The Berry Benefit – blackberries, blueberries raspberries

There are lots of benefits to eating berries, but eating them can be messy. You know how blackberries stain your fingers (and clothes!)?

The pigment in the berries which stains us, is from something called anthocyanins. These give dark coloured berries their gorgeous deep colour. 

Anthocyanins are also super good for our body when we eat them. 

In one study the equivalent of one cup of blueberries a day for 6 months helped to reduce the health markers which were associated with heart disease. The participants of the study were overweight, and had problems with their blood sugar and fats in the blood. At the end of 6 months they had improved insulin resistance, and blood vessel health. This is good news for berry lovers. 

It’s not just blueberries. Raspberries have been linked to lower blood pressure, perhaps due to their high potassium content. 

As well as including these anthocyanins, berries are also low GI (meaning they have a lower impact on our blood sugar levels when we eat them) and they are rich in fibre. 

They are so delicious, eating berries every day is ideal! But berries can be quite pricey.

If you can’t afford fresh berries, then a big bag of frozen berries is just as good. Keep in the freezer and add to smoothies, on top of porridge, mix into a flapjack mixture, or make a crumble.