11 Reasons why berries are among the healthiest food in the world

Berries are one of the healthiest foods you can eat.

We are tasty, nutritious and have a range of incredible health benefits.

Here are 11 good reasons for including berries in your diet.

1. Antioxidants Loaded Berries contain antioxidants that help keep free radicals under control.

Free radicals are unstable molecules that are safe in small amounts but can destroy your cells when their numbers are too high, causing oxidative stress .

Berries are a major source of antioxidants, such as anthocyanins, ellagic acid and resveratrol. Furthermore to protecting your cells, these plant compounds can reduce the risk of disease.

One study showed that blueberries, blackberries and raspberries have the highest antioxidant activity of commonly consumed fruit, alongside pomegranates .

In fact, several studies have confirmed that antioxidants in berries can help reduce oxidative stress.

One study in healthy men found that consuming a single,10-ounce(300-gram) portion of blueberries helped protect their DNA from free radical damage.

In another study in healthy people, eating 17 ounces (500 grams) of strawberry pulp everyday for 30 days lowered the prooxidant marker by 38% .

Overview Berries are rich in antioxidants such as anthocyanins that can protect your cells from free radical damage.

2. Can Help Improve Blood Sugar and Insulin Response Berries will improve your blood sugar and insulin levels.

Test-tube and human studies suggest that they may protect your cells from high blood sugar levels, help increase insulin sensitivity, and reduce blood sugar and insulin response to high-carb foods .

Importantly, both healthy people and those with insulin resistance tend to have these effects.

In one study in healthy women, eating 5 ounces (150 grams) of puréeed strawberries or mixed berries with bread contributed to a 24–26% reduction in insulin levels relative to consuming bread alone.

Moreover, in a six-week study, obese people with insulin resistance who drank blueberry smoothies twice daily experienced higher insulin sensitivity than those who used berry-free smoothies.

Overview Berries can boost blood sugar and insulin response when consumed with high-carb foods or when included in smoothies.

3. High in fiber berries are a good source of fiber, including soluble fibre. Studies show that eating soluble fiber slows down the flow of food through your digestive tract, leading to decreased hunger and increased feeling of fullness.

This may minimize your calorie intake and make weight management easier.

What’s more, fiber helps reduce the amount of calories you absorb from mixed foods. One study found that doubling your fiber intake could make you absorb up to 130 calories less per day.

In addition, the high fiber content of berries means that they are low in digestible or net carbs, which are measured by subtracting the fiber from the total carbs.

Here are carbohydrate and fiber counts for 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of berries: carbohydrate: 11.9 grams of carbohydrate, 6.5 of which are fiber Blackberries: 10.2 grams of carbohydrate, 5.3 of which are fiber Strawberries: 7.7 grams of carbohydrate, 2.0 of which are fiber Blueberries: 14.5 grams of carbohydrate, 2.4 of which are fiber Notice that the typical serving size for berries is 1 cup, which converts to about 1 cup.

Berries are a low-carb-friendly food due to their low net carb content.

Summary Berries contain fiber, which can increase your feeling of fullness, as well as reduce your appetite and the amount of calories your body absorbs from mixed foods.

4. Provide Most Nutrient Berries are low in calories and highly nutritious. Besides being rich in antioxidants, it also contains some vitamins and minerals.

Berries, in particular strawberries, are high in vitamin C. In addition, 1 cup (150 grams) of strawberries provides 150 per cent of RDI for vitamin C .

With the exception of vitamin C, all berries are quite similar in terms of their vitamin and mineral content.

Calories: 43 Vitamin C: 35 per cent of the Relative Daily Intake (RDI) Manganese: 32 per cent of RDI Vitamin K1: 25 per cent of RDI Copper: 8 per cent of RDI Folate: 6 per cent of RDI Calories for 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of berries range from 32 per cent for strawberries to 57 per cent for blueberries;

Overview Berries are low in calories but rich in a number of vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin C and manganese.

5. Help Fight Inflammation Berries have a strong anti-inflammatory effect.

Inflammation is the protection of your body against infection or injury.

Modern lifestyles, however, often lead to excessive, long-term inflammation due to increased stress, inadequate physical activity, and unsafe food choices.

This type of chronic inflammation is believed to contribute to conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

Studies suggest that antioxidants in berries can help to lower the inflammatory markers .

For one study for overweight people, those consuming strawberry drinks with high-carb, high-fat foods found a more significant decrease in certain inflammatory markers than in the control group.

Overview Berries can help reduce inflammation and reduce the risk of heart disease and other health problems.

6. Can help lower cholesterol levels Berries are heart-healthy foods.

Black raspberries and strawberries have been shown to help lower cholesterol levels in people who are obese or have metabolic syndrome.

In an 8-week trial, adults with metabolic syndrome who used a cold-dried strawberry drink every day reported an 11 per cent reduction during LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Berries may also help prevent oxidizing or damaging of LDL cholesterol, which is known to be a major risk factor for heart disease .

In a controlled study in obese people, those who had eaten 1.5 ounces (50 grams) of frozen blueberries for 8 weeks found a 28 per cent decrease of their oxidized LDL levels .

Overview Berries have been shown to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and help protect them from oxidizing, which may reduce the risk of heart disease.

7. May be good for your skin Berries can help reduce skin wrinkles, as their antioxidants help control free radicals, one of the leading causes of skin damage that leads to aging .

While research is minimal, ellagic acid appears to be responsible for some of the skin-related benefits of berries.

Test tubes and animal studies indicate that this antioxidant can protect the skin by blocking the development of enzymes that break down collagen in sun-damaged skin .

Collagen is a protein that is part of the structure of your skin. This helps the skin to stretch and stay firm. When collagen is harmed, your skin can sting and grow wrinkles.

For one test, the application of ellagic acid to the skin of hairless mice exposed to ultraviolet light reduced inflammation for eight weeks and helped protect collagen from damage .

Overview Berries contain antioxidant ellagic acid, which may help to reduce wrinkles and other signs of skin aging due to exposure to sunlight.

8. May help protect against cancer Several antioxidants in berries, including anthocyanins, ellagic acid and resveratrol, may reduce the risk of cancer.

Specifically, animal and human studies suggest that berries can protect against oesophageal, nasal, breast, and colon cancer .

Based on the study in 20 people with colon cancer, taking 2 ounces (60 grams) of freeze-dried raspberries for 1–9 weeks improved tumor markers in some participants, but not all .

In addition to the test tube study, found that all types of strawberries had solid, protective effects on liver cancer cells, irrespective of whether they were high or low in antioxidants (50).

Description Berries have been shown to reduce the markers associated with tumor growth in animals and people with multiple types of cancer.

9. Can Be Enjoyed on Almost All Diet Forms Berries can be included in a number of diets.

While people on low-carb and ketogenic diets sometimes avoid fruit, berries may typically be enjoyed in moderation.

For example, half a cup of blackberries (70 grams) or raspberries (60 grams) contains less than 4 grams of digestible carbs (18, 19 grams).

Large quantities of berries can be added to paleo, Mediterranean, vegetarian and vegan berries.

To people who want to lose weight, the few calories in berries make them perfect to salads, snacks or desserts.

Organic and wild berries are now widely available in a variety of parts of the world. If not in season, frozen berries can be bought and thawed as needed.

The only people who need to avoid berries are those who need a low-fat diet for certain digestive disorders, as well as individuals who are allergic to berries. Allergic reactions to strawberries are normal.

Summary Berries can be enjoyed on most diets, as they are low in calories and carbs and are widely available fresh or frozen.

10. Can help keep your arteries healthy In addition to lowering cholesterol, berries provide other health benefits for your heart, including improving the function of your arteries.

The cells that make up your blood vessels are called endothelial cells. They help control blood pressure, prevent blood from clotting, and perform other important functions.

Excessive inflammation can damage these cells, inhibiting their proper functioning. It is referred to as endothelial dysfunction, a major risk factor for heart disease .

Berries have been shown to enhance endothelial function in experiments in healthy adults, people with metabolic syndrome, and smokers.

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