It’s the berries.              

            Berries are the in health food – blue, rasp or black – all are generously endowed with antioxidants. There’s little to argue with that although all varieties of each of these nuggets of nutrients are not of equal value. Their dark colors are clues to their high concentration of antioxidants that come in the form of phytonutrients. Each berry contains hundreds of different
chemicals: anthocyanins, quercetin, flavonoids and the dozens of similar-sounding names that plant scientists have given them. All berries are nutritious but the ones that are most popular are especially so. It isn’t necessary to pay more for the less common but more expensive ones.

            Nutritionists urge us to have a couple of servings of blueberries every week. They cite the many health benefits of their antioxidants including prevention of heart disease, cancer and aging but most studies have been done in animals, not humans. There is some research on human subjects and that has been favorable, including improving the markers of heart disease and stroke and in boosting memory.

            Freezing does not significantly affect the nutritional value of blueberries and heating actually boosts it. The blueberries that have been cooked into pies and muffins have measurably more antioxidant capacity but pastries inevitably contain sugar and refined flour, which have no redeeming health benefits.

            Blackberries have more fiber and anthocyanins than blueberries but they are less sweet and thus not as popular. Raspberries contain more fiber than blueberries or blackberries but they have a very short shelf life. A nice feature of raspberries is that they can grow nearly anywhere and almost any backyard can yield hundreds of them for weeks during the summer season.

            Consider visiting your nearest farmer’s market for these common berries and for those that are less familiar but which expand the variety of plant nutrients that should be part of our diet. Usually locally grown, the produce at these markets is thus fresher than most of that which is sold in supermarkets. You can also ask the sellers about their use of pesticides, time since harvest, etc.

            There are few desserts that are as nutritious, low-calorie and fiber-rich as berries. According to author Jo Robinson (Eating on the Wild Side, Little, Brown and Co., New York 2013), berries have four times as much antioxidant activity as other fruits and ten times more than most vegetables.

            Berries are an opportunity not to be missed.