Beating obesity: The two best berries in the world

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Absolutely the two best berries in the world are not Halle and Chuck. True Oscar winning super star Halle Berry is vastly talented and gorgeous and Grammy Award winning rock legend Chuck Berry has been bringing musical happiness to our ears for more than half a century. But when it comes to our physical health and wellbeing nothing beats these two berries: Straw and Blue.

Succulent ripe red strawberries are often called nature’s candy because they can be naturally sweet and they taste great. But they also have abundant positive nutritional values. Each cup of strawberries has only 48.6 calories but 11.7 grams of carbohydrates, 89.4 mg of vitamin C, 24.3 mg of calcium and 19.8 mg of magnesium. But not only do strawberries taste great they have been proven to reduce your risk of heart attack.

A study conducted in 2013 and involving over 93,000 women showed that those who ate three or more servings of strawberries or of blueberries each week were 34% less likely to suffer a heart attack compared with those who ate less of these magnificent fruits. And it is also nice to know that strawberries are fairly high in fiber meaning that they also tend to reduce feelings of hunger, making eating less easier. Great taste, improved health and helpful in reducing overall food intake — what is not to like about strawberries?

But without a doubt blueberries are this man’s personal favorite. One of the many advantages of blueberries was demonstrated in a 2014 study that showed a significant reduction in blood pressure in those who ate just one cup of blueberries every day. Given that a rise in blood pressure is fairly automatic with increasing age, eating blueberries seems like a truly great idea. Those lovely blueberries also are a mere 85 calories per cup, provide 21.4 grams of carbohydrates, 14.4 mg of vitamin C, 8.9 mg of calcium and 8.9 mg of magnesium per cup. Some say that blueberries are the healthiest fruit in the world and as an added bonus they taste great.

But typically people enjoy both strawberries and blueberries more with cream or milk and sugar. That habit dramatically takes away from the health benefits, but without milk and sugar let’s face it they just don’t taste as good, so what to do? These days the answer is easy. Simply use unsweetened almond milk and stevia. Extremely low or no fat, minimal calories and plenty of sweetness with zero sugar. Perfection!

Tell your favorite walking tale and win a book.

Yes indeed walk for health and also for joy and then share your walking experience to inspire others. Please write and email your favorite walking experience to me at: [email protected]. Where did you walk, what did you see, how long was your walk and anything else you want to reveal. Please include a few photos with your email. Submissions will be accepted now though November 10, 2016 and the winner will receive a free copy of Lose Live the ultimate guide to good health and weight loss.  Your story will also appear in this publication. Together we can feel great and begin to win the war on obesity and ill health.

You can, at any time, get your very own copy of my true and real guide to effective and permanent weight loss, Lose Live available at lulu.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. Just be sure to keep checking in right here for regular updates. And if you have a question or comment for me please send your email to: [email protected]

Copyright © 2016 Ron Irwin

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Photos provided by Ron Irwin

Ron Irwin

Ron Irwin was born in Chicago, Illinois a long time ago. He served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, became a trial lawyer, TV and radio host, CEO of a public company and once held an Emmy. He never won an Emmy he just held one. Ron has written and published twelve books. His most important book to date is “Live, Die, Live Again” in which Ron tells of his early life and his unexpected and very temporary death in 2012. That experience dramatically refocused his life and within the pages of that book Ron reveals how he achieved a much healthier life, ridding himself of Diabetes, Cancer and Heart Failure. Now Ron enjoys writing about many things including health topics, travel [he has circled the globe several times], adventure, culinary experiences and the world of performing art. Ron’s motto is “Live better, live longer and live stronger because it feels great and annoys others.” Contact the author.