5 Reasons Why Berries Are Among the Healthiest Foods on Earth
Berries taste great, are highly nutritious, and provide many health benefits,
including for your heart and skin.
Berries are among the healthiest foods you can eat.
They’re delicious, nutritious, and provide a number of impressive health benefits.
Here are 11 good reasons to include berries in your diet.
1. Loaded with antioxidants
Berries contain antioxidants, which help keep free radicals under control.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that are beneficial in small amounts but can
damage your cells when their numbers get too high, causing oxidative stress (1).
Berries are a great source of antioxidants, such as anthocyanins, ellagic acid, and
resveratrol. In addition to protecting your cells, these plant compounds may reduce
disease risk (2, 3).
One study showed that blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries have the highest
antioxidant activity of commonly consumed fruits, next to pomegranates (4).
In fact, several studies have confirmed that the antioxidants in berries may help
reduce oxidative stress (5, 6, 7, 8, 9).
One study in healthy men found that consuming a single, 10-ounce (300-gram) portion
of blueberries helped protect their DNA against free radical damage (8).
In another study in healthy people, eating 17 ounces (500 grams) of strawberry pulp
every day for 30 days decreased a pro-oxidant marker by 38% (9).
SUMMARY Berries
are high in antioxidants like anthocyanins, which may protect your cells from
free radical damage.
2. May help improve blood sugar and insulin response
Berries may improve your blood sugar and insulin levels.
Test-tube and human studies suggest that they may protect your cells from high
blood sugar levels, help increase insulin sensitivity, and reduce blood sugar and
insulin response to high-carb meals (10, 11, 12, 13).
Importantly, these effects appear to occur in both healthy people and those with
insulin resistance.
In one study in healthy women, eating 5 ounces (150 grams) of puréed strawberries
or mixed berries with bread led to a 24–26% reduction in insulin levels, compared
to consuming the bread alone (13).
Moreover, in a six-week study, obese people with insulin resistance who drank a
blueberry smoothie twice per day experienced greater improvements in insulin
sensitivity than those who consumed berry-free smoothies (14).
SUMMARY Berries
may improve blood sugar and insulin response when consumed with high-carb foods
or included in smoothies.
3. High in fiber
Berries are a good source of fiber, including soluble fiber. Studies show that
consuming soluble fiber slows down the movement of food through your digestive
tract, leading to reduced hunger and increased feelings of fullness.
This may decrease your calorie intake and make weight management easier (15, 16).
What’s more, fiber helps reduce the number of calories you absorb from mixed meals.
One study found that doubling your fiber intake could make you absorb up to 130
fewer calories per day (17).
In addition, the high fiber content of berries means that they’re low in digestible
or net carbs, which are calculated by subtracting fiber from total carbs.
Here are the carb and fiber counts for 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of berries (18, 19,
20, 21):
Raspberries: 11.9 grams of carbs, 6.5 of which are fiber
Blackberries: 10.2 grams of carbs, 5.3 of which are fiber
Strawberries: 7.7 grams of carbs, 2.0 of which are fiber
Blueberries: 14.5 grams of carbs, 2.4 of which are fiber
Note that a typical serving size for berries is 1 cup, which converts to about 4.4–
5.3 ounces (125–150 grams) depending on the type.
Because of their low net carb content, berries are a low-carb-friendly food.
SUMMARY Berries
contain fiber, which may increase feelings of fullness, as well as reduce
appetite and the number of calories your body absorbs from mixed meals.
4. Provide many nutrients
Berries are low in calories and extremely nutritious. 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 (20).
With the exception of vitamin C, all berries are fairly similar in terms of their
vitamin and mineral content.
Below is the nutrition content of a 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of blackberries
(19):
Calories: 43
Vitamin C: 35% of the Reference
Daily Intake (RDI)
Manganese: 32% of the RDI
Vitamin K1: 25% of the RDI
Copper: 8% of the RDI
Folate: 6% of
the RDI
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 (20, 21).
SUMMARY Berries
are low in calories yet rich in several vitamins and minerals, especially
vitamin C and manganese.
5. Help fight inflammation
Berries have strong anti-inflammatory properties.
Inflammation is your body’s defense against infection or injury.
However, modern lifestyles often lead to excessive, long-term inflammation due to
increased stress, inadequate physical activity, and unhealthy food choices.
This type of chronic inflammation is believed to contribute to conditions like
diabetes, heart disease, and obesity (22, 23, 24).
Studies suggest that the antioxidants in berries may help lower inflammatory
markers (25, 26, 27, 28).
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 (28).
SUMMARY
Berries may help reduce inflammation and
decrease your risk of heart disease and other health problems.
