The fruits of the forest or red fruits arouse passions, and with good reason: they concentrate incredible amounts of antioxidants and other healthy compounds. And they are delicious!
One of the best moments of any mountain walk happens when you discover a bush with ripe berries. Smiles settle on the faces and, if the plant is not recognized at first sight, the inevitable doubts arise about whether they will be edible.
It is a scene that reproduces those that thousands of years ago starred our ancestors, for whom berries were essential. They ate them fresh and dried them to have reserves in the months without harvest.
BERRIES AND BERRIES PACKED WITH ANTIOXIDANTS
Today we probably do not get so much out of them, but the protective power of small berries and other berries or strawberries of red and purple colors makes their regular consumption highly recommended.
The key to its benefits for our health is in the color red, because this is due to its antioxidant pigments. These are, specifically, phenolic compounds such as flavonoids, anthocyanins and tannins along with other antioxidant substances.
Anyway, each berry has its particularities. Therefore, the more variety of red fruits we consume, the greater variety of antioxidants we will also provide to our body.
They also provide you with plenty of water, good amounts of fiber and sugars, and different minerals and vitamins.
STRAWBERRIES, MORE NUTRITIOUS IF THEY ARE ORGANIC
Organic strawberries are not only free of chemical pesticides, but contain up to 29% more natural substances with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, according to studies by María Dolores Raigón, agronomist and professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia.
They give you iron, vitamin C and vitamin K.
You can try to get them from your own harvest. In fact, it is the fruit that is most easily grown, as it grows well in a pot or in a vertical garden. It also does not need much light.
BLUEBERRIES, A GIFT FOR YOUR VEINS AND ARTERIES
Anthocyanins are responsible for the blue color of this fruit that stains your tongue and multiplies the levels of antioxidants circulating in your blood.
They are especially indicated to keep blood vessels in good condition.
Take advantage of its season from July to October because fresh blueberries give you all their beneficial phenolic compounds. With freezing, many degrade or almost disappear.
RASPBERRIES FULL OF ANTI-RADICAL VITAMINS
Its color brightens the forests and gardens during the summer, but the best comes when you eat it and floods your mouth with a mixture of acid and sweet flavor and unique aromas.
They are a great source of antioxidant vitamins: a serving of 100 grams provides you with 42% of the vitamin C you need per day and 38% of E, a surprising figure in a food almost devoid of fat.
It also has anthocyanins and flavonoids, equally active against free radicals.
BLACKBERRIES TO RECHARGE WITH JOY
There is no summer walk in the countryside in which we do not relive the past of our species as joyful foragers.
The blackberry is a compound fruit formed by a set of 50 to 150 fruits, each with its own stone. It provides you with fiber, vitamins C and E, folic acid, some iron, and plenty of anthocyanins.
In addition, it contains cyanidin-3-glucoside with antitumor properties.
GOOSEBERRIES, WITH ALL THE FLAVOR OF SUMMER
They are ideal for inclusion in creative desserts and sauces that give a sophisticated touch to salads and stews.
But they are also very nutritious. They provide you with vitamin C, potassium and fiber, which makes them depurative and laxative. And they contain up to 65 phenolic compounds with antioxidant properties!
You can prepare a delicious soft drink by combining, in proportions to taste, stevia, currant juice, lemon juice and very cold sparkling water.
CHERRIES TO RENEW EVERY CORNER OF YOUR BODY
Cherries are paired with youth.
They contain organic acids with depurative and anti-inflammatory effects that allow tissue regeneration. They also provide vitamin C and folic acid.
They are also your allies to promote sleep, because cherries (especially sour varieties, such as Montmorency) are rich in melatonin, the hormone we secrete to sleep, rest and renew ourselves.
You can have a glass of juice before bed.
