Berry Boosters

Berries That Will Change Your Life And Health.

Berries have been demonstrated to be some of the healthiest foods on the planet. Each month or so it seems fresh research is being brought out and new berries are being exposed and analyzed for their health giving attributes.

Extremely high in antioxidants, berries rank amidst my favorite foods. So here is my list of different varieties of berries that are extremely high health benefits. (In no particular order).


While people all over are busy looking for 'health foods' and pumping their bodies with various so-called health supplements, they are sadly forgetting one of nature's biggest bounties that they have such easy access to.
We are talking here of berries. There is a vast assortment of berries that nature provides us with, and rarely is a berry found that does not have extraordinary nutritional value.
Just by including the right kinds of berries in our regular diet, we are able to improve our health and our life itself by a very significant degree.
It is quite important for us to know our berries well. This initial chapter is an attempt at that... we are going to tell you of the seven most important berries that you should definitely include in your daily diet.


7 Berries You Should Eat Everyday

Nature has furnished us with a host of goodies. Health experts have always advocated the use of natural foods for maintaining good health. According to most health experts, the reason for the denigration of human health in recent times is that our diet has become more 'synthetic' than ever. As such, one of the most effective ways to maintain the best health and fitness level is to go back to nature.

Among the various goodies that nature has given us so abundantly are included hundreds of different species of berries. These tiny, colorful fruits are packed with an amazing level of nutritional goodness. Berries are known for their high antioxidant values-some of these products have the highest antioxidant value of all fruits-and it is this nutritional asset present in them that makes them lead the health brigade.

In the course of this e-Book, we are going to see various such berries that nature has given us in its bounty and which have a great level of nutritional content in some form of the other. Here, as we are getting started, is a list of the top 7 berries that nature has to offer, berries that must be part of our everyday diet.

The list of 7 berries follows.

Acai Berry

The acai berry is a relatively new discovery to most parts of the world, including USA, but this berry has been in use for centuries. A native of the Brazilian rainforest region, the berry is naturally grown only in that part of the world. Due to its short shelf life, there are difficulties in preserving and transporting the berry to different parts of the world, where there is a huge demand currently for it.

Acai berries are known to be the highest natural source of antioxidants present in nature, even more than red wine, which was considered the number one food for fighting against free radicals. It is these free radicals that can cause a very high amount of damage to the human system. Acai berries work by eliminating free radicals and thus improving the body on the whole.

Acai berries are great for various aspects of human health and fitness. They are highly rated for their effectiveness in weight management. Apart from that, they are also known for their role in anti-aging, improving stamina, improving mental health, controlling diabetes, enhancing heart function, controlling blood pressure and so on.

All acai available in countries outside the rainforest is in some or the other preserved form due to its short shelf life. Commonly available acai products are in the form of pulps, freeze-dried powders, syrups and squashes, etc.

Maqui Berry

While the acai berry enjoys its position as the number one healthy berry available in nature, the maqui berry comes a close second. This is a temperate fruit which grows indigenously in Chile and Argentina and is exported to other parts of the world in various forms.

Maqui berries have lower antioxidant content than acai berries, but we will get into detailed comparisons later. This berry has several health benefits, most of which are related with the digestive system. The berry provides consumers with a high level of monounsaturated fats, dietary fibers, and plant sterols, which are highly important in improving the heart function of a person apart from improving their digestive metabolism. The berry also has enough antioxidant content to correct digestive problems and cause unnecessary fat to burn out.

Goji Berry

The goji berry is found in Tibet and Nepal, but now they are being cultivated in several other parts of the world as well. This Asian berry is actually one of the first berries that medical science accepted to have curative benefits. The berries are full of nutritional goodness in the forms of amino acids, trace minerals, vitamins of the B complex and E and several others. The berry has a deep red color, which is in part due to the presence of beta carotene in it, which is a precursor for vitamin A.

Goji berries have been ascribed with several health benefits. They are known to improve the immune system of the body. They can do a wonderful job in maintaining proper health of the liver. The goji berry is also accepted to improve stamina and libido along with providing a better mental strength to the person who uses them regularly.

Blueberry

These berries, which are actually blue in color, are known for their very high antioxidant content. The berries get their blue color because of the high amount of plant nutrients present in them, which are known as anthocyanidins. These natural ingredients are responsible for the natural antioxidant action of the berries.

The blueberry performs an impressive task in repairing the wear and tear that takes place in the body. Its high antioxidant content eliminates free radical action and keeps the body in its highest state of functioning at all times.

Along with improving the body's immunity and metabolism, blueberries are medically proven to have a positive effect on conditions such as varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, cataract, glaucoma and even some kinds of cancers. This has led to a great deal of scientific and medical interest in these berries in recent times.

Strawberry

Strawberries are perhaps the most abundant kinds of berries in the world. There are about 600 different varieties of them on the planet, all deep red in color because of the antioxidant plant nutrients that are present in them in high amounts.

This highly attractive berry has a significant number of benefits as well. It is known for improving mental conditions such as debility, stress and depression. They are known for ocular health and also for improving the overall metabolism of the body. Recently, a study with is still going on, has indicated that regular consumption of strawberries may be very good for the control of liver cancer.

Bilberry

The bilberry is another highly attractive blue colored berry. The blue color, as in blueberries, is again due to the presence of anthocyanidins. But, they are about three times smaller in size than them.

Bilberries are well-respected in the world of natural foods because of their vast number of benefits in maintaining human health. These berries are considered to be very good in monitoring blood sugar level. They can help prevent early wear and tear of the arteries and veins. They are also known to improve vision and keep various eye defects at bay.

Blackberry

The name indicates their color, which is mainly due to the very high level of antioxidants present in them. It is because of this fact that blackberries are highly effective in treating and preventing the onset of various chronic diseases.

Blackberries are exceptional at improving the immunity of the body. They provide the body with necessary fibers and hence are useful for maintaining the digestive metabolism of the body as well. Blackberries were recently found out by a study conducted by the Ohio State University to be effective in the formation of oral and colon tumors. This has sparked new interest in this berry in recent times.

So, these are the seven great berries that must definitely be a part of your regular diet. In the further pages, we are going to take up these berries in detail and see ways in which you can use them for your health and fitness.

WHY BERRIES WORK BETTER THAN OTHER HEALTH FOODS

Why are we emphasizing on berries over all other foods here? What is it that makes berries special? Here are some answers.

Know The Facts

Quite understandably, most people reading this e-Book may think why we are focusing on berries over other foods. Nature has a lot of goodness to offer, then why berries in particular? To answer that, it would be ideal for you to first know the benefits that berries can provide you with.

Berries-Health Benefits

* Berries are full of anthocyanins, especially the berries that have a darker color. Anthocyanins are the pigments that give them this color. But, at the same time, anthocyanins are also rich in antioxidants. This is a fact that is really of importance to us here. In order to understand why berries are wonderful for health, we should understand what antioxidants can do for us.

* Our body is consistently ravaged by destructive elements known as free radicals. These free radicals impair our body in various ways. They slow down the metabolic processes of the body and put it in severe peril. That is the reason why we are not able to do our work effectively when we grow up, even though we could do it quite well when we were younger. As age advances, the impact of free radicals in our body increases. The various processes of the body become slower.

* This includes processes like digestion, reproduction, sexual activity, psychological activities, immunity, blood circulation and almost everything else that you can think of. Free radicals impair these processes and convert out bodies into a wreck as we age.

* It is at this time that we feel the need to turn to antioxidant-rich foods, like berries. Antioxidants are natural removers of free radicals. By eliminating the action of free radicals, they can bring the body back to its youthful vigor and energy.

* The reason why we have taken up berries is that they are the richest sources of antioxidants in the world. Their natural goodness ensures that they are great foods to consume for all the benefits that antioxidants can provide, without worrying about any side effects. The ancient rishis of India lives solely on berries growing in the wild. These rishis never felt much hungry (berries are great appetite-satisfiers) and hence they had lean bodies and were capable of high activity and meditation. They lived a long life, most of them beyond 200 years.

* Berries are also known for their high vitamin content. The tarty ones are especially rich in vitamin C, which is a natural protectant for the body and helps in faster healing. Another important vitamin found in berries is vitamin K, which helps in blood clotting. Vitamins of the B complex, which are amazingly helpful in the overall growth and development of the body, are also found abundantly in berries.

Berries-The Great Convenience

Berries are such fabulously nutrient-rich foods, but they are available all over the planet in some form or the other. They grow in tropical as well as temperate climates. There are still several berry species within the rainforests that have not been properly discovered so far. So, one thing can be said about them-berries are something that we will never have a paucity of.

There is also the fact that they can be eaten as they are. You could just pluck them from their shrubs and eat them. Or, if you are more of a gourmet, there are various delicacies that can be prepared from berries. Though these are the most healthful foods on the planet, they have tastes that appeal to everyone.

So, why shouldn't we take berries up? These are cheaply available foods that everyone likes anyway. Only if we could be more serious about them and include them in our daily diet, things would be much different with our health.

Wrapping Up

All berries that we have mentioned are easily available and accessible to everyone, wherever they live. Then there is the very important fact that all of them have a great amount of nutritional goodness in them. As such, it would be quite simple to plan a diet that includes these healthful fruits of nature. Do your best to work them in your regular routine... have them for breakfast, or a midmorning snack, or to pep you up while at work. They are great to taste and will continue working silently within your body to improve your health and general wellbeing.

So, do not miss out on those berries. Mother Nature cannot be wrong!