Have a Berry Healthier You

Did you know that berries contain phytochemicals? These are the compounds that are contained in fruits or vegetables that help prevent us from contracting certain diseases and disorders. Cranberries and blueberries can help prevent bladder infections. Blueberries and strawberries are anti-cancer fruits that taste great too. Red raspberries and black raspberries also contain anti-cancer properties and powerful antioxidants that can slow the signs of aging and help keep us healthy.

Another ingredient that berries contain is lutein. Lutein is important for eye health.

Just one cup of strawberries contains more than 100 mg of vitamin C. This is an important vitamin for health immune systems. We also need vitamin C to help prevent wrinkles in our skin.

Berries that you may not be as familiar with are:

Bilberries, currants, gooseberries, loganberries, and lingonberries

Tips for picking healthy berries:

Locate fruit farms that sell fruit at roadside stands and who do not use chemical pesticides on their produce plants.

Look for colorful, firm and ripe fruit bodies. Healthy berries do not have mold or mushy spots on them. Always gently wash your berries before you serve them. Frozen berries can also be healthy, but the thawing process will make them less firm then fresh ones.

Serving Berries:

Berries can be eaten without doing anything other than washing them. They are also great as garnishes or to be baked into pies, cobblers or other tantalizing desserts, as long as you prepare them with natural sweeteners and no preservatives. You can serve them covered in granola or to dip in a fruit dip or splashed with half and half or some other milk alternative such as soymilk

There are a few berries that do require a little sweetness when eating them and they are:

Cranberries, gooseberries and lingonberries. These berries are very tart tasting.

An alternative to sugar filled jams and jellies are to find preserves made without the sugar added.

Berries contain phytochemicals - naturally occurring antioxidants that add flavor, color and scent. It's the phytochemicals that give berries their beautiful, rich colors of blue, purple, black and red. It is also what gives berries that disease-fighting and cell-protecting capability.

Berries also contain vitamin C that our skin needs to stay firm and supple, and our cartilage, joints and blood vessels need to function. It is also used by our body to neutralize pollutants and used by our body to produce antibodies and is a natural antihistamine.

Berries also contain fiber that protects us against colon cancer, lowers our risk for heart disease because it helps to lower our LDL-cholesterol levels and it also regulates blood sugar levels so important to diabetics. Fiber also aids in weight control by controlling our appetite so we feel full and eat less.

Berries contain folic acid (folate), which is important in fighting colon cancer, lowering our LDL-cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of fetal neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida.

These powerful phytochemicals in berries help to prevent diseases like cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Berries may also help reverse the effects of the natural aging process, and may help to improve memory and our motor skills ability.