Berries are one of nature’s miracles. They taste great, cure your sweet cravings, and are packed full of minerals and antioxidants that make you feel healthy and contribute to a longer life. It is no surprise that many other mammals, such as bears and birds include these delectable treats in their diets. Berries can be eaten in a variety of ways which we will cover later on in this article. For now let’s take a closer look at why berries are considered a super food and what health benefits you can expect from eating them on a regular basis.
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The Types and Benefits of Berries
Blueberries
This is one of the most common berries in North America and can contribute to your health significantly. You can find them almost anywhere and possibly in other food products like yoghurt. The reason why blueberry is blue in colour and appearance is because of its rich amount of phytonutrients called anthocyanidins. So what are the miracles and health benefits blueberries can give you?
- First and foremost: eating blueberries helps fight dangerous free radicals in the body. Free radicals cause causing rapid aging, cancer development, and a wide range of other diseases. The phytonutrients neutralize free radicals in the body, thus protecting your cells from harm.
- Blueberries have anti-inflammatory effects, which help to reduce inflammation in your body. This as as result helps prevent us from contracting heart diseases, varicose veins, and cataracts, as well as protecting you from colon issues.
Cherries
We all know that cherries are one of Mother Nature’s tastiest treats available. The flavor of cherries has been added to everything from soda to medicine for kids. What most people don’t know is just how healthy all organic cherries are for the human body. We recommend eating cherries weekly for those of us who are over fifty years of age and here are the reasons why:
- When you eat cherries, you are ingesting a high intake of quercetin and ellagic acid. These are well known antioxidants that help restore cell tissue and can even improve the appearance of skin; resulting in a younger appearance.
- When your bones are popping and cracking due to aging; cherries might do the trick to relieve yourself of painful joints. Cherries contain a high level of anthocyanins and bioflavonoids that work towards providing relief and comfort to your joints naturally.
- Another miracle cherries can provide are their ability to aid healthy sleep rhythms through natural content of melatonin. Each cherry contains a rich amount of melatonin that helps fight insomnia and other sleep disorders.
Acai Berries
These berries are found deep inside the Amazon rain forest. Their health benefits have just been discovered recently and are astounding. Just one acai berry contains twice the amount of antioxidants found in blueberries. They almost look like blueberries but the flavor is sour compared to a sweet blueberry. Here is what you can expect from the acai berry miracle:
- Acai berries have a strong presence of antioxidant content that fights and reverses cellular oxidative damage. By doing this, you reduce your risk of developing cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.
- For those of us who suffer from bad cholesterol levels, acai berries can be an all-natural way to lower bad cholesterol. This is due to the fact that acai berries contain very high levels of anthocyanins which reduce the risk of strokes and lowers bad cholesterol levels.
How To Enjoy Your Berries
The excuses are gone for good! Berries are rich in antioxidants, anthocyanidins, and best of all they taste great! We recommend that you purchase organically grown berries from your local grocery store. Stay away from preserved berries that are rich in artificial sugars. In order to enjoy the benefits of berries just place a variety of them into a bowl and eat them in the morning. On hot summer days you can blend them with low fat vanilla ice cream and make an excellent smoothie. Whatever you may decide to do with them, just make sure you make berries a part of your regular diet! You should also combine fruits (Learn the Top 15 Healthiest Fruits here) with your berries for maximum benefits!
What I do recommend is having tea time (learn the benefits of tea here!) with berries! It’s a supreme treat to you and your body!