Dr. Sinatra's HeartMD Institute

Bullish on Berries

health benefits of berries

The ancient Romans believed that berries alleviated symptoms of melancholy, fainting, all inflammations, fevers, throat infections, kidney stones, halitosis, attacks of gout, and diseases of the blood, liver, and spleen.

Modern science has yet to confirm all such sweeping properties, but for sure among fruits and vegetables, the berry family has without a doubt received a big-time blessing from Nature…

Berries are richly endowed with:

Researchers continually reveal positive findings and recognize the value of berries as part of a healthy diet. Here are a few examples:

These few examples help explain my bullishness on berries.

There’s a caveat though: Conventionally-grown berries contain some of the very highest pesticide residue levels found in produce. So whatever your preference in berries…blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, or other varieties…try for organic varieties as much as possible.

Put berries on some coarse Irish oatmeal (good fiber) or in a morning smoothie and blend with raw nuts and greens to taste.

If you are interested in blending yourself a delicious, nutrient powerhouse drink, check out my Healthy Cooking Videos 

Berries, and particularly blueberries, have received much attention in the popular health media because of their high antioxidant content. Other good produce sources of antioxidants include grapes, eggplants, oranges, avocados, olives, red onion, figs, sweet potatoes, and mangoes. Which are the most powerful antioxidant foods is not really possible to say. Antioxidants inhibit the effect of oxidizing molecules in the body that cause cellular destruction and in the past berries have been ranked high on the list of antioxidant foods. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has withdrawn its support of a method called ORAC that has been used previously to measure the antioxidant capacity of foods. According to the agency, the measuring system is considered inefficient because bioactive compounds in food are not exclusively antioxidants. Non-antioxidant mechanisms, such as from micronutrients, fiber, and other factors, may also be involved in preventing or minimizing chronic diseases such as cancer, arterial disease, Alzheimer’s and diabetes.

But even without a reliable method to rank foods, we know that berries have plenty of nurturing and nutritional firepower. And that’s good enough.

Learn More:

If you want to eat healthy, but don’t feel too at home in the kitchen, be sure check out the other 9 videos in my Healthy Cooking Videos through which my son, Step, and I show you how easy and quick healthy cooking can be! We make our favorite meals, and tell you the health benefits associated with them. You can also download lots of great recipes to try, which I hope become your favorites too!

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