Meet…Raspberries!
There’s few things in the world that make me happier than sitting in my backyard with my bees, and a nice big bowl of raspberries as a warm summer day snack. Raspberries are extremely beneficial to our overall health and wellness. They are an extremely versatile fruit as well with so many uses from jelly, to yogurt, cereal or a delicious salad topping, to smoothies! Nature is so powerful, the earth has given us all that we need in order to sustain healthy and balanced lives.
Let’s get right to it! So, what is all the rage over this pretty little fruit? According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, one cup of raspberries contains 64 calories, 1.5 grams of protein, 0.8 grams of fat, and 15 grams of carbohydrate (including 8 grams of fiber and 5 grams of sugar). Eating one cup of raw raspberries will provide 54% of your vitamin C needs, 12% of vitamin K, 5% of vitamin E, iron, and potassium, and 41% of manganese needs for the day.
Benefits of Raspberries:
-Arthritis Arthritis plagues many Americans due to the highly processed diet we consume. Raspberries can be a key ingredient into helping remedying the cause of arthritis. Raspberries are powerful anti-inflammtory agents and work in a similar way that Tylenol and Ibuprofen do (by turning off the COX-1s and COX-2s the enzymes responsible for the body’s inflammatory response) but without the harmful side effects. Researchers believe that the water soluble plant pigments that give raspberries its bright color are responsible for it’s anti-inflammatory properties.
-Anti-aging We can look and feel young forever with the help of nature, and especially with the help of raspberries! Raspberries are loaded with antioxidants that help fight against damaging free radicals in our bodies.
-Anti-Cancer Antioxidants prevent cellular damage in our bodies. Cellular damage is linked to a widespread variety of diseases like cancer, arthritis, and autoimmune diseases. The powerful antioxidants that are found in raspberries inhibit tumor growth because of the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties they contain.In a clinical study published in 2010 in “Cancer Prevention Research,” researchers found that black raspberry powder fed to mice for 12 weeks was highly effective in preventing intestinal tumors. The black raspberry powder inhibited tumor development by reducing inflammation. Raspberries can protect against many types of cancer like esophageal, lung, mouth, pharynx, pancreatic, prostate, endometrial and colon cancers.
-Diabetes When it comes to diabetes management, incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your lifestyle and avoiding processed foods, wheat and white flour is key to help managing symptoms. Plant foods are naturally loaded with fiber, and raspberries are loaded wit
-Eye Health With our time increasing on our smart phones these days, the impact that has on our vision is not even fully understood yet. However, more and more people are experiencing eye pain and doctors are seeing an increasing number of children being fit for glasses these days, so it extremely important to sustain the health of our eyes! Fruits and vegetables high in Vitamin C are often extremely beneficial for our eye health by providing protection against UV light damage. Raspberries contain the antioxidant zeaxanthin which protects the eyes from harmful blue light rays and is believed to protect the eyes from macular degeneration.
-Weight Loss Like many fruits and vegetables, the caloric content is extremely low. Now, I have never been one to worry at all about calories, counting calories, or worry about calories, but there is such thing as good calories versus bad calories. Loading up a processed potato chips will eventually make you feel full, but not without giving you added saturated fat, preservatives and chemicals. One cup of raspberries contains 1.5grams of protein, 8grams of dietary fiber (good for digestion and helping you feel full longer!) and 14.7grams of carbohydrates. Raspberries contain zero cholesterol, low in fat and sodium and only contain 64 calories per cup. Snacking on whole foods that are naturally fiber rich prevents over eating and leads to healthy weight loss.
-Brain Food Did you know that raspberries are good for our brains? Many fruits, vegetables, and nuts are excellent for brain development and help us maintain a healthy and functioning brain! Most berries contain flavonoids and animal studies have shown a positive correlation between flavonoid intake and memory improvement!
It is essential to eat good, clean foods to sustain a happy and healthy lifestyle. Prevention is key, and with so many outside forces that can lead to toxicity in our lives, the foods that we eat is one area that we have complete control in. By giving your body good, clean sources of energy and fuel, it will reward you back by being healthy!
So, keep eating those raspberries!