Berries are tiny, tasty, and tantalizingly colorful โ and they’re also powerful allies for your health, protecting everything from your head to your heart. Theyโre delicious, nutritious, and provide a number of impressive health benefits.
Berries Keep You Mentally Sharp
Studies have shown that berries
- Improve memory
- Reduce and prevent cognitive disorders related to aging and
- Improve the cell signaling in your brain
- Leading to overall mental wellbeing
Berries have also been known to cure Alzheimerโs disease by healing damaged brain cells and neuron tissue, improving motor skills and short term memory significantly
- Berries help manage diabetes.
- Blueberries provide moderate amounts of sugar compared to other fruits.
- One cup (148 grams) holds 15 grams of sugar, which is equivalent to a small apple or large orange.
- Loaded with antioxidants
- Berries contain antioxidants, which help keep free radicals under control. Berries contain the highest concentration of antioxidants out of all fruits and vegetables, and these antioxidants are known as flavonoids. These flavonoids support your cardiovascular and nervous system, as well as preventing disease and inflammation throughout your body. They are also responsible for keeping your cells alive, and for giving you a more youthful glow!
- Berries are low in calories but high in nutrients.
Berries are among the most nutrient-dense berries. A 1-cup (148-gram) serving of blueberries contains
- Fiber: 4 grams
- Vitamin C: 24% of the RDI
- Vitamin K: 36% of the RDI
- Manganese: 25% of the RDI
- Small amounts of various other nutrients
They are also about 85% water, and an entire cup contains only 84 calories, with 15 grams of carbohydrates.
Calorie for calorie, this makes them an excellent source of several important nutrients.
Here are the carb and fiber counts for 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of berries (18, 19, 20, 21):
- Raspberries: 11.9 grams of carbs, 6.5 of which are fiber
- Blackberries: 10.2 grams of carbs, 5.3 of which are fiber
- Strawberries: 7.7 grams of carbs, 2.0 of which are fiber
- Blueberries: 14.5 grams of carbs, 2.4 of which are fiber
Fight Urinary Tract Infections With Berries
Cranberries are the berry most closely associated with urinary tract health, but Copperman says that nutrition-dense blueberries seem to be helpful as well. Because itโs a good idea to eat a variety of foods instead of overdoing it on just one kind, include both cranberries and blueberries (and many other berries) in your overall diet plan. And though it’s generally recommended to eat whole berries, at least in this instance, drinking juice might be helpful as well.
Eat Berries for Alzheimer’s Prevention
Berriesโ antioxidants might be allies in the fight against the effects of age on the brain that might be behind changes leading to the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimerโs. Data reported at a recent meeting of the American Chemical Society suggests that berries contain chemical compounds called polyphenolics, which could help prevent Alzheimerโs disease by cleaning up the damaging build-up of toxins over time.
Fight Cancer With Berriesโ
Berries have been shown to reduce markers associated with tumor growth in animals and people with several types of cancer. Flavonoid-packed berries, such as blueberries and raspberries, may one day lead to more effective cancer-prevention strategies.
The antioxidants which give blueberries their deep, rich color are also an excellent source of nutrients that repair the cells in your body, thereby fighting free radical damage and preventing cancer cells from thriving.
These powerful antioxidants also reduce inflammation, inhibit tumor growth and create an alkaline environment in your body where cancer cells cannot survive!
Vitamin A and C strengthen the immune system, helping your body to fight off any diseased or damaged cells and restoring you to full health in no time!
Berries for Lower Blood Pressure
Berries are low in sodium and are an excellent source of potassium, a mineral that serves as a fluid balancer and natural diuretic. The calcium and magnesium locked in blueberries lead to improved circulation and naturally decrease blood pressure, leading to a much healthier and happier you!
Berries for Weight Control
Because of their fiber and liquid content, berries give us a sense of fullness, Copperman says, and feeling sated is an important part of managing your diet program. Let kitchen creativity lead you to experiment with berries in nutrition-rich recipes such as fresh fruit sauces and salad dressings, pair them with almonds for a fast snack, or eat them plain. โEmulsify them and make them part of a fruit vinaigrette rather than using a lot of oil,โ Copperman suggests.
Berries Could Boost Heart Health
Even people with a strong inherited risk for heart disease may find that a diet rich in raw fruits and vegetables, including berries, can reduce their chances of having a heart attack. Berries are high in fiber, low in fat and are packed with heart-strengthening nutrients! The high concentration of antioxidants in blueberries and the abundant fiber mean that you will lower your blood pressure, reduce your cholesterol and improve your circulation simultaneously, leading to a fitter, stronger heart without the damaging effect of plaque buildup. By eating blueberries 3-4 times a week you will significantly reduce your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack!
Berries Are Loaded With VITAMIN C!
Just 1 cup of blueberries contains 25% of your recommended daily vitamin C intake!
Vitamin C boosts your immune system, helping to protect cells from damage, stress or illness. It also promotes faster wound healing and maintains the health of connective tissue between organs!
