What do berries do for your body

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Weight loss story: " I had the same meal for lunch and dinner to shed 27 kilos". It plays key roles in cell development and immune function. Considering their small size, berries pack a hard punch when it comes to providing the body with important nutrients. This, along with the fact that they are low in calories, makes them a great addition to your daily diet. Antioxidants are substances e. The type of berry, climate and soil conditions during growth, degree of ripeness, and the method of processing all affect the antioxidant level in a specific berry.

The Department of Nutrition at the University of Oslo in Sweden created an Antioxidant Food Database listing the total antioxidant capacity of many fruits, vegetables, beverages, spices, and herbs.

They procured samples from countries worldwide and determined their total antioxidant content using a method known as the ferric reducing ability of plasma FRAP assay. Table 1 lists the results of some of the berries and berry products. The average antioxidant content of berries and berry products ranked high compared to the other food groups studied.

Dietary fibre can help to control blood sugar glucose levels, avoid constipation, reduce some symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, maintain a healthy body weight, and avert diverticular disease.

Berries, both in fresh and dried form, are a very good source of fibre. Including a serving of berries each day will help you reach the recommended daily fibre intake of g. See Table 2. With all of their water removed, dried berries have an extended shelf life. They are also higher in calories, carbohydrates, fibre, and other nutrients per serving compared to their fresh counterparts. One downside of dried fruits is that processing destroys their water-soluble vitamins e.

In fact, reading the labels on products is a good habit, and doing so when selecting fruit juices could guide you to varieties containing added vegetables, omega 3s, fibre, calcium, and probiotics, making them healthier options over other products.

Berries really do live up to all their hype. They are delicious, versatile, packed full of vitamins and minerals, and a good source of fibre. Interestingly, there may be something more going on when it comes to weight loss.

In a study published in August in Nutrients , overweight and obese men in a small randomized, controlled trial who ate a high-fat diet along with just under an ounce of blackberries per day for a week burned more fat and had improved insulin sensitivity compared with the control group. Let kitchen creativity lead you to experimenting 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.

Scientists discovered that eating just over 1 cup of wild blueberries every day for a month improved blood vessel dilation, in turn lowering systolic blood pressure. A control drink had no effect. The chemical compounds in berries fight the systemic inflammation that may accompany high blood pressure, helping to make your body healthier overall.

Flavonoid-packed berries, such as blueberries and raspberries, are an important part of a cancer-prevention diet. Berries have been shown to help protect against gastrointestinal , breast , and possibly even liver, prostate , pancreatic , and lung cancers , points out a review published in October in Antioxidants. That may be because compounds like anthocyanins and flavonoids may help reduce inflammation, protect cells from DNA damage that leads to cancer, and stop the spread of malignant cells.

Again, Copperman stresses, any cancer-preventing benefit is enhanced by the inclusion of many different colors of fruits and veggies. Probiotics may be important to keep your microbiome the collection of microbes in your gut healthy, but prebiotics matter, too.

A healthy microbiome plays an essential role in the immune system and protects against pathogens that could make you sick, per the Harvard T. Chan School of Public Health. Cranberries are the berry most closely associated with urinary tract health.

And for good reason, says Binder-McAsey. By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.