Black currant is a favorite of both housewives and healers. From her prepare fruit drinks, jelly, jam, pies, and pharmacists use blackcurrant extracts in the treatment and prevention of many diseases. Moreover, the French, probably, like black currant more than anyone else - only in France you can find such an abundance of black currant liqueurs, which are called simply, like the berry itself - casis.
Perhaps, it is, the useful properties of black currant make it so popular. Still, not every berry can boast such a composition, and it remains useful even after heat treatment.
Abundance of useful properties of black currant
The beneficial properties of the currant berries are already spoken by its long composition:
- vitamin C - only 20 berries provide a daily dose of ascorbic acid;
- carotene (provitamin A, the truth in the red variation of its berries more);
- vitamins K, E, B1, B2, PP;
- cellulose - promotes acceleration of intestinal peristalsis;
- organic acids - apple, citric, succinic, tartaric, salicylic and phosphoric acid;
- pectin;
- tannins;
- salts of potassium, copper.
First of all, the useful properties of black currant make it a good medicine for colds and sore throats. Black currant actively fights against staphylococci - the most frequent pathogens of angina, and as a medicine you should take a blackcurrant mors (freshly squeezed) with sugar or honey.
With gastrointestinal ailments it is useful to drink a decoction of dried currant berries - they are less acidic and therefore do not irritate the mucous membrane of the digestive tract so much. Black currant is useful in gastritis with low acidity, ulcers, dysbacteriosis, constipation, hemorrhoids, enterocolitis.
It is easy to guess that with such a vitamin composition, black currant is an excellent remedy for beriberi . Of course, it is difficult to get it into the most "vitamin-deficient" time - in the spring, but if the vitamin deficiency is a consequence of treatment, surgery or any problems with the body - you need to "take a course" of fresh black currant in June-July.
Currant for weight loss
Of course, such a low-calorie and useful product is a sin not to use for the benefit of weight loss. The energy value of black currant is 44 kcal per 100 g of product.
There are several options for using currants for weight loss. First of all, the most rational option seems to be the weekly replacement of any desserts with black currant. Believe me, the effect will be noticeable already from this.
In addition, there are real diet for weight loss, based on black currant. Including, this option:
- breakfast: 1 hard-boiled egg, a slice of low-fat goat cheese, 1 tbsp. blackcurrant mors;
- lunch: boiled chicken fillet, cabbage salad, black currant for dessert;
- Dinner: 100 g of currant mash in puree and mix with 100 grams of cottage cheese.
In this spirit, you need to spend about 4 days.
The second version of the diet on black currant involves the use of her "relatives" - red and white currants. The menu of each day is the same, just alternate berries:
- breakfast: oatmeal on the water, 300 g of currant, 1 cup of green tea;
- second breakfast - 1 tbsp. currant juice;
- lunch - boiled fish / meat
and vegetables (stewed, boiled, baked or raw); - dinner - vegetable salad with olive oil.
Contraindications
In addition to useful properties, the currant has contraindications, as well as any other product. Berry is contraindicated in thrombophlebitis, since prolonged and active eating of it can lead to increased blood clotting.
In addition, it is prohibited for exacerbations of gastritis and ulcers (as well as for forms of these diseases with high acidity), as well as for frequent heartburn.