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Nutrition and Weight Loss > Healthy Eating > Good Food > The Benefits of Berries
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The Benefits of Berries

Eat more berries. Your body will thank you

They’re loaded with fiber, which helps you feel full (and eat less). And they top the charts in antioxidant power, protecting your body against inflammation and free radicals, molecules that can damage cells and organs. A recent study even showed that one-half to one cup of mixed berries a day improved cognition and motor performance in animals. James Joseph, PhD, director of the Neuroscience Lab at the United States Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, which conducted the study, notes that we become more susceptible to the damaging effects of free radicals and inflammation as we age. Berries help prevent those effects by turning off the inflammation signals triggered by cytokines and COX-2s, he says, making them an ideal part of your diet.

To get the optimal health benefits of berries, eat two to three types of fresh, frozen or dehydrated berries each day. Incorporate the benefits of berries into your daily diet with the following suggestions.

Strawberries contain more vitamin C in a one-cup serving than one orange, and are particularly high in folic acid.
How to serve: Top with Cool Whip Lite for a low-calorie dessert or dip in melted low-fat brie cheese.

Blueberries contain 20 types of anthocyanin – antioxidants that give berries their blue-violet and red colors. Other berries contain only three to four.
How to serve: Toss a handful on cereals and yogurt, blend into smoothies or put on a bagel with cream cheese.

Blackberries, Raspberries, Boysenberries each contains 8 g of fiber in one cup, one-third the daily recommended amount (25 g).
How to serve: Blend them with 100-percent fruit juice and heat to make a sauce for lean meats, like fish and chicken.

Cranberries not only combat urinary tract infections by preventing Escherichia coli bacteria from sticking to cells in the urinary tract, but they also are a natural probiotic, supporting healthy bacteria that grow in the gastrointestinal tract and aiding in digestion.
How to serve: Add a cup of fresh or frozen cranberries to bread recipes. Toss dried cranberries in salads or trail mixes.

Gayle Clark
11 Dec 2011, 19:02
Great info. I suffer with arthritis, and my
sister suffers with fibermaylgia. Is this a
form of arthritis? If so, what info do you
have on this?
I enjoy all the articles. In fact, I have a
folder that I put the articles in.
Thanks,
Gayle Clark
southmom2001@yahoo.com
tiny
07 Dec 2011, 12:59
read on ... good for your leg and thigh pain.. meron ka pa bang pain diyan..
skeeter
06 Dec 2011, 18:12
I suffered from severe bronchitis for several years. I started eating 1/2 cup of blueberries with my high-fiber cereal every morning, never missing, and I have not had bronchitis for the past 4 consecutive winters. That is the only change I made in diet or meds. I do place a scarf over my mouth when out in cold weather and I avoid being out in cold, rainy weather. It is wonderful to no longer cough day and night for 3 weeks at a time. Blueberries are a little expensive, but it sure beats buying antibiotics.
Yaneli
06 Dec 2011, 14:06
I am 19 years old and have problems with my joints swelling up and causing me a substantial amount of pain. I was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis when I was 13 and thankfully do not have any other more severe type of arthritis. I have tried many thing but I had no idea that berries would help you this much!! I love fruit and especially raspberries and strawberries!! this just gives me even more incentive to eat them! :) Thank you!
Jolie
20 Oct 2011, 11:39
I drink 500ml of pressed berries 100% juice daily and I can tell you the stiffness which I had in my hands are all gone, just after few days, now this juice is part of my treatment plan as I suffer of Rheumatoid Arthritis, thanks.
Carol Girardin
29 Jun 2011, 08:39
I live in the Adirondacks of NYS. Blackberries are plentiful, but sometimes small & seedy. Last year a friend had a super crop of high bush large berries & said "come pick". I laid them on cookie sheets & froze individually on a shelf in the freezer. These little marbles we use on cereal & in pancakes. I have arthritis & always feel pain & stiffness walking. Yesterday I made a blackberry pie. Walla...today I walked downstairs pain free. Holy cow! I even used sugar & no lemon juice. Blueberries kill me. I am suspicious of niteshade plants, but some are ok.
Victoria Awua- Mensah ( Mrs.)
18 Feb 2011, 11:14
Your information on health benefits of berries are revealing and interesting.I wish I will be able to my market centre and pick enough of all those life- saving berries immediately. Unfortunately, I live in a tropical country where a lot of fruits are grown- mangoes, oranges, avocado pears, coconuts, etc. etc, But not berries. Can you help me to identify equivalent to the properties of berries as far as my locally grown fruits are concerned, to fight ageing - related challenges.
Standing- by for your reply.
Thank you.
Victoria.
Kelly
01 Oct 2010, 15:47
Just recently started eating Raspberries and have a felt a huge difference in the stiffness in my hands. Realized the only real change in my diet was the addition of berries, so I searched the web found this article and am here to say it's true! Raspberries are doing the trick for me.
Sabiha
24 Jul 2010, 05:09
wow!!! wonderful knowledge about berries, i started taking it and found a great ease in my arthiritic problems such as stiff muscles and inflamation.
Great it is......try now.............
Debby
29 Apr 2010, 17:32
I eat strawberries, blueberries and raspberries on my shredded wheat and cheerios every morning. They're expensive but worth if for my good health!
LD
26 May 2009, 13:43
Wonderful information. Thank you for sharing
the knowledge.

LDF

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