Berries come in all shapes and sizes.
From the smallest blueberry to the biggest, spikiest pineapple, berries are about as varied
and diverse as they come.
While you may already know that there are many varieties of berries that make for a
healthy and nutritious snack, you might not be fully aware of just how effective these
little fruits can be when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
In fact, according to the experts at Healthline, berries are in fact one of the healthiest
foods that you can eat!
In fact, we here at Bestie think that it would be in your best interest to make an effort
to eat berries every day.
So what makes berries so special?
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Now then.
we hope we didn’t “berry” the ledge with that little segue.
Too many puns?
We’re sorry, hopefully, you can forgive us and “berry” the hatchet, unless you
think that we’ve crossed the line and that was the final straw...berry.
Okay, that was the last one, we promise.
Now, let’s move on and learn all about the many reasons why you should consider eating
berries every day.
Low in Calories
As you may already know, the average adult needs a certain amount of calories per day
in order to properly function.
For women, the requirement is about 2000 calories per day on average, and for men, the average
number is 2500.
In order to lose weight, however, it’s actually recommended to consume 500 calories fewer
per day; so around 1500 calories for women and 2000 for men on average.
By maintaining this daily intake of calories, you can expect to lose about 1 pound of excess
body weight per week.
One of the things that make berries so special is that they are relatively low in calories.
To give you some examples of what we’re talking about: One cup of blueberries is about
84 calories, one cup of blackberries is about 62 calories, and a single cup of strawberries
can contain as little as 49 calories!
With such a low-calorie count, that means that you can eat more berries at once than
you can with other foods, while still controlling your daily calorie intake.
And as we said before, limiting your daily calories can help you lose weight at a rate
of 1 pound per week, which means that after one full week of eating berries, you can already
expect to see progress towards your weight loss goals.
Hey, one pound might not sound like much, but it’s a step in the right direction!
Vitamins and Nutrients
In addition to being relatively low in calories, many types of berries contain a wide variety
of beneficial vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to help get you through your day.
One very important vitamin that all berries contain is Vitamin C, which helps your body’s
immune system and prevents diseases such as scurvy.
Remember when we said that one cup of strawberries would be about 49 calories?
Well, in that same cup of strawberries, you can expect to find a whopping total of 150
percent of your recommended daily intake of Vitamin C!
Additionally, berries provide an excellent source of Manganese, which can prove the health
of your brain, bones and nervous system, and Vitamin K, which assists the body with blood
clotting as well as bone metabolism.
The fact that berries are so rich in nutrients yet so low in calories means that you can
use them to ensure that you’re getting all the nutritional benefits you need in a day
without accidentally overeating.
After about a week of snacking on berries, you’ll not only be on the road to weight
loss, but you’ll probably be feeling healthier, too!
Antioxidants
Most types of berries come fully loaded, not just with a wealth of vitamins and minerals,
but also with plenty of antioxidants as well.
Berries contain a massive amount of antioxidants such as anthocyanins, ellagic acid and resveratrol;
all of these antioxidants are helpful to your body, as they can prevent cell damage by keeping
the free radicals within your body at reasonable levels.
Among the many varieties of berries, a study has shown that blueberries, blackberries and
raspberries have some of the highest concentrations of antioxidants out of all commonly eaten
fruits.
Just another one of the many health benefits that berries have to offer.
In addition to preventing cell damage, the antioxidants found in berries can also help
in preventing inflammation within the body.
While inflammation is your body’s natural way of fighting off injuries and infection,
modern diets and lifestyles can often lead to excessive and chronic inflammation, which
in turn can lead to unwanted conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
Thankfully, studies have shown that the antioxidants that berries contain may be able to help lower
and prevent the chances of chronic inflammation.
In one of these studies, a group of people consumed a strawberry drink along with a meal
that was high in fat and carbs, and the result was that the inflammatory markers in their
body were much lower than those of a group that didn’t add the strawberries to their
meal.
What this means is that strawberries, as well as other types of berries, may be an ideal
snack for those hoping to reduce the risk of heart disease, as well as other diseases
and conditions.
It is also believed that the antioxidants in berries can help to reduce the risk of
certain types of cancer; specifically, cancer of the esophagus, mouth, breast and colon
are all believed to present a reduced risk in individuals who consume berries every day.
The anthocyanins, ellagic acid, and resveratrol found in berries are all believed to reduce
markers that are associated with the formation and growth of cancerous tumours in both people
as well as animals.
High in Fiber
Like many plant-based foods, berries of all kinds are also an excellent source of fibre,
which aids in your body’s digestion and may even help lessen the risk of certain diseases.
More specifically, berries provide a very good source of what’s known as “soluble
fibre”.
Soluble fibre is characterized by the fact that it dissolves in water, and studies have
shown that the consumption of foods containing soluble fibre can slow down the movement of
food through your digestive system.
This means that eating foods that contain soluble fibres can reduce feelings of hunger
and leave you feeling full for longer amounts of time, which in turn makes you less likely
to overeat or snack on foods that contain empty calories.
This, in addition to their already low-calorie count, makes berries even more ideal for weight
loss and weight management, since a healthy serving of berries will leave you feeling
more full and satisfied than an equally-sized serving of other foods that don’t contain
soluble fibre.
If that wasn’t enough, the fact that berries are so high in fibre means that they are also
low in carbs.
Studies have shown that diets that focus on reducing carbs can be up to 2-3 times more
effective at weight loss and management than diets that focus on reducing fat.
So that means that if you decide to put down the chips and start making berries your daily
snack instead, you can expect to see fast results!
Additionally, it is believed that the soluble fibre found in fruits and berries may also
help your body by reducing “bad” cholesterol and keeping your heart healthy.
Strawberries, for example, are an excellent source of pectin, a type of soluble fibre
that can reduce cholesterol by up to 10 percent!
In addition, berries such as strawberries and black raspberries have also been shown
to help lower and reduce cholesterol in individuals struggling with obesity and metabolic syndrome.
It is believed that berries may also help prevent heart disease by preventing LDL, or
“bad” cholesterol, from becoming oxidized or damaged.
Berries May Improve Blood Sugar
Studies have indicated that berries may also be useful when it comes to improving your
body’s blood sugar levels, as well as improving your body’s insulin sensitivity and insulin
response.
In one of these studies, a group of healthy women consumed 5 ounces of strawberries or
mixed berries, or about 150 grams, along with bread every day.
The resulting data found that the inclusion of berries helps reduce insulin levels by
as much as 26 percent compared to the bread alone.
In another study, obese individuals who were struggling with insulin resistance were encouraged
to consume a blueberry smoothie twice per day.
As a result, the individuals who consumed the smoothies experienced greater improvements
to their overall insulin sensitivity than those who did not.
This means that people who suffer from insulin resistance can turn to berries as an option
to improve their insulin sensitivity and potentially lessen the negative effects of their condition.
Thanks, berries!
So the next time you decide to search your kitchen for something to snack on, you may
want to consider putting away the chips and cookies, and instead reach for a cup of fresh
berries.
Not only will the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants help to keep your body healthy and protected
against disease, but they will also leave you feeling full and satisfied with fewer
calories, allowing you to start seeing weight loss results in as little as one week.
While they might come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, one thing is clear: with berries,
you can’t go wrong.
Did you find this video helpful or informative?
Do you know any other berry-related facts we may have missed or glossed over?
Let us know in the comment section below.