Berries are one of the healthiest foods you can eat. Berries are tiny, delicious and tantalizingly colorful – and they’re powerful allies for your health, helping to protect everything from your head to your heart.
Eat a handful of berries and you’ll be rewarded with a burst of sweetness in your mouth. They are as good for breakfast as they are for dessert. Just as good, though, are the studies showing that berries offer a host of benefits, including improving cognitive health, preventing cancer, and lowering blood pressure.
Here are 10 good reasons to include berries in your diet.
- Berries keep you mentally alert, thanks to anthocyanidins, according to research published in the Annals of Neurology. These compounds, found almost exclusively in berries, are known to cross the blood-brain barrier and locate in the brain’s learning and memory centers.
- Berries may prevent Parkinson’s disease due to their flavonoid content. People who eat at least two servings of berries per week are 23% less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than their peers, according to research published in Neurology.
- They provide many nutrients Berries are low in calories and highly nutritious. Besides being rich in antioxidants, they also contain several vitamins and minerals.
- Reduce inflammation and prevent heart disease with berries Berries are high in flavonoids, antioxidant plant compounds associated with lower chances of heart disease, making them one of the American Heart Association’s superfoods.
- Berries may help you maintain or lose weight Due to their fiber and water content, berries give us a feeling of fullness. In a study consuming less than 30g. of blueberries a day for a week, burned more fat and improved insulin sensitivity compared to the control group.
- Lower blood pressure by boosting blood vessel function with berries The anthocyanins in blueberries circulate in your bloodstream, where they can improve blood vessel function
- Help fight cancer by adding berries to your diet Flavonoid-rich berries, such as blueberries and raspberries, are an important part of a cancer-preventing diet
- Eat prebiotic-rich berries for a healthy gut Berries are not probiotics, but they are foods rich in prebiotics. These are high-fiber foods that fuel the probiotics in the gut
- Help fight urinary tract infections with berries Cranberries are the berry most closely associated with urinary tract health. And for good reason, experts tell us: “The anthocyanins found in cranberries have been shown to have protective properties against the strain of E. coli bacteria that contributes to urinary tract infections
- They may help improve blood sugar and insulin response Berries may improve blood sugar and insulin response when eaten with high-carbohydrate meals or in smoothies.
How to use the berries
Add them to a salad, yogurt, homemade ice cream, oatmeal and your breakfast cereal?, muffin mix, pancake mix, bagels, create a homemade snack mix by combining dried blueberries with your favorite your nuts, make homemade blueberry granola by mixing dried blueberries with oat flakes or bran, almonds, coconut sugar, honey, flaxseed and a little vegetable oil.
