Is Amla a miracle fruit for Diabetics?

Amla the Miracle Fruit

• Fresh Amla or Indian gooseberry is one of the popular winter fruits with the myriad of health benefits attributed to the presence of high concentrations of essential nutrients like amino acids, minerals and various phytochemicals.
• Rich sources of vitamin C, minerals like phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, selenium, iron, manganese, zinc, copper and sodium are in higher quantities than in apples.
• It promotes longevity, enhances digestion, reducing constipation, purifying blood, reducing cough, alleviating asthma, strengthening the heart, benefiting the eyes, stimulating hair growth, enlivening the body and enhancing immunity
• Consumption of one average-sized fruit (10 g) is recommended.
• Ripe fruits can be eaten raw and used to prepare delicacies like murabba, chutneys, burfi, ladu, fresh juice, pickle, and curries.

Amla Alleviates Diabetes

Most of the manifestations and complications of diabetes mellitus are caused by hyperglycemia (high glucose in the blood) which ultimately causes damage to the cell. Hyperglycemia further causes cascading effects leading to the generation of free radicals. These free radicals can damage proteins, lipids and nucleic acids and contribute towards oxidative stress.

• Antioxidants in amla help in neutralizing such free radicals and reduce inflammation in the body
• Other phytochemicals play an important role in mediating the biological effects and studies have shown that the important constituents of amla like gallic acid and ellagic acid possess hypoglycemic effects.
• Recent studies have shown that the regular intake of amla is effective in reducing the total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoproteins (LDL), triglycerides (TG) and very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), and increased the levels of high density lipoproteins (HDL)in people with Type-2 diabetes.

Other winter season fruits such as Oranges, Guava, strawberries, Plum, Kiwis, and Grapes also work in favor of Diabetics because they are low calorie, packed with vitamin C, anthocyanins and fiber. Potassium present in plums helps reduce sodium levels in the body, thus lowering blood pressure. Strawberries help to control blood sugar levels.

You can also consider including a 100% natural, high-fiber supplement like Actifiber Natural Sugar Control in your diet to avoid blood sugar spikes.   Add a sachet of ActiFiber to each of the 2 main meals that have the goodness of fiber and prebiotic which helps in regulating blood glucose levels and keeps you energized between meals too. It dissolves easily with no taste, odour or colour thus blending into your regular diet effortlessly.