Eating Berries for Health
Ah Berries. They are truly one of nature’s most perfect foods. They taste delicious, look wonderful and are chock-full of health benefits. Amazing health benefits! Berries should be eaten fresh if possible and to maximize the health benefits you should try and buy organic berries. The health benefits can also be maximized by juicing fresh berries.
But what exactly are the health benefits of berries?
Let’s take a list of the most popular berries and quickly bullet-point the health benefits…
Strawberries
*Rich source of polyphenols (anthocyanins)
*Help protect against cancer
*Help protect against heart disease
*Natural anti-inflammatory properties
*Protection against rheumatoid arthritis
Blueberries
*Blueberries have the highest antioxidant content of almost any fruit
*Loaded with anthocyanins
*Can help slow-down the aging process
*Promotes urinary tract health
*Protect the cells from free-radical activity
*Could help to prevent Alzheimer’s disease
*Help to improve brain-function
*Contains ellagic acid which can help prevent cancer
*Could help protect against colon cancer
Cranberries
*Chock-full of antioxidants and phytonutrients
*Contain proanthocyanidins that can help prevent disease
Blackberries
*Loaded with antioxidants and phytonutrients
*Excellent source of vitamin E
*Can help fight infection
*Contains high amounts of tannin and phenolic acids
Raspberries
*Great source of ellagic acid which can help prevent cancer
*Loaded with phytonutrients, antioxidants and tannins
*Could help prevent cancer and other degenerative disease
I am often asked, “What is the healthiest of the berries?” This is a good question. All berries are fantastically healthy, however; if I had to eat just one type of berry I would definitely choose the remarkable blueberry. Blueberries could possibly be one of the healthiest foods on the planet. They have what is believed to be the highest antioxidant content of any fruit and a plethora of other health benefits. But this does not diminish the healthy benefits of the other berries.
Here are some tips on buying berries…
1. If you can, try and buy organic berries as these will be free of harmful pesticides and other chemicals
2. Try and buy berries that are plump and brightly colored as these are ripe and loaded with phytonutrients
3. Avoid berries that look overly soft or that are bruised
4. Try and use berries soon after purchasing them as they can go bad quickly ‘especially organic berries
5. Always cover and refrigerate berries
If you want to take advantage of the health benefits of berries but are finding it difficult to consistently eat fresh berries, there are some supplement options that can deliver the benefits in a powder or liquid form. But like most health products you need to educate yourself and beware of the many hype-driven, low-quality products that exist.
There has been so much media attention given to berries lately that legions of berry-based supplements have popped up on the shelves of grocery stores and health food stores seemingly overnight. The majority of these are not worth your money because they contain just a smattering of berry powder and you would have to consume obnoxiously large quantities to get any real health value.
The supplements you should target are those that are powders or actual juice. Look for high potencies and keep two critical factors in mind. The first factor is you want to look for supplements that use organic produce. This ensures the integrity of the bulk ingredients and ensures that there are no harmful pesticides and other chemicals. The second factor to look for when shopping for berry-based supplements is that the source of the berries are juice extracts as opposed to berry powder.
The difference between the two is enormous. Berry powder means that they take a whole berry, freeze-dry it and then grind it up ’skin and all. Berry powder is not bad for you; it just limits the amounts of phytonutrients you are getting. Juice extracts, the highest quality source of berry ingredients, means the berries are actually juiced and then the juice is freeze-dried. The phytonutrients and phytochemicals are found in the juice of the berries, not necessarily in the skin and leaves.
Keep in mind however, that buying supplements that contain organic, juice extracts is going to cost you more because the produce is more expensive and the process more tedious. But the extra money spent means you are getting the maximum health benefits from the supplement. Visit our website to learn more about whole-food, super-food supplements.
Berries are some of nature’s most perfect foods. Whether you eat them fresh or take berry-based supplements, do yourself and your body a favor ‘keep eating more of them.
About the Author:
Joe Costello founded Kylea Health in 1995. Kylea is a well-respected nutritional company providing cutting edge nutritional formulas servicing hundreds of thousands of people. Joe is a health researcher, author, and hosts a weekly health Television show. For more information about Joe Costello and Kylea Health and Energy visit http://www.kylea.com