Boost Your day with a Handful of Lingonberries – Your Body will Thank You!
You may have never heard of lingonberries unless you come from Scandinavia, or perhaps you’ve seen a bottle of lingonberry juice or jam in an IKEA. But this small red fruit could easily become the new superfruit.
Think of the lingonberry as a smaller, juicier, and less bitter version of the cranberry, but with more vitamins and nutrients.
We’ve heard a lot about superfoods in recent years, but after reading this article, you might ditch your goji berries and açaí and only go for lingonberries.
Most people agree that fruits, especially berries, are nutritious, but some are more so than others. In recent years, açaí and goji berries have become known as superberries, with claims that they aid in weight loss. But what many people don’t know is that lingonberries are at least as nutritious – if not more.
A Swedish study from 2014 shows that lingonberries reduce the effects of a high-fat diet.
The study was conducted by researcher Karin Berger and PhD student Lovisa Heyman at the Antidiabetic Food Centre at Lund University in Sweden.
First, they divided a group of mice into two. One group received a low-fat diet, and the other high-fat food. The researchers then further divided the high-fat-fed mice into smaller subgroups. Some received lingonberries, others blueberries, and others different types of berries. And one group received no berries at all.
After three months, the group that ate lingonberries showed the best results. They gained as little weight as the mice that ate low-fat food, and their blood sugar and insulin levels were also similar. Additionally, their cholesterol and fat levels in the liver were lower than those of the mice fed a high-fat diet.
Researchers still don’t know why these berries have such a positive effect, but one theory points to polyphenols — the antioxidants that give lingonberries their red color.
So how many lingonberries do you need to effectively manage your weight?
“About 20% of the mice’s diet consisted of lingonberries. It’s not realistic for people to eat these amounts. But the goal is not to produce such dramatic effects as the mice eating a high-fat diet, but rather to prevent obesity and diabetes by incorporating these berries into the daily diet,” said Karin Berger.
Berger also mentioned that the researchers themselves were now eating more healthy berries.
I don’t need to know more… I’m going for the lingonberries! Share if you also think more people should discover these superberries!
