Recommended
- Dr Fuhrman
- Vegan DHA
- iHerb (Great for ordering supplements, even if you're not in the US. Get $10 off your first order of $40 or more, or $5 off smaller orders, if you use coupon code GUH019)
Berries!
In this colder part of the world, we are always a few weeks behind Americans and people in other warmer countries when it comes to seasonal produce. People in blogs I read have been eating tons of strawberries, cherries and plums for ages, it seems, but around here the strawberries are only just in season. So, if I seem a little late with this berries-praising post, I blame the weather.
What's so great about berries
Berries are relatively low in calories and have less sugar than most other fruits. An entire cup of raspberries contains only 64 calories and 5 grams of sugar. MSNBC praises the high vitamin C content of berries, and the high levels of antioxidants and phytochemicals that fight cancer and heart disease. Blackberries and blueberries (as well as kiwi's) are also good sources of vitamin K, which is necessary for healthy bones. Cranberries protect your teeth and prevent and treat urinary tract infections.
Nutritional information per 200 Calories of berries
| description | grams | protein | sugar | fiber | vit. c | vit. k | orac* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boysenberries, frozen, unsweetened | 400 | 4.40 | 27.56 | 21.20 | 12.40 | 31.20 | |
| Elderberries, raw | 274 | 1.81 | 19.18 | 98.63 | |||
| Gooseberries, raw | 455 | 4.00 | 19.55 | 125.91 | |||
| Mulberries, raw | 465 | 6.70 | 37.67 | 7.91 | 169.30 | 36.28 | |
| Oheloberries, raw | 714 | 2.71 | 42.86 | ||||
| Blueberries, raw | 351 | 2.60 | 34.95 | 8.42 | 34.04 | 67.72 | 8421.05 |
| Blackberries, raw | 465 | 6.47 | 22.70 | 24.65 | 97.67 | 92.09 | 9469.77 |
| Cranberries, raw | 435 | 1.70 | 17.57 | 20.00 | 57.83 | 22.17 | 7608.70 |
| Strawberries, raw | 625 | 4.19 | 29.13 | 12.50 | 367.50 | 13.75 | 9625.00 |
| Raspberries, raw | 385 | 4.62 | 17.00 | 25.00 | 100.77 | 30.00 | 4723.08 |
Nutritional information per 100 grams (3.5 oz.) of berries
| description | Calories | protein | sugar | fiber | vit. c | vit. k | orac* | pral* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boysenberries, frozen, unsweetened | 50 | 1.10 | 6.89 | 5.30 | 3.10 | 7.80 | -2.148 | |
| Elderberries, raw | 73 | 0.66 | 7.00 | 36.00 | -4.7376 | |||
| Gooseberries, raw | 44 | 0.88 | 4.30 | 27.70 | -3.3128 | |||
| Mulberries, raw | 43 | 1.44 | 8.10 | 1.70 | 36.40 | 7.80 | -2.9374 | |
| Oheloberries, raw | 28 | 0.38 | 6.00 | -0.4888 | ||||
| Blueberries, raw | 57 | 0.74 | 9.96 | 2.40 | 9.70 | 19.30 | 2400 | -1.0444 |
| Blackberries, raw | 43 | 1.39 | 4.88 | 5.30 | 21.00 | 19.80 | 2036 | -2.8039 |
| Cranberries, raw | 46 | 0.39 | 4.04 | 4.60 | 13.30 | 5.10 | 1750 | -1.3729 |
| Strawberries, raw | 32 | 0.67 | 4.66 | 2.00 | 58.80 | 2.20 | 1540 | -2.5427 |
| Raspberries, raw | 52 | 1.20 | 4.42 | 6.50 | 26.20 | 7.80 | 1228 | -2.407 |
As always, these tables are presented for informational purposes only. I was surprised to see that blueberries have twice as much sugar as raspberries, and that some berries are such a good source of vitamin K, but all berries are excellent healthy food choices. Some contain a little more of one vitamin, others contain more of another phytochemical. Make sure to eat a variety of berries for optimum health.
* ORAC is a measure of antioxidant activity. Berries are among the foods with the highest ORAC values (green vegetables, as you expected, also rate very high). For more information about PRAL, see: PRAL: calculate the acid/alkaline balance of your diet.
June 26, 2006