Blue, red and black. Three berries, three different colors. One thing in common: these berries contain important nutrients that are needed for a well-balanced and healthy diet.
Blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are packed with numerous plant nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and dietary fibers that are essential for optimum health. Plus, these three berries are very low in calories and fat, and can be a helpful addition to weight-loss diets.
Blueberries are one of the most nutrient-dense foods and contain high amounts of antioxidants proven to have anti-aging properties and reverse inflammation. Additionally, blueberries provide other nutrients including resveratrol, lutein, zeaxanthin, gallic acid, vitamin C and K, manganese and fiber. Known as “neuro-protective agents”, blueberries can help in weight-loss, improve skin condition, maintain healthy eyes, lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol, and lower blood pressure naturally.
Despite not getting as much attention as the blue guys, raspberries contain important nutrients such as antioxidants, phytonutrients, flavonoids, fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. However, it’s the amount of vitamin C that gets the highlights. Raspberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, as 100g provides about 26g or about 47% of the daily requirement intake. Rounding up the health benefits, raspberry has an extremely low-fat content but high fiber that keeps you feeling full for longer.
Another great addition to weight-loss diets, blackberries are rich in soluble and insoluble fiber and very low in calories, 100 g provide just 43 calories. Blackberries contain high amounts of phenolic flavonoid phytochemicals as these antioxidant compounds are known to have health benefits against aging, inflammation, and neurological diseases. In addition, these delicious berries are an excellent sources of vitamin C, contain good amounts of vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin K as well as minerals like potassium, manganese, copper, and magnesium.
Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries (particularly the black raspberry variety) have high ORAC and are all classified as one of the highest antioxidant foods.
“3 Berries For A Healthy Diet” by Dr. Jeremy Wolf was originally published on Lucky Blog.
