Tikachu's Kitchen: Get to Know Your Berry!

3/31/10

Get to Know Your Berry!

8:22 PM |

Postedby Kartika Christensen |

No, obviously we’re not gonna discuss a popular cellphone brand, although there is somewhat a close relation to it. “Berry” is an english term for an edible small-to-medium sized pulpy, juicy, usually bright-coloured fruits (psst, tomato, one of the healthiest nature produce there is, also belongs to the berry family!) Most berries are audible, but some like the deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) and potato tree fruits (Solanum tuberosum) are poisonous to us.

The bright colors displayed by berries are produced by natural plant pigments, notably polyphenols such as flavonoids, anthocyanins and tannins concentrated on the skin and seeds of berries. These chemicals mark the nutrients contained in these lovely-looking fruits. Berries are especially rich with antioxidants and therefore are used in skin care products to fight off free radicals.

There are many types of fruits that are technically from the berry family, such as melon, tomato, grapes, even banana and lemon! All of them contain good vitamins and minerals for the human body and are the most popular fruits on Earth =)

Here are a list of berries with notable level of antioxidant (I really want to make article that has tomatos and oranges in it but it will be too long, so tune in for the next article :D) :

Strawberries – Strawberries are excellent sources of vitamin C and antioxidants, marked by its bright red colors. It can be consumed fresh as it is, processed as jelly, dried and mixed with other fruits into cereal bars, sliced and put in your salad, or made into juice, milkshake, smoothy and yoghurt. Strawberry is also one of the first industrial food flavoring created and is still one of the most popular food flavoring! ^_^

Blueberries – a popular base ingredient for skin care products, blueberries have a wide range of varieties because they tend to adapt with their local environment. Blueberries can be processed to puree, juice, or dried, or made into jellies, jams, snack foods, and cereals. Blueberries contain dietary minerals, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K and fiber. Research also shows that a blueberry contains anti-inflammation, anti-oxidant, and possibly anti-cancer properties, are known to block certain virus like hepatitis C, slows down our body’s aging process, and prevents Alzheimer. A must have in your fruit basket! :D

Grapes – Known since the Classic age as fruit of the Gods, grapes probably are the most widely processed food in human civilization. It has been processed into jams, wine, raisins, juice, vinegar, and even drugs. Grapes also have a wide range of colors: green, black, purple, red, yellow and pink. Most of the species are native to Mediterranian areas. The chemical contents in grapes are found to reduce risks of heart failure, cancer, degenerative nerve diseases, viral infections and even Alzheimer. Like most other berries, it also contains antioxidant which is good for your skin =)

Blackberries – ~~a popular choice of accessory for the ‘cool’ people of modern day, blackberries are probably the most expensive considering the built-in features which are commonly found in medium-end....~~ ehem. Blackberries are edible aggregate fruits that botanics refuse to call ‘true berries’. There are currently 375 species of blackberries known to men. Blackberries contain dietary fiber, calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, betacarotene, and folic acid. The seeds are especially rich with omega-3 acids, protein and ellagic acids.

Raspberries – Raspberries are especially rigorous and can thrive in some of the most difficult environments, and therefore contain a lot of nutrients and anti-disease properties. Raspberries are packed with antioxidants (ranking 3rd of the top antioxidant fruits after cranberries and blueberries), vitamin C, minerals and dietary fiber, vitamin B1, B2 and B3, folic acid, and iron. Raspberries are also good as anti-inflammation, pain relief, anti-cancer, anti-cardiovascular disease, anti-diabetes, anti-allergies, and anti-aging food.

Cranberries – Cranberries are so popular in the food industry due to their taste, nutrient content and antioxidant qualities that they are stamped as ‘superfruit’. 95% of cranberries produced throughout the world are processed into supermarket products such as juice, sauce, syrup, yoghurt, wine and dried fruits. Only 5% are sold fresh to consumers, because they are considered too sharp to be eaten plain. When kept frozen, cranberries can be stored up to nine months. Cranberries rank first as fruits with the most anti-oxidant content known to man. They contain all the nutrients found in all other berries. Be careful when choosing cranberries products though, since most of them contain too much sugar!

And that’s your 3 minutes berry education ;)