Health Benefits of the Gooseberry

Gooseberries are called "northern grapes".Indeed, the berries are similar in appearance and the same elements in the chemical composition. What benefits and harm does the gooseberry bring to the body?

Fresh gooseberry berries low-calorie. Small variations in energy values ​​may be due to varietal diversity and the degree of ripeness of the berries. In general, the caloric content per 100 g is 45 kcal. The ratio of BZHU looks like 0.7 / 0.2 / 12 g.

At the same time, the red gooseberry is slightly more high in calories, as it contains slightly more sugars. Green has slightly more organic acids in its composition, and in addition, it is considered more useful.

At the same time, the gooseberry boasts a wealth of vitamin-mineral composition. It is rich in ascorbic acid, and also contains vitamins A, E and B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, folic acid), as well as vitamin B6, more commonly known as nicotinic acid or vitamin PP.

Gooseberry is the most valuable source of potassium. In large quantities in the berries there is phosphorus, sodium and calcium, as well as magnesium and sulfur.

Juiciness berries due to the presence in it of structured water. It is significantly different from the fluid that a person drinks. Structured water in its properties is similar to that which washes the internal organs of man, and therefore is easily digestible, without requiring special preparation and processing, getting into the body.

Gooseberry also contains organic acids, tannins, dietary fiber and pectins. In the red berries are anthocyanins, providing features of the shade of the fruit. Saccharides are represented by glucose, fructose, sucrose.

The high content of vitamins causes the immune-strengthening and tonic properties of the gooseberry. It helps to increase the body's resistance to infections and negative external factors, and therefore is used for the treatment and prevention of influenza and beriberi. Strong support is also needed by the body during the period of increased physical and mental stress, at the stage of recovery after illnesses, operations, and emotional turmoil. Tasty and healthy berries perfectly cope with such tasks.

It is impossible not to note the benefits that it carries to the cardiovascular system. The content of potassium is high here, which in combination with magnesium shows a strengthening effect for the heart muscle. Trace elements support the heart, stabilize the rhythm, improve conductivity.

Vitamins E and C, acting as antioxidants, heals the blood vessels, increase their strength and elasticity. Vitamin PP improves capillary permeability, thereby improving the nutrition of organs and tissues. Regular consumption of gooseberry reduces the indicators of "bad" insulin in the blood, helps fight the formation of insulin plaques.

Given the above, we can assume that the gooseberry is a berry, helps in the fight against heart attacks and strokes, atherosclerosis, hypertension, and the prevention of these diseases.

Vitamin B is necessary for the process of blood formation and metabolism. In combination with phosphorus, it improves cerebral circulation, prevents the aging of brain cells. This makes gooseberry a useful product for people experiencing increased mental stress.

Vitamin B is also necessary for the regulation of nervous activity. It speeds up the transmission of nerve impulses, strengthens the central nervous system, helps to fight stress, chronic fatigue, sleep disorders. In addition, the berries have a high serotonin content. To many, it is known as the "hormone of joy", so the gooseberry is excellent in helping with the blues and bad mood.

Thiamine (vitamin B1) also improves the cardiovascular system, normalizing blood pressure, combating tachycardia and arrhythmia. It is extremely important that its amount in the body during growth.In addition, thiamine allows you to partially neutralize and remove toxins from the body, resulting from smoking, alcohol consumption.

The use of gooseberry in the period of respiratory diseases is largely due to the presence in it of vitamin B2, or riboflavin. It protects the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs, enhances local immunity. In addition, riboflavin is necessary for the organs of vision - it increases vigilance, protects against cataracts.

As you know, B vitamins have a beneficial effect on the skin and hair. And this is precisely the merit of riboflavin. It is worth mentioning that vitamin E slows down the aging process, to say that the gooseberry is a real helper in the fight for healthy and beautiful skin. Thanks to the specified components of the composition It ensures the preservation of the tone and elasticity of the skin, improving the complexion. And to maintain the beauty of the hair, by the way, vitamin B6 helps a lot.

Returning to the benefits of vitamin B in the gooseberry, mention should be made of riboflavin's ability to accelerate tissue regeneration. It turns out that the berry should be included in the menu after surgery and injuries.

Folic acid, along with participation in metabolism, blood formation, beneficial effects on the digestive organs and the central nervous system, is involved in the formation of the neural tube and some of the internal organs of the fetus. This makes gooseberry quite beneficial for women in position. As you know, the formation of internal organs is largely carried out in the first trimester of pregnancy, it is during this period that the expectant mother should begin actively (but within the normal range) to consume the berry.

Thanks to organic acids and tannins, gooseberry improves digestion. It is especially useful in case of low acidity of the stomach. Consumption of berries helps to digest food faster and better, which means that it will bring great benefits to the body.

Gooseberry cellulose acts like a brush that collects toxins and toxins from the intestinal walls and removes them. As a result of such exposure, the intestines are cleaned, its motility improves. This, in turn, allows you to activate metabolism, improve lipid metabolism, get rid of feelings of heaviness and bloating, strengthen the immune system (most of the immune cells are located in the intestine), improve skin condition (slags - one of the causes of acne).

Thanks to its fiber and pectin, the gooseberry is slightly weak, allowing for a delicate solution to the problem of constipation. But if you use a decoction of leaves and berries, it will help stop diarrhea.

The beneficial effects on the intestines, the acceleration of metabolism and the process of splitting fat in combination with low calorie make gooseberry one of the diet products. It is included in the diets and fasting days. Here it is worth mentioning the ability of potassium to remove excess fluid from the body, the ability of sodium to regulate the water-salt balance, which is important for getting a beautiful and healthy body.

Gooseberry helps to improve the functions of the pancreas, thereby increasing the amount of produced insulin. Berry has the ability to reduce blood sugar levels, has a low glycemic index and low calorie content. All this allows you to include it in the diet with diabetes. In addition, having a rich composition, gooseberry helps to strengthen the immune system and level the symptoms that accompany diabetes.

Gooseberry is useful in diseases of the urinary system, as it has a diuretic effect, and also demonstrates anti-inflammatory effect.

Like any product, gooseberry, for all its usefulness, has contraindications. First of all, they include allergies and idiosyncrasies.

Harm berries can cause people with high acidity of gastric juice. Their use should be abandoned during exacerbation of gastritis, peptic ulcer and other inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract.Reception of berries at pancreatitis, cholecystitis is not recommended. Enteritis and intestinal carcinoma are an absolute contraindication to the consumption of fruits and juice from them.

Despite the beneficial effects of the fruit on the kidneys and liver, the bladder, in case of serious pathologies, as well as inflammatory processes of these organs, the use of fresh berries and juice from them is prohibited.

With excessive consumption may cause abdominal pain, impaired stool, nausea. Juice of fruits strengthens, therefore it is forbidden with a tendency to constipation, hemorrhoids.

Gooseberries can be eaten as a separate dish, or in combination with other products. No wonder the berry is called the "northern grapes." In addition to some external similarities and similarity of the chemical composition, gooseberry, like grapes, goes well with cheeses. You can add it to meat, chicken, salads (fruit and vegetable).

In this case, possible flatulence, a feeling of heaviness in the stomach. Better to give the berry a couple of hours after eating.

The daily dosage for an adult in the absence of contraindications is 400-500 g. The frequency of administration is 2-3 times a week. It is better to divide the specified amount of berries into several receptions. Due to the pronounced diuretic effect of the gooseberry is better not to use at night.

The gooseberry rich with vitamins will provide strong immunity of the child. Include the berry in the diet can be already 7 months. However, it should be a smooth puree without stones and skin. It is permissible to use diluted gooseberry juice, which by the content of vitamins and microelements in it is able to replace the berry.

To avoid the development of allergies will help the use of green varieties of berries. Enter them into the diet of the child should be gradually, in a period when he is completely healthy and does not expect vaccinations.

Women should pay attention to the gooseberry because of its ability to positively affect hormonal levels, normalize the menstrual cycle, reduce the negative manifestations of menopause. Gooseberry helps to maintain youth and cope with excess weight.

During pregnancy, you can recommend a woman to drink half a glass of green gooseberry juice in the morning. It will have an immunostimulating effect, prevent the development of anemia, and also eliminate nausea.

During pregnancy, you can eat up to 300 g of berries a couple of times a week. During lactation, taking berries is allowed if the child does not have an allergic reaction or other health problems. In most cases, the baby reacts to the fruits with abdominal pain, impaired stool and skin rashes.

According to statistics, men are almost 2 times more than women suffer from cardiovascular diseases. Reducing the risk of their development, as well as avoid complications allows regular consumption of ripe gooseberry green varieties.

About the daily dosage and general principles of eating berries already mentioned in the relevant section. These recommendations are fully valid for men.

Those who want to lose weight should regularly consume gooseberries. It can be included in the diet as a separate meal, observing the principles of healthy eating and reducing the daily calorie. In addition, there are diets based on the consumption of gooseberry. Most of them involve eating up to 600-700 grams of berries per day. This amount should not be eaten at once, but divided into 3-4 doses.

It is better to use them as fasting days lasting 1-3 days. If there are problems with the digestive organs or severe chronic diseases, gooseberry diets can also be dangerous.

During the diet, you can also prepare a tonic decoction - 200 g of dry fruit should be poured with 0.5 liters of hot water and insist 15-18 hours, you can day. Take the composition in the morning on an empty stomach half an hour before breakfast. Infusion will help to start the metabolism, provide the body in a stressful situation (namely, stress is for the body diet), the necessary supply of vitamins and minerals.

The glycemic index of the gooseberry is 25 units, which allows people with diabetes to include it in the diet. It is important that the calorie content of fresh berries is low.

The composition of the berries is chromium, which facilitates the course of sugar disease, and at its first stages even allows you to do without medicines. Thanks to the fiber in the composition of the sugar slowly enters the bloodstream, which eliminates its jumps.

A small amount of fructose allows you to use 50-80 grams of berries up to 2-3 times a week. We are talking about fresh berries without added sugar and other sweeteners. You can consume it as a healthy snack or include in fruit salads. Diabetics will be greatly benefited by combining berries with a small amount of butter or cottage cheese, if their state of health allows, you can add a little fresh honey to them.

From berries, you can prepare fruit drinks and fruit drinks, while avoiding the addition of sugar to them. But sweet preparations with sugar (jam, jam) are unsafe for diabetics due to the large amount of sugar in them. Anyway, you should consult with your doctor before including berries in your diet for type 2 diabetes.

From the gooseberry you can make a “live” jam, which will have almost the same composition as fresh berries. The maximum concentration of "utility" can be achieved due to the rejection of the heat treatment of gooseberries.

To make jam, you should twist the gooseberry; if you wish, you can add an orange or lemon to it, the latter to be used with the skin. Sugar will act as a preservative. The ratio of berries and sweetener is 1: 1. For 1 kg of berries, you can take 1 lemon or 2 oranges.

Sugar should be thoroughly mixed so that there are no undissolved crystals in the berry puree, then pack up the “live” jam in sterile jars, leaving some space for the sugar layer. It is poured over the jam, 0.5-0.7 cm thick, and serves as a kind of “lid” that prevents the penetration of bacteria into the composition.

This mixture has a powerful immunostimulating and tonic effect, will be a source of vitamins, help fight fatigue and nerve overstrain. If you are overworked, you can also take a tablespoon of a mixture of berry puree and honey daily. 7 tablespoons of gooseberry pulp is taken a tablespoon of honey.

Fresh berries are a remedy for diseases of the biliary tract. To prepare a cholereous infusion, pour 2 cups of crushed gooseberry 750 ml of hot ode. It is better to use a thermos, since the composition must be insisted 5-6 hours.

The resulting infusion is filtered and taken three times a day before meals in 100 ml. The course of treatment is 14 days.

When diarrhea is useful to drink fresh gooseberry 1 tablespoon before meals. Daily dosage - 3-4 tablespoons. In chronic diarrhea, as well as upset stools caused by taking antibiotics, a decoction of the berries will help. A tablespoon of gooseberry should be poured with a glass of water and simmer for a quarter of an hour over low heat. The resulting amount of the drug divided into 4 parts and drink during the day.

With prolonged colds, as well as pain in the throat, you can take gooseberry juice, mixed with fresh honey.For half a glass of juice should take 2 tablespoons of liquid honey. Drink the mixture 2-3 times a day.

Gooseberry leaves are the basis of numerous vitamin and medicinal teas and infusions. The easiest way to prepare a refreshing drink is to add a teaspoon of crushed leaves to the usual black or green tea when brewing.

You can make a healthy decoction based on them, for which a tablespoon of raw materials is poured with 2 cups of hot water and left for 30 minutes. You can add to it a couple of leaves of mint, and already when the tea is poured into cups - a slice of lemon. The drink is especially pleasant when cooled, it quenches thirst perfectly.

Tea from dried leaves and berries of a gooseberry helps to relieve fatigue and strengthen the immune system. They are taken in equal amounts. At 300 ml of water requires 2-3 tablespoons of each ingredient. You need to fill them with hot water and let it brew for 30-40 minutes.

Storage features depend on the condition of the gooseberry. Fresh gooseberries need to be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 5 days, the shelf life of immature berries can increase to 7-10 days. It is correct to keep the berries in a paper bag or plastic container, covered with a sheet of paper with perforations for the exchange of air.

Frozen gooseberries can be stored at -10 degrees for about 2 months. In this case, by the end of storage, the fruit will lose about 30% of its beneficial properties. If you reduce the temperature to -15 ... -18 degrees, the shelf life can be increased to 6 months.

Dried fruit should be kept in a dark, dry place, wrapped in a cloth bag or wrapped in a paper bag. Such blanks can be stored for up to 1.5-2 years. Similar conditions and shelf life of gooseberry leaves.

When properly preserved, preserves and jams are stored in the cellar for up to 2–3 years, but it is better to eat them in the first 10-12 months after seaming. You can keep the blanks in the refrigerator, “live” jam is stored only there for no more than 6-7 months.

On the beneficial properties and contraindications to the use of gooseberry, see the following video.