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Fruit Wolfberry

March 8th, 2010

Want to learn more about one of the super fruit wolfberry? The health benefits of wolfberry are amazing and have been written about as far back as 230 A.D. Commercially, wolfberry is known as goji berry and often there are over-exaggerated claims of the benefits of the goji berry. One internet site claims that a Chinese man consumed the berry everyday and lived to be well over 200 years old. Often times these claims, made injunction with pyramid sales opportunities make it difficult to weed out what the true benefits are. Science is studying this super fruit, and they have come up with some concrete evidence that wolfberry have benefits.

Wolfberry

Wolfberry

Wolfberry has been linked with immune health. It is found in studies of both animals and a group of seniors in China that using wolfberry increased antibody production in the T-cell, thus, improving the patience immune system.

Another claim is that wolfberry reverses the aging response. While it is difficult to believe that it reversed it so much as to allow a human to live to 200 it does seem to reduce the signs of aging. In a study in China it was found that there was an increase in antibody agents in the blood of those that took it.

Cancer prevention has also come up. While not cure, long term acute cancer patients in China reported that while taking Wolfberry, they had a longer remission between reoccurring cancer and showed signs of cancer regression. It is thought that Wolfberry would also be very effective in helping patients with Liver Cancer because of the ability to heal damage to liver cells. It also helps with the patient?s immune system and allows them to have a higher success rate with radiation therapy.

China also performed a study with cell growth and noted that while patients took Wolfberry cell growth increased stem cell proliferation.
Lastly, wolfberry has been known to help with vision. There are very few foods that contain zeaxanthin, wolfberry is one of them. Zeaxanthin is a sister pigment with Lutein. They are known to protect the retina by neutralizing free radicals caused by sun damage. Wolfberry also contains a high level of beta-carotene which helps strengthen eye function as well.
While the scientific study of wolfberry is relatively new, there is no doubt that there are many health benefits of wolfberry. Wolfberry may not allow you to live to 200 but there is certain biological evidence that it can give your body much of what it needs to function the best that it can.

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Wolfberry Nutritional

March 7th, 2010

Many people wonder what the true wolfberry nutritional value really is. They hear of the health benefits of wolfberry. They hear about the cardiovascular health wolfberry improves. What proof can science offer to back up these claims that wolfberry is truly a super fruits?

Commercially, the wolfberry is known as goji berry. The Chinese have used wolfberries for years as a food laden with many health benefits. This fruit has recently hit Europe and America with many websites touting the benefits of goji berry and selling the health drinks marketed as goji juice. It is important to note that many of these juices are not made strictly from wolfberries but a blend of many different fruit juices. The juice is still very healthy but might not be the miracle juice that some of the marketing suggests.

The wolfberry itself contains many of the human bodies daily macronutrient needs. The seeds are high in both omega 3 and omega 6 which is important for heart health. Wolfberry also contains at least 11 essential minerals, 22 trace minerals, 7 vitamins and 18 amino acids.

A 100 gram serving of Wolfberry contains 8-10% of our daily calcium requirements that help with bone and teeth development. It also contains 24% of daily potassium, crucial in lowering high blood pressure and managing electrolytes and enzymes. Also, its amazing iron content is thought to be almost twice that of soybeans which is often regarded and one of the highest iron rich foods. Wolfberries will give 20% of daily Zinc requirements that helps with cell growth and repair. It takes care of almost all of a daily dose of Selenium that helps element free radicals. It also takes care of our whole daily requirement of Riboflavin that synthesizes other vitamins and enzymes. Lastly, Wolfberry compares to fresh oranges, blueberries and soybeans with its vitamin C content.

If that is not enough to convince you that Wolfberry is very healthy it is also know to have dozens of phytochemicals, such as Beta-Carotene, Zeaxanthin and Polysaccharides. These are important in helping your body function and cell development and repair.

If one can get beyond many of the marketing ploys and pyramid schemes that surround this fruit you will find a healthy alternative too many of the fruits on the market. It may not make you live to be 252 like one such marketing ploy suggests but you will certainly feel better and might just be healthier

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Practical Uses of Aronia Berries

March 5th, 2010
aronia berries

aronia berries

Despite their not so appetizing alias, the aronia berry, or choke berry, is actually a superfruit that is both easily accessible and practical for human consumption.  Aronia berries grow naturally in the United States but are becoming a profitable industry as well because of their health benefits.  Insects, animals, and disease are inclined to leave the fruit along, making them easy to grow, care for, and profit from.  The black chokeberry has the highest concentration of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, but red chokeberries are just as tasty.  Despite their namesake and initial bitter, dry flavor, choke berries can be consumed in a variety of ways.  In Eastern Europe, the berries are popular for wine and tea, often combining the aronia with apple to temper its bitterness.  Drying the berries and combining with white tea leaves or other dried fruit produces a unique breakfast tea.  The juice of the aronia berry is not just good for drinks, but also for syrup. Berries and chocolate are a classic dessert, and combining the two in a muffin is even better. These aronia white chocolate muffins sound delicious.  Here’s to flavorful snacks and good health!

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Every Heard of a Choke Berry?

March 2nd, 2010

Elderberry, boysenberry, huckleberry, and…choke berry? This off-beat fruit doesn’t just have an unusual name (as many berries do); it also merits recognition as one of the rare fruits and, of course, as a uniquely healthy fruit. The black chokeberry is especially full of antioxidants. This super-fruit that is abundant in the United States. Choke berries are known for their bitter, or “choking,” flavor that must be tempered by other sweet and savory ingredients when eaten. They are otherwise known as aronia berries.

The juice of a choke berry is such a dark, saturated purple that has been used in inks and dyes as well as for healing purposes by Native Americans. In spite of a dissuasive name, choke berries have extensive health benefits as they are packed with vitamins and minerals. Like many berries, chokeberries are most enjoyable when blended with sweeter fruits. Mixing with apple juice for a more enticing flavored drink can alleviate the sour taste of the berries.

Black choke berries should be used for optimum antioxidant intake, though the juice of other aronia berries (such as the red choke berry) taste similar. Substitute aronia berries for cranberries or blueberries in common recipes for muffins, scones, or other pastries for a unique treat.  Use all three – why not?

Want more choke berry?  You can buy the plant online, Black Aronia Berry (Chokeberry) Plant, Hefty 30-40 Inch.  Or simply get the berry in the form of a gel cap – Chokeberry Extract Aronia Melanocarpa 150 Mg 60 Caps

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Colon Cancer May Be Prevented By Eating Mangos

January 24th, 2010

Have you heard? A new study by the Texas AgriLife Research center has decided that mangoes may have the ability to stop cancer cell lines from growing not only in the colon but also in breast tissue. This is hopeful information that there may be ways to prevent folks from developing these diseases. And, of course, it adds mangoes to fruit fighting cancer.

If you’re good at maintaining an alkaline diet of fruits and veggies combined with whole grains, then you might be interested in adding mangoes to your diet.

The food scientists at Texas AgriLife Research say that mangoes are often overlooked for being a fruit rich in antioxidants, like pomegranates or blueberries.  They tested the five different varieties that are found in the United States – Kent, Francine, Ataulfo, Tommy/Atkins and Haden.  “[The Mango] has about four to five times less antioxidant capacity than an average wine grape, and it still holds up fairly well in anticancer activity, [i]f you look at it from the physiological and nutritional standpoint, taking everything together, it would be a high-ranking super food,” noted researcher Dr. Susanne Talcott.

While the fruit showed fighting capabilities against lung, leukemia and prostate cancer, it seemed to be most effective in fighting colon and breast cancer lines.

This study along with others was commissioned by the National Mango board in order to help determine the nutritional value of the fruit.

Read more about it here: http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1686

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Raspberry

January 22nd, 2010

RaspberryThe raspberry is pretty well-known across the world.  They are grown for local grocery stores and fresh food markets as well as for processing for frozen fruit, dried, pureed fruit and juice.

Because raspberries need an ample amount of sun and water to develop, they are usually a mid-summer crop, depending on where you are located in the world. 

In addition to their great taste and fun texture, raspberries as with all antioxidant fruits, have numerous health benefits.

Because of their deeper color, raspberries are near the top when compared to other fruits based on their antioxidants when it comes to their dense amounts of ellagic acid, quercetin, gallic acid, anthocyanins, cyanidins, pelargonidins, catechins, kaempferol and salicyclic. 

Raspberries have an ORAC Value of about 4900 per 100 grams, which falls under blueberries (they’re 9000 ORAC units) and above apples at 2800.

The health benefits that some have experienced with raspberries are listed below.  Please be aware that this isn’t proof that they work, but that they are known to help.

  • Reduces Inflamation
  • Helps to Eliminate Age-Related Cognitvie Decline
  • Prevents Cardiovascular Disease
  • Reduces Allergies
  • Helps to Prevent Degeneration of Eye Sight with Aging
  • Reduces Pain
  • Prevents Cancer

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry

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Wolfberry Kidney Liver Cleanse

January 19th, 2010

Have you heard of the wolfberry?  It is also known as the Goji Berry or the Chinese Wolfberry.

The wolfberry is an excellent source for a kidney liver cleanse.  The Chinese have used the berries for centuries for its medicinal properties and the Chinese believe that it prevents liver disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.  Although the Chinese have known the powers of the power of the wolfberry for centuries, it has recently become very popular in fruit drinks, as a dried fruit and as a freeze dried powder.  It has a high antioxidant count as well as is full of nutrients.  It is mostly high in selenium, which is also found in blueberries and soybeans.

As you know, antioxidants are very important more than ever because of the pollution and other toxins that we come in contact with on a daily basis.  These toxins and pollution cause oxidation on you and your body, so as a result, you need fruits to combat this process of oxidation.  That is why they are called anti-oxidants.

This powerful berry is known to cleanse the kidney and the liver.  It also lowers blood sugar levels, improves your vision, reduces your fever and can reduce or relieve menstrual cramps.

Because of the antioxidant properities, adding the wolfberry to your diet as well as other fruit can seriously improve your health.

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Antioxidant-fruits.com Celebrates 2 Years!

January 15th, 2010

If you have been a loyal Antioxidant-fruits.com reader, then you might have noticed that the site was re-launched in January with a bit of a facelift.

After much debate, we decided to move the site from SBI to Wordpress and used Ninja Blog Setup to do it.

We wanted the site to be more interactive and engaging for our readers.  We also quite enjoy this platform as it allows for us to include a lot more options than we were able to do with SBI.

So with that said, we would love for our readers to start contributing.  If you like fruit, have a fruit company or just want to learn about fruit, we are accepting guest posts.  Please do contact us and clear your topic idea for the site before you submit it.

We are also accepting fruit recipes, fruit pictures, fruit farm directory listings, travel to fruit ideas, where to buy fruit ideas and much more.

The purpose of antioxidant-fruits.com is to share information about fruit – it’s uses, availability and benefits.  Fruit is an amazing food – it looks cool, tastes great and supplies our bodies with fabulous nutrients and minerals.

Please contribute to this site in any way that you see fit!  We welcome all comments and suggestions!

Antioxidant Fruits, Availability of Fruit, Benefits of Fruit, Fruit Farm Directory, Fruit Pictures, Fruit Recipes, Health, Travel to Fruit, Uses of Fruit, Where to Buy

What Is Your Favorite Fruit?

January 14th, 2010

Post by Jenny Dean

We know you’re out there and reading antioxidant-fruits.com, so there must be a reason for it!  We want to know if you have a favorite fruit!

I certainly do, but it took me awhile to know that it was my favorite fruit.  I am 30 years old and never seemed to be much a fan of fruit. 

I think watermelon was my favorite fruit.  How lame is that?

But in my mid-20s I discovered raspberries.  Although raspberries are pretty common place, I really was sort of grossed out by them.  However, now I love their texture.

Picking raspberries outside of Middlebury, VT

Picking raspberries outside of Middlebury, VT

I got my Masters in Spanish from Middleburry College, so in the summers, when we weren’t in class, we would go and pick raspberries.  There are small raspberry growers all over Vermont.  Usually, they will have a plywood sign that they have painted.  Something along the lines of, “Pick Raspberries Here.” 

They hand you a little basket and everything you can fit into the basket is yours for $3-$4.  The best thing is when they tell you that you can go ahead and taste test while you are picking out your raspberries. 

There is nothing like a warm, ripe Vermont raspberry!  YUM!  However, you can eat too many and then pay the price in the bathroom later!  However, it is a price I am willing to pay to over endulge in raspberries.

So, we want to know what is your favorite fruit?  Why?  How did it become your favorite fruit?  Comment below and let us know.  If it’s an unusal fruit, let us know where it comes from, what the health benefits are (if you know of any) and where to find it.

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Fruit That Could Save Your Life

January 13th, 2010

We all have heard for years that eating your fruits and veggies is a necessity.  Certainly, you are aware of that necessity if you have ever been constipated from eating too much bad food.  A little fiber from fruits and veggies will set you straight!  And your digestive system isn’t the only thing that is aided when you eat a proper diet.  Here are a couple of fruits that if you eat a few times a week, just might save your life.

Grapes:  Need a healthy dose of vitamin C and potassium?  No problem.  Grapes to the rescue.  If you know anything about antioxidants then you know the darker the skin of a fruit, the more dense it is in antioxidants.  The polyphenols found in the skin of a grape have tremendous health benefits and the carotenoid hycopene of red grapes helps to fight breast and prostate cancer.

Fruit that Ends with “berry”:  Surely, you know a lot of fruit that ends in”berry”.  In fact, usually fruits are paired with berries, “fruits and berries” is often how you see it.  Some examples are: the blueberry, the elderberry, the strawberry, etc.  Berries, because they are so rich in color, are loaded with antioxidants.

Fruit, because of the fiber and antioxidants that they offer, are excellent for detoxifying the system.

Learn more about Ten Foods that Could Save Your Life, like chocolate, coffee, pumpkin, avocados, oats, soy, cinnamon and nuts.  Or read a more extensive list of 101 foods that could save your life.

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