They make a wonderful snack or dessert, whether you use one type or a mix of two or more.Though they’re naturally sweet and require no additional sweetener, adding a bit of heavy or whipped cream can transform them into a more elegant dessert.For breakfast, try berries topped with either plain Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or ricotta cheese, along with some chopped Another way to include berries in your diet is as part of a salad.To discover the nearly endless versatility of berries, browse the internet for healthy recipes.Berries taste great, are highly nutritious, and provide many health benefits, including for your heart and skin.By including them in your diet on a regular basis, you can improve your overall health in a very enjoyable way.© 2005-2020 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company.
We provide a nutritional breakdown, discuss ways to incorporate raspberries into the diet, and explain the possible health risks.Antioxidants help the body eliminate toxic substances known as free radicals. In addition to being high in antioxidants, they also contain several vitamins and minerals.Berries, especially strawberries, are high in vitamin C. In fact, 1 cup (150 grams) of strawberries provides a whopping 150% of the RDI for vitamin C (Below is the nutrition content of a 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of blackberries (The calorie count for 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of berries ranges from 32 for strawberries to 57 for blueberries, making berries some of the lowest-calorie fruits around (Inflammation is your body’s defense against infection or injury.However, modern lifestyles often lead to excessive, long-term inflammation due to increased This type of chronic inflammation is believed to contribute to conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity (Studies suggest that the antioxidants in berries may help lower inflammatory markers (In one study in overweight people, those drinking a strawberry beverage with a high-carb, high-fat meal noticed a more significant decrease in certain inflammatory markers than the control group (Black raspberries and strawberries have been shown to In an 8-week study, adults with metabolic syndrome who consumed a beverage made from freeze-dried strawberries daily experienced an 11% drop in LDL (bad) cholesterol (What’s more, berries may help prevent LDL cholesterol from becoming oxidized or damaged, which is believed to be a major risk factor for heart disease (In a controlled study in obese people, those eating 1.5 ounces (50 grams) of freeze-dried blueberries for 8 weeks noticed a 28% reduction in their oxidized LDL levels (Berries may help reduce skin wrinkling, as their antioxidants help control free radicals, one of the leading causes of skin damage that contributes to aging (Though research is limited, ellagic acid appears responsible for some of the skin-related benefits of berries.Test-tube and animal studies suggest that this antioxidant may protect skin by blocking the production of enzymes that break down collagen in sun-damaged skin (In one study, applying ellagic acid to the skin of hairless mice exposed to ultraviolet light for eight weeks decreased inflammation and helped protect collagen from damage (Several antioxidants in berries, including anthocyanins, ellagic acid, and resveratrol, may reduce cancer risk (Specifically, animal and human studies suggest that berries may protect against cancer of the esophagus, mouth, breast, and colon (In a study in 20 people with colon cancer, eating 2 ounces (60 grams) of freeze-dried raspberries for 1–9 weeks improved tumor markers in some participants, though not all (Another test-tube study found that all types of strawberries had strong, protective effects on liver cancer cells, regardless of whether they were high or low in antioxidants (For example, a half-cup serving of blackberries (70 grams) or raspberries (60 grams) contains less than 4 grams of digestible carbs (Liberal amounts of berries can be incorporated into paleo, For people who want to lose weight, the few calories in berries make them ideal to include in meals, snacks, or desserts.Organic and wild berries are now widely available in many parts of the world. Where possible, check the label and buy raspberry products without added sugars.Ways to include fresh or frozen raspberries in the diet include:Some people take supplements called raspberry ketones, which contain chemical extracts from raspberries and other plants. The strawberry fruit’s skin is covered in tiny seeds, while flax seeds come from the pods of the linum plant. Manufacturers claim that these supplements can help people lose weight or prevent However, there is a lack of scientific evidence to show that raspberry ketones are safe or effective for these purposes. This is referred to as endothelial dysfunction, a major risk factor for heart disease (Berries have been found to improve endothelial function in studies in healthy adults, individuals with metabolic syndrome, and people who smoke (In a controlled study in 44 people with metabolic syndrome, those consuming a daily blueberry smoothie showed significant improvements in endothelial function, compared to the control group (Though fresh berries are considered healthiest, berries in processed form may still provide some heart-healthy benefits.