Type 2 diabetes can be managed through a few major lifestyle changes. A healthy diet, moderate exercise, and some intentional daily swaps can all but eliminate the disease from your life. What is one way to help that process move along? Well, tradition, science, and a whole continent say that one particular drink can help: yerba mate.
What is Yerba Mate?
Yerba mate is made from a plant that mostly grows in South America. In fact, it is the national drink of Argentina, with more than 90% of households drinking it daily. The largest producer of yerba mate is Brazil. You can likely found people everywhere from Brazil down to Patagonia with a thermos full of hot water, a gourd full of yerba mate, and a silver straw pressed to their lips at any given moment.
The flavor of this drink is a bit strong and definitely has an acquired taste, but that hasn’t prevented it from spreading up to North America. Perhaps its popularity has grown as a result of the mounting research that points to its health benefits.
When tested in a petri dish against cancer cells, yerba mate was not only able to stop the growth of cancer cells but also managed to induce the death of those cancer cells. In effect, yerba mate is a sort of anti-cancer beverage!
Yerba mate is also widely known for its anti-inflammatory effects, so much that it is often recommended as a way to fight off disease and illness across all varieties.
It is loaded with vitamins and minerals, more than any other beverage that exists today. The green leaf is also packed with antioxidants, making it a sturdy weapon against new sicknesses and diseases that may attack your already tired immune system.
In essence, yerba mate is probably the best leafy drink that you can make for yourself, today.
How does Yerba Mate help diabetes?
We already know that yerba mate is full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, all of which make it an effective anti-inflammatory agent. What is especially interesting for us over here in Diabetics Weekly, though, is that it may be used to reverse type 2 diabetes.
In one study, researchers found that yerba mate ameliorated insulin resistance in its subjects, meaning that it defeated the single greatest problem in type 2 diabetes: insulin resistance. Another study looked at yerba mate as a way to affect lipid metabolism and stabilize glucose levels, finding that it was indeed helpful in both of these as well as reducing obesity!
Be careful, though. Due to its recent popularity in the States, some companies have “Americanized” it by making it a sugary drink on-the-go. Beware of these types of yerba mate because too much sugar can take away its health benefits.
Yerba mate hardly takes any extra effort to incorporate in your life except a few minutes to boil water. Looking for a delicious beverage that is also organically grown and fair trade? My personal favorite is Materos Mate, which also comes with a few natural flavors to make it a guilt-free indulgence as well. Check it out and give it a try.
[expand title=”References“]
Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. URL Link. Accessed February 6, 2017.
Laboratory Animal Research. URL Link. Accessed February 6, 2017.
Dr. Axe. URL Link. Accessed February 6, 2017.
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