Move over diet pills! The Alcachofa Diet is a natural, safe solution that is gaining a lot of buzz from Dr. Axe and the famous Dr. Oz. According to Dr. Oz, it can help improve digestion and reduce cholesterol. Dr. Axe says it is great for weight loss and fighting wrinkle-causing free radicals. So what is this beauty-promoting, fat-busting diet system and why is it getting so much attention?
The key ingredient in this diet is surprisingly one of the most affordable and powerful foods that is commonly ignored: artichoke.
Health Benefits
The Alcachofa Diet has many more benefits than just losing weight. It can help with weight-related illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular health. This magical plant, whether eaten or extracted, can boost anyone’s diet to improve overall well-being and maintain weight loss. Here are a few of the incredible benefits of incorporating artichokes and artichoke leaf extract into your diet.
Combating Cardiovascular Disease: Both whole artichokes and their extracts have been shown to reduce bad cholesterol, calm inflammation in the body, and increase circulation, thus preventing heart disease.
Controlling Blood Sugar: The fiber in whole artichokes enables users to maintain a steady blood sugar level and reduce the likelihood of insulin spikes and dips. The fiber in whole artichokes also enables your body to absorb glucose more slowly
Improves Appearance: Antioxidants are power house free radical fighters. These nasty free radicals are everywhere and can cause you to age prematurely. Thankfully, artichokes and artichoke extract contain antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that can help prevent premature aging, dry skin, and wrinkles.(4)
Reducing Cancer: Artichokes contain an abundance of antioxidants. These phytonutrients can help fight off cancer-causing free radicals. Artichokes can both slow the onset of the disease and prevent cancer from spreading.
Preventing Anemia: Whole artichokes contain roughly 4% of your daily iron needs.(5) For someone who is anemic or at risk of falling low in iron, the Alcachofa Diet could prevent a whole host of nasty symptoms including fatigue, weakened immune system, and digestive disorders.(6)
Detoxing the Liver: Artichoke extract can induce bile production in the gall bladder.(7) This can help with gall bladder stones and better allow the liver to remove dangerous toxins and improve digestion of fatty foods. Artichokes also contain the flavonoid silymarin, which can protect the liver.(8)
Improving Digestion: The iron, enzymes, fiber, and antioxidants in artichokes can reduce symptoms of digestive issues, including chronic conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Artichoke extract can also help induce bowel movements and improve bile function.
Nutrition: Artichokes are rich in more than just iron and fiber. They are also great sources of folate, vitamin C and K!(9) As for antioxidants, artichokes have an oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) score of 9,400. Dr. Axe has put artichokes as his number 5 choice for his Top 10 Antioxidant Foods.
Although there is quite a bit of evidence to conclude that the Alcochofa Diet can be beneficial to your overall health, there is not a lot of research to prove a direct correlation between artichokes and weight loss. There are plenty of factors that could contribute to weight loss, but there is nothing concrete. Although a diet high in artichoke extract and artichoke hearts may not be well-balanced and even unsafe for a minority of the population, it is completely safe for most individuals. No one ingredient is a magical cure for excess body fat. As one of the reviewers of artichoke extract said on WebMD, it’s a good product to use along with a change in diet and regular exercise. With this combination, long-term weight-loss is within your grasp.