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Thursday, July 17, 2025

The Well being & Vitamin Advantages of Summer season Berries + Simple, Scrumptious Berry Recipes


Uncover the well being and vitamin perks of strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries & blackberries—plus straightforward, scrumptious berry recipes for summer season snacking, salads, desserts, and extra!

Ah, candy, candy summer season berries. Candy, juicy, and bursting with vitamins, summer season berries like strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries, and blackberries are extra than simply seasonal favorites—they’re dietary powerhouses. Full of antioxidant compounds, fiber, and nutritional vitamins, these vibrant fruits assist help coronary heart well being, mind perform, digestion, and glowing pores and skin. Whether or not you toss them in smoothies, sprinkle them on salads, or bake them into wholesome treats, berries are a scrumptious and versatile solution to increase your summer season wellness.

Berries at my native farmers market in Ojai.

Is there something that may evaluate to the aroma and style of berries, warmed by the solar and picked ripe off the vine? Certainly, nature reserved her finest for berries, which develop each wild and on farms throughout the nation throughout the heat summer season months. These fruits, produced from the ovary of a flower, have essential roles within the well being of wildlife, in addition to folks. Simply assume that bears load up on berries earlier than hibernation, and birds do the identical earlier than migration—each bodily grueling endeavors. So, it’s no surprise that people, courting again to prehistoric instances, have understood the importance of berries for well being, in addition to style. For instance, Native People collected and dried berries, utilizing them in lots of essential dishes and for aid from diseases. They had been on to one thing, as these jewel-like berries are brimming with phytochemicals, that are accountable for their good colours and well being potential. Whereas summer season is admittedly the time to go wild for berries, you possibly can take pleasure in them year-round frozen and dried. I’m sharing suggestions and recipes on a couple of of my favourite summer season berries: raspberries, boysenberries, blackberries, and strawberries.

Use berries on this tremendous straightforward wholesome recipe for Summer season Fruit Skillet Cobbler.

Berry Culinary and Vitamin Information

Berries (1/2 cup uncooked) Dietary Highlights* Culinary Makes use of
Blackberries Fiber, nutritional vitamins C and Okay, manganese Get pleasure from contemporary, prime cereals, yogurt and salads; embody in desserts and
baked items; protect as jam.
Blueberries Nutritional vitamins C and Okay, manganese Eat contemporary, add to cereals, yogurt, salads; puree into smoothies; embody
in baked desserts, pancakes and muffins. Accessible frozen, dried, and preserved
as jam.
Boysenberries Fiber, folate, manganese Eat contemporary or in cereals; embody in baked desserts, muffins, and breads.
Accessible frozen or preserved as jam.
Cranberries Vitamin C, fiber, manganese Get pleasure from in juice, sauce, relish, or dried. Combine into cereals, yogurt or
salads; embody in baked desserts and breads.
Raspberries Fiber, vitamin C, manganese Eat contemporary as a snack; prime cereals, yogurt, or puddings; add to salads,
smoothies, and spreads; embody in desserts and baked meals. Accessible frozen,
dried, or preserved as jam.
Strawberries Vitamin C, manganese Get pleasure from contemporary, as a snack; slice into cereals, salads, or smoothies; combine
into puddings, pies, and frozen desserts. Accessible frozen and preserved as
jam.

*Incorporates a minimum of 10% DV

Raspberries

Fall in Love with Summer Berries!
Contemporary raspberries I picked on a farm tour in Washington state.

Description:

Delicate, candy crimson raspberries are one in every of our favourite berries, and so they’ve been utilized by folks as conventional well being therapies all through historical past. Named from the Latin phrase raspise, which suggests candy rose-colored wine, raspberries originated in North Asia and Japanese Europe, however can develop in lots of locations internationally; they particularly love the rising circumstances of the Pacific Northwest. Every raspberry (or blackberry, for that matter) is a wonderful assortment of mini-fruits, every containing a single seed. They each develop on canes, which bear white-pink flowers which may self-pollinate, however get a serving to hand from bees.

Fall in Love with Summer Berries!
Raspberries rising on the vine.

Vitamin & Well being:

Raspberries are filled with vitamin for a thin little calorie load—solely 64 energy per 1-cup serving. These seeds and skins increase the fiber content material to eight grams per serving—one of many highest sources of fiber within the fruit world. As well as, they supply omega-3 fatty acids (155 mg), vitamin C (54% DV), vitamin Okay (12% DV), and manganese (41% DV), and a few contributions of folate, vitamin E, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and copper. Nevertheless, it’s these phytochemicals—anthocyanins, ellagic acid, quercetin, and catechins—in raspberries which have scientists intrigued. Together with the vitamin C in raspberries, the antioxidant and anti inflammatory profile is spectacular. Whereas there are various potential well being advantages for consuming raspberries, particularly they’re actually good to your coronary heart in some ways. Consuming raspberries can scale back persistent irritation and oxidative stress, blood levels of cholesterol, and blood stress, and enhance the well being of blood vessels, and blood glucose ranges.

Simple Raspberry Salsa

The best way to Eat Them:

Raspberries are finest loved plain and easy—simply pop them in your mouth as a contemporary, seasonal fruit. Nevertheless, they’re additionally scrumptious over breakfast porridge bowls, baked in bars and cobblers, tossed into vivid veggie salads, and served as an accompaniment for savory dishes. Do that raspberry salsa with tortilla chips or savory dishes for a brand new twist.

Boysenberries

Fall in Love with Summer Berries!
Boysenberries rising on a farm in Lynden, Washington.

Description:

A cross between raspberries, blackberries and dewberries, the boysenberry has an intriguing historical past, which dates again to Walter Knott (sure, of Knotts Berry Farm fame), who first commercially cultivated the massive, reddish-purple berry, promoting them at his California farm stand in 1932 and later making them into preserves that actually put him on the map. Categorized underneath the blackberry household, boysenberries have comfortable skins and a tart-sweet taste.

Vitamin & Well being:

With solely 66 energy per 1 cup serving, blackberries (which embody boysenberries) are additionally filled with fiber at 8 grams per serving, in addition to omega-3 fatty acids (135 mg), vitamin C (50% DV), vitamin Okay (36% DV), copper (12% DV), and manganese (47% DV). As well as, they’ve considerable ranges of nutritional vitamins A and E, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Boysenberries are additionally potent in phytochemicals—specifically anthocyanins, gallic acid, rutin, and ellagic acid. Actually, scientists name the blackberry household “the king of berries” due to their excessive ranges of antioxidant compounds linked with their deep purple shade. Whereas boysenberries are definitely good to your coronary heart, researchers are significantly intrigued about their potential cancer-fighting capacity, as laboratory research have proven berries within the blackberry household could gradual or reverse the expansion of sure forms of cancers, together with esophageal, colon, and breast.

Tremendous Berry Soy Chia Pudding

The best way to Eat Them:

The darkish purple-ruby wealthy shade and taste of boysenberries makes them a singular helper within the kitchen. After all, they make stunning traditional pies and crisps and are scrumptious over pancakes or cereals, they’re additionally nice in sauces to accompany savory dishes, equivalent to grain dishes. Boysenberries provide candy taste to kale or spinach salads and a blast of deep shade to smoothies.

Blackberries

Description:

What may very well be higher than a handful of glistening, deep-purple blackberries, completely candy and ripe? You most likely have reminiscences of combating the bees to choose blackberries on the summer season vines, their flowery-sweet scent filling your nostrils, and purple-black juice staining your fingers (I do know I do). However these gem-like berries provide way more than simply good style. Blackberries are filled with vitamin, and oh so versatile within the kitchen.

Vitamin & Well being:

Blackberries include vitamin properties which have been related to safety in opposition to coronary heart illness, most cancers, and diabetes. Due to their excessive fiber content material, consuming blackberries could be extraordinarily filling, serving to to maintain your blood sugars extra secure. Actually, blackberries glycemic index is low (25). Their deep purple pigments come from a polyphenol known as anthocyanin, which capabilities as a pure antioxidant as a result of it helps defend cells from free radical injury. Blackberries are a low-carbohydrate fruit simply jam-packed with nice vitamins. Snacking on 1 cup of blackberries supplies you with solely 62 energy and 15 grams of carbohydrate, however it can additionally reap you 8 grams of fiber, 50% DV for vitamin C, 47% DV for manganese, and 36% DV for vitamin Okay.

Tremendous Berry Quinoa Acai Bowl

The best way to Eat Them:

You simply gained’t consider what number of issues you are able to do with blackberries, too! These beautiful berries are excellent for desserts, salads, baked items, marinades, and even cocktails, and are beautiful show-stoppers as both a foremost ingredient or a easy garnish. And by the best way, can canine eat blackberries? The reply is sure! These are superfoods for canine, identical to people.

Strawberries

Description:

Is there something fairly just like the sweet-nectar aroma of completely ripe strawberries blended with a little bit of heat earth on a sunny day? This description brings again vivid reminiscences of my childhood, once I picked strawberries with my household within the Pacific Northwest on the close by U-pick strawberry farm. The strawberry farm’s coverage indicated you solely needed to pay for the quantity of strawberries you picked and positioned within the wood crates (not your stomach). So, oh how I gorged on the plumpest, ripest berries, toasty heat from the solar, letting the juices drip down my chin and onto my t-shirt! When it’s strawberry season—which lasts lengthy in my neck of the woods in California, I simply can’t get sufficient of those candy, juicy berries. You’ll all the time discover a flat in my fridge, which I’ll use in cereals, salads, dips, smoothies, and fruit desserts. Better of all, they’re good as an excellent wholesome snack plain and easy, simply give them a fast rinse, and gobble them up.

Vitamin & Well being:

Past wonderful style, they provide highly effective vitamin. Strawberries—like all North American berries—are potent in plant compounds linked with well being advantages. Not solely are they filled with vitamin C and fiber, they’re wealthy with disease-protective phytochemicals that lend them their vivid crimson colours. A physique of analysis reveals present that strawberries can assist struggle irritation, and scale back your danger of creating persistent illnesses, equivalent to coronary heart illness, kind 2 diabetes, some forms of most cancers, and neurodegenerative illnesses. That’s why I like to recommend consuming berries, together with strawberries, each single day. Actually, you might wish to purpose for 8-a-day of strawberries for good well being. Whereas they’re in season, take pleasure in them as typically as you possibly can. However you may also flip to frozen (even dried strawberries) within the low season.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Vegan Feta and Balsamic French dressing

The best way to Eat Them:

Whereas strawberries are simply plain scrumptious au pure, simply munch on them for snacks or fruit platters, they’re additionally scrumptious in cereals, smoothies, salads, sandwiches, baked items like pies, cobblers, bars, and muffins, and even pizza!

10 Finest Berry Recipes

Uncover extra of my favourite straightforward, wholesome scrumptious berry recipes right here:

Mermaid Smoothie Bowl
Simple Strawberry Agua Fresca
Simple Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler
Raspberry Pistachio Sorghum Breakfast Bowl
Fruit and Vegetable Popsicles
Berry Bowl with Quinoa and Walnuts
Rose Sangria Sparkler
Coconut Almond Strawberry Espresso Cake
Simple Soy Yogurt Berry Parfait
Strawberry Banana Coconut Baked Oatmeal

Extra Instruments for Consuming and Dwelling the Goodness

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