The Health Benefits of Berries
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Let Berries Give Your Diet a Health Punch
Berries give your diet a health punch because they are so full of nutritional benefits.
These small bursts of flavor do more than please your tastebuds, they also:
- contain antioxidants
- help combat heart disease and cancer
- are filled with vitamin C
- are a great source of fiber
The Berry Lowdown
Antioxidants are measured in foods by scientists with the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) test. This test shows that berries contain a higher amount of antioxidants than other fresh fruits. It is believed that eating between 2000 and 5000 ORAC units daily could result in positive health outcomes.
With this in mind, it helps to understand just how much of a health punch berries give you when the ORAC value of one cup of blueberries is 5486, blackberries is 4654, strawberries is 3520, and raspberries is 2789.
Berries, Berries Everywhere!
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Boysenberries
- Cranberries
- Gooseberries
- Lingonberries
- Loganberries
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
Quick Berry Tips
◊ Try adding dried berries to cereals, oatmeal, and cream of wheat. I love the benefits cranberries add to my diet, but they aren't as easy to munch on as other berries. Try buying dried cranberries and adding them to foods you would often add raisins too!
Blueberry Smoothie Recipe
Make this yummy smoothie for yourself--easily double the amounts to make it for two people.
Blend together 1/2 cup soymilk, 1/2 cup juice (apple works well), 1 medium banana, and 1 cup frozen blueberries.
This simple smoothie will knock you off your feet with its rich blueberry flavor!
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Comments
Hi Stacie,
Aren't blueberries supposed to contain the most antioxidants of all the berries? The smoothie recipe sounds great.
Yes, I believe blueberries do contain the most. Some berries contain less than others, but they are all great to incorporate into your diet. I love this smoothie recipe because it is basic and simple, but really rich in flavor: more like a dessert than a healthy choice!
I am going to give this smoothie a try. Perfect, because I just bought a huge container of blueberries!
Nice hub. I think I might end up linking this one to the hub I just wrote on growing blackberries if I have the time to. And just so you know, Gogi berries have the most antioxidants of all the berries that I know of.
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cgull8m says:
12 months ago
Thanks for the hub, I love Blueberries or any berries, it complements well with the exercises we do. I usually drink blueberries banana and pineapple combination, I will try the above one. Thanks.