Berries Health Benefits

When springtime rolls around, there’s very little people enjoy as much as fresh fruit. There’s something about the tartness of a blackberry or the sweet taste of strawberries that helps to announce the arrival of spring and warmer weather. Not only do these fresh berries taste delicious, but they also offer a wide array of health benefits. We’ll go through each one to encourage you to add these delicious fruits to your regular diet. There are a lot of different fruits that fall under the umbrella category of berries. You have raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, boysenberries, and more! That’s a lot of berries! These all offer a variety of health benefits, for example, cranberries are very good for women’s urinary health, however, for the most part, they all have overlapping benefits that we’ll dive into.

Health Benefits of Berries

Did you know that berries are some of the healthiest foods you can eat? That’s right, these small little fruits can pack quite the health punch when they need to. While berries are nutrient rich, they are frequently exposed to numerous chemicals as they are raised so it is important to get organic berries.

• Berries are loaded with antioxidants. Antioxidants can keep free radicals under control. Free radicals are unstable molecules, and when levels get too high, they can cause damage to your cells, including potentially causing cancer. You can get free radicals from a variety of things beyond normal cellular metabolism, including air pollution, alcohol, high blood sugar, high intake of fatty acids, and more. For some, they may be exposed to large amounts of air pollution where they live, which makes it more important than ever for them to add berries into their diets to help keep themselves. Several studies have confirmed antioxidants in berries can help protect your cells from this free radical damage.
• Berries may help improve blood sugar and insulin levels. Studies have suggested that they may protect your blood sugar levels after eating high-carb meals.
• They are a good source of fiber. Fiber helps slow the movement of food through your digestive tract, allowing you to feel less hungry and more full during the day. This can help especially for those who are trying to lose weight. Not only that, but fiber helps you absorb fewer calories from meals, also helping with weight loss.
• Not only are they high in fiber, but they are low calorie and full of a variety of other vitamins and minerals. Berries, especially strawberries are high in vitamin C, manganese, and vitamin K.
• Berries are inflammation fighters! Your body may become inflamed either internally or on the outside due to illness or injury. When this happens, the antioxidants in berries can help with this and lower the inflammatory markers.
• They’re heart-healthy. Certain berries, like raspberries and strawberries, have been shown to help lower cholesterol, according to Healthline.
• They may improve your skin. There’s limited research on this, but berries may help reduce skin wrinkling thanks to those antioxidants.

These are just some of the many health benefits of berries, and reasons why you should include them in your daily diet. When you’re on a raw food diet, fruits and vegetables make up the majority of your diet in the first place, so it simply makes sense to include these powerhouses in your meals. Not only are berries delicious tasting, but they are also easy to add to a variety of your meals, so you can easily get the amazing benefits of these little nutritional powerhouses. Berries can be added to your breakfast in a chia seed pudding, blended up in a smoothie for breakfast on the go, and even added to your raw food desserts. They also can be added to a variety of salads for a nice little twist on a traditional meal.