Who needs candy with the abundance of brightly coloured fresh berries available at this time of year? These delicious bright red, deep purple, and candy pink berries aren’t just yummy and sweet, they offer amazing nutritional value.

Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, cranberries, as well as black currents, red currents and other berries contain antioxidants - healthy substances that counteract the oxidation of our cells. They therefore aid in disease prevention.

So-called free radicals (caused by smoking, pollution, sun exposure, certain medications and our internal metabolism) can damage cells and may play a role in chronic and degenerative diseases.  Some studies have shown that regular consumption of foods rich in antioxidants help protect the body against the affects of free radicals..

Blueberries contain the highest level of antioxidants.  There’s lots of research going on related to the positive health effects of these little fruits and their active components. Bottom line - blueberries and all other colourful fruits have a lot going for them!

Neat to know is that unlike vitamins which can be reduced by cooking, antioxidants stay intact.

We can therefore even benefit from certain heat-processed foods like berry jams or syrups, particularly when little or no sugar is added.

Whether spending a day in a sunny farm field picking berries or stocking up at your local supermarket, take advantage of the season! Fill up on fibre-rich, low calorie berries and tuck some away in the freezer to enjoy all year long!

It’s tough to choose just one, but what’s your favourite berry and why?  I’d love to hear what you have to say on the subject!

Patricia

P.S. My favourite berry is blueberries. Like all berries, they can be enjoyed in so many ways. I especially like them in banana blueberry muffins and blueberry vanilla soy smoothies. Yum!

Keywords : antioxydants, berries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries

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