Eat fresh organic strawberries for whole food health.
Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are, in order, the four most popular berries in the US. They should be part of every healthy whole food diet. All four berry varieties provide high amounts of necessary vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, many with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action in the body. Like grapes, potatoes, rice and other foods available in many varieties, the specific nutrients vary from berry to berry.
Strawberries provide the most vitamin C by a wide margin. Raspberries give us the most dietary fiber and manganese. Blackberries have the most anthocyanins and possibly the highest total antioxidant activity of any food. Blueberries have more vitamin K than any of the others. This is a very good reason to eat different berries throughout the year as they become available.
Blueberries
Constantly changing the nutrients and their amounts in a diet keeps health and immune systems tuned better than when the same foods are eaten all of the time. This works in a similar way to constantly changing the exercises done for specific muscle groups – do nothing but squats for the legs and you soon hit a strength and endurance plateau that is very difficult to move past, throw in some lunges, wind sprints in water and soft sand, dead lifts, etc… and you keep momentum going without a plateau. Variety is important in both diet and exercise and for the same reasons.
All berries are low glycemic index foods. They all contain some sugars but the sugars are tempered by fiber and other nutrients. These four berry varieties all contain at least as much fiber as total sugar. Don’t shy away from berries because they taste sweet.
Blackberries may have the highest antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of any food.
The seeds contained in all berries are an important part of their nutritional value. Seeds are highly concentrated packages of nutrients and also provide plenty of fiber and protein. Remember, seeds have to be able to sustain a new plant until it is large enough to feed itself. If you are using berries in recipes, don’t strain them to remove the seeds.
There is increasing evidence that organic berries are higher in many antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds than non-organic berries. Along with the reduced risk of pesticide, herbicide and fungicide residues, I feel this is a good reason to eat organic or wild berries whenever possible. Particularly with commercially grown conventional strawberries, these chemical residues can be a problem.
Berries in general have shown the ability to regulate blood sugar and blood insulin, helping to keep both at healthy levels. Eating berries regularly helps to keep the heart and blood vessels healthy. The brain and nervous system also benefit from the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action of berries.
Raspberries
So eat berries. Eat them often. Eat them all year long. Buy a lot when they are in season and cheap and freeze them – studies show that most of the important nutrients are not harmed by freezing. And mix it up to take advantage of the varying nutrient profiles of the different berries: keep your body slightly off balance and guessing to maintain optimum health.
Click on the links below for more in-depth information on the individual berry varieties: