Raspberries: How This Pink, Tangy Fruit is Fundamental to Health
March 21, 2017
Yesterday, I was having a wander around Grainger Market when I stumbled upon one of the many fruit stalls. One particular stall caught my eye as it had an amazing offer for raspberries, one of my favourite fruits. 4 boxes for just one pound. In other words, 500g of sweet, pink, tangy and delicious raspberries for just £1! I could not believe what I was seeing. At Tesco, you can get a 150g box for £2 or a 250g box for £3 so you can see why I couldn't believe it. Anyway, I bought the raspberries and wondered what the actual health benefits of eating raspberries are.
Raspberries are 86% water, 12% carbohydrate, 1% fat and 1% protein meaning these are a perfect hydration food for those hot summer days we are all longing for. They are rich in:
- Vitamin C which repairs tissue and prevents scurvy.
- Manganese which is essential for development and metabolism.
- Fibre which can speed up the passage of food through the digestive system, regulate blood sugar, alleviate constipation and lower cholesterol.
- Potassium which is used in many physiological processes in the body such as homeostasis, electrolyte and fluid balance and hormone secretion.
- Folic acid which is necessary for fertility. It can also lower the risk of stroke and some types of cancer.
- Vitamin K which can help coagulate the blood or in other words, prevent uncontrolled bleeding.
- Biotin which is necessary for cell growth and the metabolism of both fatty acids and amino acids.
It's amazing how such a little fruit has so much benefit to our health! Research has shown that raspberries can lower oxidative and reduce inflammation. Lowering oxidative stress means lowering the chance of chronic disease including obesity, type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
Rheosmin, a type of raspberry ketone found in raspberries, can increase the metabolism in our fat cells. This is because it increases enzyme activity and oxygen consumption. It can also decrease the activity of pancreatic lipase, a fat digesting enzyme meaning the body will absorb less fat.
With all these benefits, you'd be silly to not go down to your local fresh fruit market and buy yourself some fresh raspberries at a good price. They will satisfy your sugar craving, are full of vitamins and minerals vital to good health as well as prevent chronic disease in the long run!
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