Summertime means fruit time! I love eating fruits, especially berries – they’re so incredibly yummy! Can eat them all day, and of course strawberries and blueberries are my faves 🙂 This weekend was full of loads of activity, and while coming home I felt like eating berries. My friend and I went to the nearest coop where I found a package of berries mix, containing strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Yum!
I’m almost 100% against medications and other kinds of drugs. Even in my case they failed, but then Ayurveda (YES!!) herbs helped me to control body and to get a normal, PCOS-free life. Unbelievable, right? However, it’s true. This doesn’t mean I hate doctors, I respect them. But still I’m definitely not in to the use of medications, that cause more side effects than benefits.
Therefore, since 2013 I’ve been 100% into Ayurveda and herbalism. I know this works, and it definitely doesn’t result in side effects. I’ve seen that many modern medication don’t really cure the problem, but instead make matters worse. LOL. Then why damage your body in this way? This if actually the second reason for not studying medicine. There’s a reason why these kind of medicines result in so many side effects while herbs don’t 😉
My daily routine includes some basic herbs, and additionally I eat vegetarian with lots of veggies and fruits. I love berries more than fruits (maybe because I’ve got some allergenic to fruits like apples etc.), so I therefore decided to write this blog about berries and their benefits. Let’s take a look on my top 5 reasons to eat berries (possibly in a daily basis) 😉
Benefits of berries:
- Improves mental health: Berries can reduce the risk of cognitive abnormalities such as Parkinson’s disease and other cognitive damage. This is because berries in general contain polyphenols and anthocyanines (antioxidant molecules) which blueberries’ got the highest content. Moreover, they improve the short-term memory and motor coordination in the brain.
- Good for your skin: Berries contain a high level of vitamin C, and you know what? Vitamin C promotes collagen’s ability to improve your overall skin texture, and nonetheless smooth the wrinkles.
- Prevents from cancer: The content of vitamins A and C, and some pythonutrients make berries function as protectors of the cells against free radical damage. This is because those work as antioxidants in our bodies, which mean that they inhibit the growth of tumors in several parts of the body, and lower inflammation in the body too. Moreover, berries contain folates that plays an important role in synthesis and repairing in the DNA.
- Healthy heart: Thanks to the high level of antioxidants in berries, these beautiful berries function to keep the heart healthy. Berries’ content of fibers, vitamin C, B6, folates, potassium and phytonutrients all support heart health by lowering the cholesterol and decreasing the risk of heart diseases.
- Weight loss: The content of dietary fibers in berries helps managing the weight and work as an important factor in weight loss. This is because foods containing high levels of fibers reduce the appetite and increase the satiety, which is why they make you feel “full” for longer time and thus lower the calorie intake.
Let’s have an overview of what one cup of freshblueberries (148g) contain:
- 84 calories
- No fat, no cholesterol
- Protein – 1g
- Carbohydrates – 21g
- Of which: Sugars – 15g
- Dietary fibers – 4g
- Sodium – 1mg
- Vitamin A – 2%
- Vitamin C – 24%
- Iron – 2%
- Calcium – 1%
*Percents of daily value
Strawberries are my all time faves of all berries 😀 Let’s have look on what one cup of fresh strawberries (152g) contain:
- Calories – 49g
- Of course no fat, no cholesterol
- Protein – 1g
- Carbohydrates – 12g
- Of which: Sugars – 7g
- Dietary fibers – 3g
- Sodium – 2mg
- Vitamin A – 0%
- Vitamin C – 149%
- Calcium – 2%
- Iron – 3%
*Percents of daily value
And what does one cup of fresh raspberries (123g) contain? 🙂
- Calories – 64g
- Fat – 1g, but no cholesterol
- Protein – 1g
- Carbohydrates – 15g
- Of which: Sugars – 5g
- Dietary fibers – 8g
- Sodium – 1mg
- Vitamin A – 1%
- Vitamin C – 54%
- Calcium – 3%
- Iron – 5%
*Percents of daily value