by Haven Logan PH.D

        

It’s a lazy summer morning and you wander outside to the blueberry field to pick fruit for your breakfast. As you begin tasting a few of the sweet, juicy berries, it is all you can do to save some in your bowl to bring inside. Perhaps another day you pile into the car with your family or friends to go to a strawberry farm to pick buckets of berries bursting with luscious flavor that you will preserve by freezing for the months ahead. Or maybe this week you will head down to your local farmers market to wait in line for succulent red raspberries picked that morning. Every list of “superfoods” includes berries, particularly blueberries. So let’s look first at why berries are so good for you and then how to enjoy them.

From the standpoint of taste alone, berries might be considered “superfoods.” In terms of nutritional value, berries appear on a select list of “superfoods” because they have multiple benefits including weight maintenance, disease prevention, and contributions to longevity. Another of their greatest benefits is that they are combat inflammation which contributes to all chronic diseases. Berries are high in fiber, low in fat and have no cholesterol, which also lowers your risk of heart disease. Other health benefits include promotion of gastrointestinal health, protection against macular degeneration, and berries may reduce the effects of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

The pigments which give berries their deep colors contain numerous phytochemicals (natural chemicals derived from fruit or plants) that have powerful antioxidant effects, protecting us against conditions such as cancer and heart disease. The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) test measures the antioxidant levels in foods. The higher the ORAC value, the more antioxidants a food provides. The average serving of fresh or lightly cooked produce provides between 600 and 800 ORAC units. In contrast, one cup of blueberries has an ORAC value of 5486 units! Blackberries are not far behind with an ORAC value of 4654 units, followed by strawberries with 3520 units and raspberries with 2789 units.

Unlike pharmaceutical medications, there are no side effects with “superfoods” and they are available at your local supermarket. Research into the health benefits of berries continues. Keep you eyes open as we find out more about these beneficial foods.

Selecting and Storing Berries

Most berries are so sweet and tasty that you can enjoy them in their natural state without any preparation. On the other hand, they can serve as the basis for a wide range of culinary delights from berry pie to berry sherbet to berry smoothies.

While berries taste the best when they are freshly picked, you can also find good berries in supermarkets by following the suggestions below. If you have more berries than you can eat right away, they are very easy to keep for later by freezing. Wash the berries, drain them and remove damaged berries. Then place them in a zip-lock bag and put them in the freezer.

• Cultivated raspberries are grown in California from June through October. Varieties include Red, Black, and Golden. Raspberries are highly perishable so buy them one or two days before you’re going to use them. Look for raspberries that are firm, plump and deep in color. Avoid those that are mushy or moldy. Place them unwashed in the refrigerator after removing any spoiled ones.
• North America grows 90% of the world’s blueberries which are harvested from April through September. Varieties include Duke, Elliott, and Aurora.  With blueberries look for those that are firm, plump and smooth with a deep purple-blue or blue-black color. Avoid those which are overripe or moldy. They can be stored in the refrigerator covered for up to ten days. Wash them just before serving.
• Fresh cranberries are in season from September to December. Look for plump, firm, and deep red berries. Cranberries are often enjoyed dried or as juice. Look for 100% cranberry juice rather that cranberry “drinks” which have added water and sweeteners.
• The season for blackberries runs from May to July. Varieties include Marionberries, Boysenberries, Himalayan, and Loganberries. As with other types of berries treat them with care and wash them just before eating.
• Strawberries reach their peek between April and July. They are also highly perishable so buy them shortly before you plan to use them. Look for berries that are mold-free, firm, plumb, deep red, and shiny with their green caps attached. Avoid those with green or yellow patches which indicate sourness. Make sure that they are not packed too tightly and remove all damaged ones. They will keep in the refrigerator one or two days.
• Other berries with great nutritional value include; currants, gooseberries, elderberries, Goji berries, and pomegranates. The latest rage in berries is the acai berry which has been around for thousands of years but was not introduced to the western world until the 1990’s. The acai berry has been used by the tribes of the Amazon jungle as a cure for various aliments. It has antioxidant properties, controls cholesterol, and is a natural energy booster.
  
  

Enjoying the Pleasures of Berries

Try different varieties of berries in these dishes until you find the combinations you like the best.

• Oatmeal or dry cereal with blackberries, walnuts and 1% milk
• Protein shake with 1 cup soy milk, 3 tablespoon protein powder, ½ banana, and ½ cup blueberries
• Low-fat yogurt layered in a wine glass with raspberries and granola on top
• Dried cranberries sprinkled on a spinach salad
• Salad made with arugula, smoky blue cheese, and blackberries
• Sliced strawberries stirred into vanilla yogurt
• Berries used in pies, cobblers, and muffins (The Internet, cookbooks, and magazines are filled with recipes.)
• Berries canned for jams and jellies
• Berries in a bowl topped with light whipping cream or a small amount of vanilla ice cream and chopped pecans.
  
  

Between fresh and frozen berries there is no reason that you can’t enjoy both the health benefits and the culinary pleasures of these “superfoods” all year long. Use your imagination, step out of your usual habits, and expand your experience of berries.