The 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.

• Polyphenol antioxidants
• Anthocyanin pigments
• Dietary fiber
• Vitamic C
• Manganese
• Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
• Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
• Folic Acid
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Omega 3 Fatty Acids
• Copper
• Iron

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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Written by Cosmetic Chemist Amanda Foxon-Hill from www.realizebeauty.com

Every year we spend hundreds if not thousands of our hard-earned dollars on beauty creams, lotions, treatments and serums in the hope of putting the breaks on the ageing process. We do this with gusto, pouring over our purchases with  friends while sipping our latte’s and  chowing down on muffins and banana bread. After all why not indulge a little, we just invested in designer skin!  However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the products that we put onto our skin are only half the story.  Ever heard that anoying saying “you are what you eat”……..

……. and there is nothing better for the skin than some antioxidant-packed berries!

As far as skin-health goes free-radicals can be public enemy number one. Free-radicals are little charged particles that have an attitude problem! They like nothing better than to provoke other cells into action, sending them on a journey that ends in distruction and dis-repair. Free-radicals are created when oxidation takes place in cells and while this process is not un-natural, the status-quo  of the cells can be affected negatively through too many late nights, the consumption of nutritionally poor food, drugs and alcohol, too much sun exposure and disease.  On top of that, as we age the bodies ability to clean-up free-radicals deminishes and the effects of a life lived to excess start to show.

Luckily for us, nature provides the perfect high tech anti-oxidant package in the form of those beautiful red, blue and purple things we call fresh berries – pass the fruit bowl!

• Blueberries are one of natures super-foods. These little gems are packed full of Vitamin C which helps the skin to produce high-quality collagen (collagen along with elastin helps to give our skin its structure. Good quality collagen keeps the wrinkles at bay) and vitamin E which helps to maintain the skins barrier function.
• Cherries contain some very interesting natural antioxidants in the form of the flavanols cyanidin and quercetin which act as anti-inflamatories for the skin-cells.
• Blackberries are a great source of essential fatty acids – essential because you have to EaT them, your body can’t make them! Blackberries are a great source of Alpha Linolenic Acid which helps regulate sebum production and reduce inflammation.  They are also rich in Vitamin A which is great for acne-prone skin.

These, along with many other fresh fruits are a great way to ensure that you are giving your skin the best possible tools for which to tackle premature ageing.  There is no short-cut to healthy looking, youthful skin and for some of us, our genetics make for an up-hill battle. However, adding some of these super-fruits into your diet can stack the odds in your favour.

So, next time you’re about to spend up big time at the cosmetics counter spare a thought for your insides and make sure you leave a couple of dollars over to treat yourself to a tub of something yummy.  Enjoy!

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Columbia Phyto Technology and Kerry Ringer, a Washington State University assistant professor, recently published the results of their study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. 

The team looked into preserving the health-promoting compounds in dried blueberry powder.  The reason for the interest in the study was because of consumers needs for highly nutritious foods as well as concerns about costs.  Also, because blueberries are a seasonal crop they end up having a short life as a fresh product.  Because of their popularity, they end up being frozen or processed.  However, keeping food frozen can end up being a financial burden on the industry as well as the consumer. 

The technology was the radiant zone dryer.  It ended up preserving as many antioxidants and anthocyanins as their liquid counterparts.  Ringer noted, “We focused our study on drying of blueberry puree, blueberry juice and blueberry extract supplied by Washington fruit processing companies.”

This is excellent news because dried blueberry powder allows for minimal degradation of anthocyanins and therefore makes the preservation of blueberries more cost effective. 

Ringer added, “This project demonstrated the development of value-added products that potentially bolster profit margins and the types and numbers of jobs in agriculture.”

Source: http://mobile.westernfarmerstockman.com/index.aspx?ascxid=cmsNewsStory&rmid=0&rascxid=&args=&rargs=9&dt=633982152662968750&lid=a8yebu2d9qxnz7lo&adms=633982152661250000X3bf6e7e6e4&cmsSid=34358&cmsScid=9

Antioxidant Fruits, Availability of Fruit, Benefits of Fruit, Health, Uses of Fruit, Where to Buy anthocyanins, blueberries, blueberry, dried blueberry powder

With the New Year in full effect, there is little doubt that you have run into articles talking about the latest list of superfoods.  It seems like in recent years that this list of superfoods has become more exotic and impossible to attain.

So, we thought we’d remind you on a superfood that is easily attainable and available all year around either fresh or in your grocery’s freezer – the blueberry.  Dr. Ronald Prior said in a 1998 research study conducted at Tufts University that “[b]lueberries are one of the richest sources of antioxidant phytonutrients of the fresh fruits and vegetables we have studied.”  (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 46, no. 7).

The Blueberry’s Benefits Include:

• Clears/Cleans arteries
• Improves vision
• Rich in iron
• Helps to clear the digestive track
• Reverses the aging process
• Protects against disease because of the concentration of antioxidants
• Promotes weight control
• Stops urinary tract infections
• Enhances memory

As with other superfoods, adding the blueberry to your diet is always a tasty treat.  However, because of the availability of the blueberry, it is much easier to add to your daily diet. 

You can use the blueberry to compliment many snacks and desserts. 

How to Use the Blueberry in Your Diet:

• Freeze blueberries and use them in a smoothie or add them to your favorite drink to add texture to your drink
• Heat blueberries with your syrup and then eat them with waffles, pancakes or french toast
• Scoop some blueberries into your yogurt with granola
• Drop some blueberries on your morning oatmeal or cereal
• Add dried blueberries to trail mix, chicken salad or in protein bars

If you are looking for additional blueberry recipes, you might check out the Oregon Blueberry site.

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Before the acai berry, the blueberry was touted as having very high antioxidant values when compared to other fresh fruits and vegetables. Now, this berry is still up there, but not in comparison to the acai berry as far as the ORAC Value is concerned. The anthocyanins in the berries are the chemicals responsible for its antioxidant and anti-inflamatory properties.

Some nutritional benefits are:

• Anthocyanins
• Vitamins
• Minerals

It can help with:

•  Heart Disease
• Memory Loss
• Urinary Tract Infections

In June 2006, Pharmacology and Biochemical Behavoir published a study which showed that diet supplementation with blueberries improved performance on memory tasks in mice. Also, the berry’s polyphenols help give it a protective effect on DNA damage.

How it fights cancer

Thinking about cooking with them? You can always check out my Fruit Recipe Page to find unique recipes of specific fruits found on this site.

There is also a great site that offers recipes on pancakes: blueberry pancake recipe, there are also recipes for muffins and pie.

Look at these berries in a Prague market! YUM! Thank you to Karin Eriksson for letting us post this! Please visit her site to see more wonderful photos: www.karineriksson.se

Do you have a fun story or a fun fact about blueberries?  If so, go ahead and leave a comment about them below.

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