They may be little but berries are big on antioxidants!
Antioxidants can help your body fight oxidative stress
caused by free radicals that can lead to illness. Foods that are rich in
antioxidants can help improve health, protect skin and hair, and
prevent certain disease. They can help reduce inflammation too. There are lots
of fruits and vegetables that contain antioxidants, but berries are on the top of the list!
What are free radicals?
Free radicals are molecules with unpaired electrons. This is
caused by poor diet, inflammation, environmental pollution, and even as a
response to exercise. In their quest to
find another electron, they are very reactive and cause damage to surrounding
molecules. However, antioxidants break that cycle because they can give up
electrons to eliminate the free radicals.
As stated, there are lots of fruits and vegetables
that contain antioxidants. To name a few are nuts, spices and brightly colored
fruits and vegetables. But when it comes to antioxidant fruits, two of the very
best are also the smallest- blueberries and cranberries. Let’s take a look at their
individual benefits.
Blueberries
Blueberries consist of 85% water, which makes them a great
fruit to eat. It also contains quercetin, anthocyanins and reversatrol, plus a whole herd of
lesser-known antioxidants like pterostilbene. Those
benefit include reducing abdominal fat, protecting your eyes, improving
cognitive and motor function, protecting against cancers of the breast and
digestive system, soothing intestinal problems like ulcerative colitis,
improving your cholesterol, normalizing blood sugar levels and protecting your
heart. Blueberries are good for urinary tract health too. In the fast metabolism diet, Blueberries are allowed on Phase 1 and Phase 3.
Cranberries
Fresh cranberries are composed of more than 85% water along
with a hefty dose of fiber, but they are rarely eaten fresh since they are so
sour and astringent. However, cranberries are proven home remedy for urinary
tract infections. They keep bacteria from sticking to
the lining of your bladder and urinary tract. They also help prevent and slow
breast, colon, prostate and lung tumors, and they’re a rich source of
immune-boosting, inflammation-busting vitamin C and the alpha-tocopherol form of vitamin E. Both fresh and
dried cranberries are a good source of anthocyanins, anti-inflammatory
antioxidants that can help with arthritis and age-related memory loss. Cranberries are allowed on the Phase 3 of the Fast Metabolism Diet.
In addition to antioxidants, berries are also called “juicy
foods,” which means they contain mostly water. Juicy foods are great for losing
weight because they fill you up quickly, since their high water content bumps
up to the volume while driving down the calories. Don’t forget to choose
organic with these two!
Also, look for firm, plump fruit with bright, vivid colors. The
best blueberries will still have a whitish, powdery “bloom” on their skin. Both
berries are tastiest when fresh.
Wanna share the antioxidants you get from berries to your friends? Send them a basket gift of berry jam!
Isn't this a cute presentation of berries? You can get similar bowls here.
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