This Food Promotes
Berries
Meet the Berries!
Strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries – berries are everybody’s favorite brain food. They’re great for improving your brain skills and maybe your memory, too. And there are so many kinds, you can’t get tired of them. You’ve probably tried cranberry juice, or had toast with strawberry jam, but ever had a piece of gooseberry pie? Or currant jelly?
The beautiful, vivid blue and red colors of berries are a signal that they contain nutrients like phytochemicals and flavonoids that may help prevent some diseases. Blueberries and raspberries also contain lutein, which is important for healthy vision. In fact, some people think blueberries, especially the wild kind, are the absolute best food you can eat.
Berry Nutrion:
Could blueberries be the REAL Fountain of Youth? Maybe! That’s ‘cause they’re busting with bucketloads of antioxidants that help keep you looking young. And, in addition to all those antioxidants, they have more vitamins and minerals per ounce than any other fruit in the grocery store. And, when you eat them with nuts like walnuts, you get even more benefit!
At about 45 calories per half cup, blueberries are a healthy and delicious way to beef up your free-radical-fighting antioxidants. Why would you want to do that? Because free radicals are the things that age your body and mind, and as you get older you have more of them. Blueberries are great at fighting them, in fact, all berries are!
In general, berries are high in vitamin C, fiber, and other nutrients including potassium, flavonoids and lutein. Each kind offers you something special, so try them all for a healthy body and a healthy brain!
Factoids!
- Blueberries are one of the few truly blue foods on earth.
- Native Americans used blueberry juice as cough medicine!
- Strawberries have lots and lots of cousins! There are over 600 varieties of these juicy little morsels.
