Berry Is Beneficial to Your Heart

Author:sahil bagde

It's difficult to top the berry when it comes to foods that are both delicious and good for your heart. Antioxidants, which are chemicals present in some meals that help combat cell damage, are abundant in berries of all sorts.

"Antioxidants work everywhere in the body, including the heart," says Kathleen Johnson, M.A., R.D., L.D.N., a registered dietitian at Johns Hopkins. They're best ingested in the form of actual, whole meals rather than supplements, particularly coloured fruits and vegetables.

Berries are one of the most tasty and adaptable sources of these phytonutrients (plant-based chemical compounds). Because different types of berries have slightly different qualities and amounts of these nutrients, it's a good idea to vary your berry intake. Just remember to eat berries in moderation because they do contain sugar, according to Johnson. He adds, "Fresh or frozen is preferable to dry." "Dried berries have 20 percent fewer phytonutrients and more sugar than fresh berries."

Meet the berries' cream of the crop:

Blueberries

Despite having more sugar than other berries (15 grammes per cup versus 5 grammes for raspberries), this widely available berry includes a wide range of phytonutrients.

Buying and storing tips: Buy enough to freeze for later while they're in season (June to August); adding some vitamin C powder first will keep them fresh even longer. Refrigerate fresh berries in the crisper section and don't rinse them until you're ready to consume them.

Johnson recommends putting aside the processed blueberry-flavored goodies and eating them whole. To add sweetness to a smoothie, toss a handful in.

Blackberries

"They're underestimated and underplayed," Johnson says. They're also packed in antioxidants and fibre, and they've been less cultivated than blueberries, so what we eat now is closer to the fruit that once flourished in the wild.

Buying and storage tips: Like most berries, blackberries are seasonal in late spring and summer. Refrigerate them, but not in the crisper, and eat them within a few days.

Check farmers markets for loganberries, boysenberries, and marionberries, which are near relatives of blackberries. These berries can also be purchased frozen and defrosted in the microwave before adding to cereal or topping yoghurt.

Strawberries

Their vivid red colour encourages you to "eat the rainbow," a simple approach to ensure you get a wide range of nutrients.

Strawberry ranks No. 4 on the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen list of pesticide-laden foods, therefore Johnson recommends opting for organic strawberries. "Washing berries won't help because the pesticide is in the soil and grows into the berry," she explains. Look for berries that are completely red, with no white spots, as they contain more antioxidants and have a superior flavour.

Tips for eating: Slicing them onto green salads is a good idea.

Other Fruits to Consider

Raspberries: These well-known favourites have a surprising sweetness for such low-sugar berries (5 grammes per cup).

Cranberries: Many women are aware that they can help prevent urinary tract infections, and they're also the fruit with the least amount of sugar (4 grammes per cup). Eat them whole rather than juice, which contains all of the sugar (and often more), no fibre, and only half of the phytonutrients.

Golden berries: Their yellow-gold colour indicates that they have a somewhat distinct nutrient package, according to Johnson, and they look excellent in a fruit salad!

Which Berry Is the Healthiest?

Although they're all good for you, dietician Kathleen Johnson believes black raspberries are the "greatest." They're a darker-colored raspberry cousin that's high in antioxidants, has a lot of fibre, and has a low natural sugar content. "Of all the berries, they're the most nutrition packed," she explains. Blackberries and their cousins, marionberries, are a close second, according to her.