Black gem mulberry strengthens immunity and prevents constipation! Nutritionist You Weiming: These "3 types of people" are smart in eating mulberries

April to June every year is the peak production period of mulberries in Taiwan. The main nutritional value of mulberries lies in natural plant compounds such as anthocyanins and flavonoids, which have good antioxidant effects, can protect human cells from excessive oxidation damage, and help slow down the aging process. Nutritionist You Weiming from the Catholic St. Martin's Hospital said that according to the food nutrition database, every 100 grams of natural mulberries contains about 32 calories, and its ingredients include 91 grams of water, 7 grams of sugars, 1.1 grams of protein, 0.4 grams of fat, 1.3 grams of dietary fiber, and the minerals iron, calcium, zinc and vitamins ACE. Overall, mulberries are a nutritious fruit that is beneficial to health.

Health Research on Mulberries

According to documents from the Kaohsiung Agricultural Improvement Station of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Chinese Medicine Dictionary records that mulberry has the functions of improving eyesight, treating joint pain, relieving cough, and resolving phlegm. People often use it to promote fluid production and quench thirst, moisten the throat, or treat blood deficiency, constipation, premature graying of hair, and dizziness. In recent years, there have been more and more studies on the health benefits of mulberries. In China, there are 6 studies on the health benefits of mulberry extracts. Cell experiments have found that it helps reduce the apoptosis of cancer cells and bladder cancer cells. In addition, many foreign studies have found that mulberries have anti-inflammatory, immune system strengthening, digestion promoting and constipation preventing effects. Therefore, various processed products of mulberries, such as mulberry juice, mulberry jam and dried fruit, mulberry enzyme, mulberry wine, mulberry tea, etc., if used wisely in daily diet, will help greatly improve physical health.

How to eat mulberries in the healthiest way?

Mulberries have many benefits for human health. You can choose the appropriate way to eat mulberries according to your body's needs. Nutritionist You Weiming shared the tips on how to eat mulberries wisely for people in the following three situations:

1. Poor appetite - eat mulberry jam and fresh milk:

If you encounter someone who has no appetite and cannot eat, it is easy to get insufficient nutrition, which will make the physical condition worse. At this time, it is very suitable to have a cup of mulberry jam milk, which is sweet and sour, appetizing and easy to swallow to supplement nutrition.

2. Control blood sugar - eat fresh mulberries:

If you are hungry but worried about high blood sugar if you eat too much, a bowl of fresh mulberries is a good choice. A bowl of fresh mulberries contains about 15 grams of sugar and dietary fiber. Control the amount of the bowl and enjoy it bite by bite without worrying about high blood sugar.

3. Constipation-Eat mulberry yogurt:

If you encounter someone who is prone to constipation, it is very suitable to eat mulberry yogurt. This combination is delicious and healthy. It adds taste and flavor and allows dietary fiber and probiotics to work in the intestines, helping intestinal peristalsis and promoting smooth bowel movements.

Many foreign studies have found that mulberries have anti-inflammatory, immune system-enhancing, digestion-promoting and constipation-preventing effects.

Who should be careful when eating mulberries?

Nutritionist Chen Yuxiu said that mulberries are natural fruits with a short shelf life. In order to extend the shelf life, they are processed into products during the peak production period. It is recommended that the following three types of patients should pay special attention to the consumption of mulberry processed products:

1. Diabetic patients:

People with diabetes should be careful about mulberry jam, mainly because a large amount of sugar is added during the production process to enhance the flavor and prolong the shelf life. Products such as mulberry juice, mulberry jam toast, mulberry jam shaved ice, etc. are all landmines that can cause high blood sugar levels.

2. Insufficient immunity:

People with low immunity should be careful about eating raw mulberries, mainly because mulberries are fruits with skin and may have more bacteria on the surface. If they are not cleaned properly or heated properly, they may cause physical discomfort or diarrhea for people with poor immunity or intestinal sensitivity.

3. Chronic Kidney Disease:

Patients with chronic kidney disease should pay attention to dried mulberries, mainly because the production process causes a large loss of water in mulberries, the potassium and phosphorus content increases relatively, and salt and additives may be added during the production of dried fruits, all of which will increase the metabolic burden on the kidneys and affect the decline of renal function.

People with diabetes should be careful about mulberry jam, mainly because a large amount of sugar is added during the production process to enhance the flavor and prolong the shelf life. Products such as mulberry juice, mulberry jam toast, mulberry jam shaved ice, etc. are all landmines that can cause high blood sugar levels.

Mulberry recipes

People who want to be healthy should think about and learn about changing their wrong daily eating habits. The nutrition the body needs comes from a variety of natural foods, rather than eating a single food desperately! Therefore, the main purpose of adding mulberries to cooking recipes is to add the finishing touch to make the meal exquisite, ingenious and delicious. Nutritionist You Weiming recommends that you can put an appropriate amount of mulberry fruits in mulberry sauce on whole-grain rice or white rice. It will taste more moist and have a unique flavor, and help to increase appetite. Paired with steamed fish, tofu and a variety of mushrooms and vegetables, you can create a delicious meal that is cleverly portioned, colorful and nutritionally balanced.

Mulberry recipes (Photo courtesy of St. Martin's Catholic Hospital nutritionist You Weiming)