strawberries as the #1 most contaminated type of produce
for 6 years running.
And while eating these strawberries does not necessarily mean that you
will be ingesting every single type of pesticide used in the growing process,
your continued financial support of the industry
does mean that communities in close proximity to these strawberry farms can be severely damaged.
In fact, the EWG has found that the toxins
sprayed on strawberry fields are linked to several forms of cancer,
and may create reproductive, developmental, hormonal, and neurological damage for humans.
So today's modern strawberry industry does not just put consumers across the country
at risk for multiple diseases, it also damages the environment
and puts the health of those living near corporately-controlled farms in severe danger.
To gain the benefits of diabetes-fighting strawberry power without the risk of
consuming harmful toxins, and to help your community... go organic!
Now you know 4 of the very worst red fruits,
and why you should avoid them. But don t get too red-in-the-face. Stay tuned to Diabetes Smarts,
because we've got The 4 BEST Red Fruits For Diabetics premiering on our channel shortly!
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Thanks for watching, and have a diabetes-fighting day!