You’re not alone if you find yourself snacking throughout your day. Or just eating more than you think you need to or want to when you sit down for a meal. It seems just about everyone does that from time-to-time or all day some times.

Way back in time to when people didn’t know how long it would be before they would have food to eat again… i.e. back in cave man days… it was a matter of survival to eat whenever there was food available.   But in this time and place it’s important to our health to somehow find a way to not overeat.

 We all know that overeating can contribute to weight gain. But not everyone realizes that overeating can also increase a person’s risk of developing chronic health problems like diabetes, heart disease, cognitive decline and even cancer. And overeating can also cause inflammation, digestive issues and fatigue that can make a person feel just “blah”, and result in such people not enjoying their lives to the fullest.

 And the fact is, the more a person overeats, the harder it is to stop overeating. That’s because when you overeat it disrupts the balance of hormones that are in charge of regulating appetite.   That happens because when we eat fatty, salty, sugary and high-calorie foods (all of which are the kinds of foods most people eat when they are overeating) the brain releases dopamine which is the “feel good” brain chemical. So your brain starts associating those foods with pleasure and it may override the feeling of fullness caused by hormones like leptin. That’s why overeating tends to lead to more overeating.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was some way to stop that vicious cycle of overeating?

Guess what… there may be a way to stop it — by eating a particular fruit during the day to stop overeating later on.

And can you guess what fruit? The study done in England just says “berries”. That’s right, a study found that people who ate berries in the afternoon ate less at their evening meal than people who snacked on bars, cookies or other such snacks.

Why would could that possibly be true?

Researchers believe it’s because of the amount of fiber in them. They are packed full of fiber and soluble fiber at that.

Soluble fiber makes food move through the digestive tract slower, and that makes you feel full longer.

In addition to that, berries also contain anthocyanins which help regulate blood sugar and protect against type 2 diabetes. Research has found that berries help to increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin, which is the hormone that takes glucose (sugar) out of the blood.

And berries have also been found to reduce inflammation in the body which is linked to heart problems and obesity. And on top of all that… berries also improve one’s mood better than sweet treats like cake and cookies do. That’s due to the antioxidants in berries that make changes in the brain that promote a more positive mood.

We think of eating berries more in the summer than fall and winter… they are more readily available and can even be grown in your own gardens in many parts of our country. However, it is said the frozen berries are an excellent option when fresh ones aren’t available. In fact, research has found that frozen berries contain even more antioxidants than fresh ones have.

One thing to note… you should eat plenty of them to get all these benefits. Researchers said eating 1 to 2 cups per day minimum. And remember the more you eat in a day, the less you will eat later. Sounds like a good plan to me! And don’t forget drinking Willard’s Water will help you get the most benefit from berries and everything else you eat because it helps the body to absorb and utilize nutrients better.